How Revenue-Based Loyalty Programs Changed the Way I Earn Points
Skift Take
Strategic and smart budget travelers could once keep up with the business class flyers in the rewards earning world. That world has changed now.
In August of this year, American Airlines became the last of the big three legacy domestic carriers to incorporate revenue-based factors into its AAdvantage loyalty program, effectively pinning the number of earned award miles to the cost of the passenger's ticket.
As billed, airlines originally suggested that revenue-based programs would be equal-to if not better than distance-based programs. So to see whether the new program lived up to its hype this week, I took a look at my mileage earnings from before and after the transition.
The results were disappointing.
From June th
