Those banking on upgrades for their next flight might need to shell out to get that comfy seat at the front of the aircraft. Airline status holders have already been facing increased competition on domestic routes, as airlines like Delta and United drop prices on pricier premium seats to extract greater revenue. But elites on American Airlines are about to face an even more dramatic move: they won’t be eligible at all on some routes.
Want to buy a lottery ticket? American is making changes to upgrades on various domestic transcontinental routes — like JFK to LAX, BOS to SFO, and Hawaii routes — as it rolls out a new narrowbody business class featuring first class suites. Starting Aug. 25, a coach ticket won’t be enough to make you eligible for a business class upgrade. Instead, to make the upgrade list for its transcontinental and Hawaii routes, you need to shell out for a premium economy ticket. And still, there’s no guarantee you’re getting moved up.
This change affects just three domestic routes and several more Hawaii routes, but it could be the foreshadowing of more changes ahead at American, which has already made a number of dicey changes in recent months. The moves have devalued AAdvantage status:
It’s all inventory for sale: American is hardly alone in this industry-wide push to make its premium inventory into an asset to sell, even if it shortchanges its mainstay customers. It stands to further diminish the value of airline status across the industry. It begs the question: Why chase status when you could just pay for an upgrade? You might be treated better anyway.
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