Frequent Flyers Brush Off Tougher Criteria for Airline Elite Status

Next year it will be harder for frequent flyers on American and United Airlines to earn high-level elite status in their respective loyalty programs. In a swift move this fall, two of the biggest carriers in the country increased the annual spend requirement for earning top-tier status from $12,000 to $15,000, a 25 percent increase from 2018 to 2019.

Budget travelers, naturally, have been apoplectic. But in the business travel sector, where the corporate office often picks up premium fares and where pennies aren’t as often pinched, the news hasn’t been as dramatic. Several travelers that Skift interviewed last week not only brushed off the news but welcomed it — after all, fewer elites in 2019 means more perks for the soldiers left standing.

All of this plays into the narrative that airlines only want to reward passengers most loyal to their programs. But the question remains: Can loyalty only come from the wealthy?

— Grant Martin, Business of Loyalty Editor

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Skift Business of Loyalty Editor Grant Martin [[email protected]] curates the Skift Business of Loyalty newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Monday.