As a person whose hometown is half the world away, I’ve grown extremely familiar with airlines and flights over years. Booking flights has been a real difficulty for me. I need to stay under the budget, but at the same time, I have to make sure travel does not conflict with my work schedule. That’s why I’m happy that airlines have redesigned their loyalty programs over past few years to make it easier to earn miles, price discounts, and special privileges. American Airlines is no exception to this.
Since merging with US Airways in 2015, the company has strived to become one of America’s three “legacy” carriers and one of the most visible brands in aviation. The airline has continuously revamped its AAdvantage loyalty program to bring more value to its customers in terms of mile rewards and traveling privileges.
Recently, the airline’s loyalty program was named Best Elite Program in America at Freddie Awards. This is the eighth time American Airlines has won this award, making one of the most well-recognized loyalty programs in the industry.
Based on the most recent analysis of NerdWallet, AAdvantage has an average mile value of 2.6 cents. Thanks to its size, customers see the best value of the program through international traveling. When used for international airfare, miles are worth an average of five cents each.
“AAdvantage is proud to win Best Elite Program for the Americas at the Freddies, and we’re thankful to all of our loyal members who voted for us,” says Bridget Blaise-Shamai, President of the AAdvantage program and Vice President of Customer Loyalty and Insights for American.
AAdvantage also enables members to earn bonus miles through hotels, car rentals and vacation packages. This is a huge benefit for any business travels or family trips at best price. In addition, the program offers four elite status membership levels: Gold, Platinum, Executive Platinum, and Platinum Pro. Members who qualify for elite status gain access to a bunch of benefits. These include preferred seat selection on the plane for every tier.
“Receiving this award is a testament to all of the hard work our team members do to create a program that provides our members what they value most in a loyalty program,” says Blaise-Shamai.