Enhance Your Journey: Direct Booking Benefits with American Airlines and its airline partners

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Booking with American Airlines directly offers travelers the optimal journey experience. Easily manage your trips online, access travel credits for canceled journeys, and more. American Airlines AAdvantage® members benefit from rewarding opportunities and diverse ways to utilize their miles when booking flights and accumulating rewards.

From May 1, 2024, American Airlines is revising the method for earning AAdvantage® miles and Loyalty Points based on the booking source.

Earn miles and Loyalty Points when booking:

• Directly through American Airlines and with qualified partner carriers.
• As an AAdvantage Business™ member or as a traveler under a corporate contract.
• Via select travel agencies, with a list of these preferred agencies to be announced on aa.com by late April.
  Direct bookings for Basic Economy fares with American and its eligible partners also accrue miles.

Moreover, AAdvantage® members keep earning through various non-flight partners, such as AAdvantage® eShopping℠, AAdvantage Hotels™, AAdvantage Events™, among others.

“We want to make it more convenient for customers to enjoy the value and magic of travel,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Not only does booking directly with American provide the best possible experience, it’s also where we offer the best fares and it’s most rewarding for our AAdvantage members.”

Changes to Additional Services
American Airlines is updating its checked baggage fees for the first time since 2018 for bookings made on or after February 20. The revised fees for the first and second checked bags on domestic flights, including to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are set at $35 (online) and $45 (airport) respectively. Fees for flights to Canada and certain international destinations are also adjusted to $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second, whether purchased online or at the airport.

AAdvantage® members and some credit cardholders continue to receive select perks:

• Complimentary baggage for all AAdvantage® status members on American Airlines flights.
• Many AAdvantage® credit cardholders are entitled to one free checked bag on domestic flights.
• Passengers in premium cabins and active-duty U.S. military personnel enjoy complimentary baggage on all flights.

Pet travel fees have been set to $150 for tickets bought from February 20 onward.

Reduced Fees for Oversized and Overweight Items
American introduces reduced fees for checked items slightly over the standard size or weight, offering significant savings for travelers. The new, simpler fee structure applies from April 17, making it more cost-effective for passengers with oversized or overweight luggage.

American Airlines is narrowing the oversized limit to 115 linear inches and will discontinue acceptance of specific items like javelins and hang gliders starting April 17. Visit aa.com for detailed information.

Enhanced AAdvantage® Program Benefits
American Airlines is dedicated to enriching the AAdvantage® loyalty program, providing members with even more value.

Recent enhancements include:

• Reduced costs for transferring AAdvantage® miles between accounts.
• The future option to use miles for Wi-Fi on certain flights.
• Mile redemption for upgrades with partner airlines in 2024.
• Partial Trip Credit for canceled non-refundable Basic Economy tickets for AAdvantage® members.
• Complimentary same-day standby for earlier domestic flights from March 1.
• Extended Trip Credit validity for members canceling online, starting March 11.

American Airlines is committed to rewarding customer loyalty with a variety of benefits and an improved earning structure for AAdvantage® members.

« Back to Page