American makes domestic premium economy upgrades available to all elites
Editor's Note
If you're an American Airlines AAdvantage Gold or Platinum elite, we have good news for you.
AEffective immediately, all AAdvantage elite members are now eligible for complimentary premium economy upgrades on Alaska and Hawaii routes. Previously, these upgrades were only available to upper-tier Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum and Concierge Key members. This news was first reported by View from the Wing.
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Premium economy is available on all of American's Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, which operate some flights to Anchorage, Honolulu and Maui. Premium economy differs from American's extra-legroom economy seating Main Cabin Extra, and features a product similar to American's domestic first-class recliner seats. Other perks include elevated meals and Casper bedding.
AAdvantage elites will be upgraded at the gate if seats are available before boarding. In practice, agents should ask before upgrading a customer to a premium economy middle seat.
Related: Tricks to avoid being skipped on an American Airlines upgrade list
Best of all, this will have no impact on upgrades to business class. Economy passengers on the standard upgrade list will still clear directly into business class if there's space available. In turn, elites are only upgraded to premium economy when there are no business class seats remaining.
This also doesn't affect American's domestic routes that offer premium economy seating but don't sell it as a separate product.
For example, American routinely flies premium economy-equipped planes from Miami International Airport (MIA) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Premium economy seats will continue to be sold as Main Cabin Extra (extra-legroom coach) on these routes, and thus free for elites at the time of booking or within 24 hours of departure, depending on your elite level.
While obviously an enhancement for elite members, it'll be interesting to see if this is a precursor to more restrictive policies on other upgrades. By standardizing these one-class upgrades for all AAdvantage elites, it's reasonable to suspect that upgrades with miles and Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs) could ultimately be limited to a single class — similar to what Delta implemented this year.
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- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
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- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees