American Airlines Is Making This Major Change to Flights, Starting Tomorrow

American Airlines is overhauling its elite-status program for frequent flyers.

On Feb. 28, American Airlines announced that it would be conducting a major overhaul of its AAdvantage loyalty program by changing how customers can earn and redeem rewards towards status with the carrier. The first change that will affect flights goes into effect on March 2, when members will no longer need to redeem a 500-mile upgrade coupon to score a complimentary upgrade on trips anywhere within North America, whether it's a long or short-haul. The airline also clarified that the region for upgrades also includes flights to Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Central America, according to travel news outlet The Points Guy.

Previously, loyalty program members could only have their seats upgraded on flights over 500 miles if they redeemed enough coupons to cover the distance flown. Now, all elite members will be automatically placed in contention for a complimentary upgrade along with other AAdvantage members. In addition, the airline also specified that any elite customers who have already purchased tickets for future travel would see complimentary upgrade requests automatically added to their reservations after tomorrow.

The 500-mile upgrade coupons aren't going away entirely just yet, though.

According to the airline's press release, 500-mile upgrade coupons will eventually be phased out entirely later this year when they will be converted into 250 loyalty points apiece. At that point, any elite status member who is upgraded will also receive a complimentary upgrade for one companion per trip. However, until then, any elite member will still have to use their 500-mile coupons to have any non-status companions upgraded along with them for the flight.

Some argue the changes could make it harder for some frequent flyers to score an upgrade.

Even though the changes have opened the doors for more flyers to get bumped up to a better seat on any given flight, some experts point out that it may make it more difficult for lower-tier elite members in practice. "Of course, offering all elite members complimentary upgrades sounds great—who doesn't like a 'free' upgrade?—but the problem is that you're competing for a finite number of seats," Ben Schlappig, founder of travel and rewards blog One Mile at a Time, wrote in a post. "First-class will almost always be filled up with upgraders, so it's just a function of how you choose to distribute those seats between elite members."

And it's not just the decreased likelihood of a free upgrade that could be a downside. "I can't help but feel like the offer to convert each 500-mile upgrade sticker into 250 Loyalty Points is incredibly stingy. Many people paid cash for those upgrade stickers, and that's a horrible conversion rate," Schlappig writes.

Changes to how elite members can earn points went into effect on March 1.

While the complimentary upgrade rules that could affect your next flight won't go into effect until tomorrow, other major changes to American's rewards program went live on March 1. Now, elite members can earn points good towards status by purchasing tickets on the airline or one of its partners such as JetBlue, using a co-branded credit card, shopping online through the airline's commerce portal, and even dining out with the airline's reward program, The Points Guy reports.

"The past few years have taught us that loyalty is not one-size-fits-all—it comes in different forms," Alison Taylor, Chief Customer Officer for American Airlines, said in the press release. "We recognize the path to earning status is different for each individual, which is why we're giving members more ways to earn Loyalty Points—whether by flying, shopping, or using an AAdvantage credit card. We want to make it easier for our customers to achieve status wherever they may be in their travel journey."

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