American Airlines just gave travelers yet another reason to avoid basic economy.
As of Wednesday, the carrier will no longer let its AAdvantage loyalty members earn miles or status-earning Loyalty Points when flying on its no-frills tickets.
It's a blow to AAdvantage members who had been willing to stomach the restrictions of basic economy in exchange for saving money.
The changes, spelled out on the airline’s website, apply to all new bookings made from Dec. 17 onward.
The news was first spotted by industry watcher "JonNYC" as well as Thrifty Traveler, and subsequently confirmed by TPG.
Tightening its basic economy policies for AAdvantage members
This isn't the first time American has taken a bite out of loyalty earnings for passengers flying on its basic bookings.
Until now, AAdvantage members flying basic earned 2 miles and Loyalty Points per dollar spent — a reduction from the normal 5 per dollar. Going forward, they'll earn none.
"We routinely evaluate our fare products to remain competitive in the marketplace," American said in a statement. "Basic Economy customers will continue to receive one free personal item and one free carry-on bag, free snacks, soft drinks and in-flight entertainment.”
Basic economy gets even more basic
Basic economy has evolved at airlines over the years.
Carriers first introduced the discounted ticket option in the mid-2010s as a way to compete more forcefully against budget airlines. We’ve seen policies — from ticket flexibility to carry-on rules and loyalty earnings — ebb and flow in the years since.
American basic economy: What to know
Until now, American had offered one of the most lenient basic economy policies of any U.S. airline, especially for its status holders.
American’s basic fares come with many of the industry-standard restrictions:
- Most travelers can't select a seat for free
- Passengers can't make ticket changes, and face a fee if they want to cancel
- Basic economy customers board last
But AAdvantage elites and cardholders maintain most of their perks even when flying on the slimmed-down fares.
Because of that, I've occasionally opted to book the airline's basic fare class — especially as the price gap between main cabin and basic economy tickets has widened through the years.
I'll certainly be less likely to do that now that AAdvantage members won't earn any miles or Loyalty Points.
How other airlines compare
American’s move to strip away loyalty earnings on basic tickets is not without precedent in the airline industry.
Delta Air Lines similarly bars its SkyMiles members from earning any miles or Medallion Qualifying Dollars needed for status when flying on its basic economy (now “Main Basic”) tickets. United Airlines passengers do earn miles on basic bookings, but only get partial credit toward Premier elite status. Specifically, they get credit for Premier Qualifying Points, but not Premier Qualifying Flights.
Could more restrictions be next?
At this point, American flyers can only hope the airline doesn’t make additional moves to make basic economy even stricter — and more like its rivals.
Delta, for instance, doesn’t let its basic economy customers into its Sky Clubs.
United bars most basic economy passengers from bringing a full-size carry-on bag on board, carving out exceptions only for Premier elites and certain cardholders.
Both Delta and United elites are unable to gain free access to the airlines’ extra legroom seating section — normally a complimentary status perk.
We should also point out that Delta has also taken "basic" a step further with a no-frills version of its Comfort tickets, and has seemingly opened the door to basic first- and business-class fares in the future.
As for American, AAdvantage elites can still get upgraded and select Main Cabin Extra seats when flying basic ... at least for now. But they'll earn zero miles.
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