American Airlines is making it harder for its most loyal customers to score one of its most coveted perks.
American Airlines said on Thursday that beginning August 25, elite AAdvantage members traveling on several of American’s longest domestic routes, including select transcontinental flights and trips to Hawaii, will no longer receive complimentary upgrades from economy to business class.
Instead, eligible travelers will be upgraded to premium economy when seats are available.
The move also affects routes including New York to Los Angeles; Boston to San Francisco; Dallas-Fort Worth to Honolulu, Kona, and Maui; Phoenix to Honolulu; and Chicago to Honolulu and Maui.
“As American Airlines expands its offering of Premium Economy on more domestic routes,” a spokesperson of American Airlines told Business Insider. “We are streamlining our complimentary upgrade process to deliver a more consistent customer experience.”
According to the airline, elite travelers who purchase a premium economy fare or pay to upgrade from economy to premium economy will still be eligible for a complimentary upgrade to business class.
The policy change reflects a broader trend across the airline industry as carriers look to protect revenue from their highest-priced cabins. Delta in 2025 has changed its loyalty program to reward customers who pay for higher fare types, while United is betting on selling more premium seats by expanding its high-end cabins.
Zach Griff, a travel and aviation expert, called the rollback in frequent flyer benefits “bad news” in a post on X.
“Delta will become the lone holdout to still allow space-available elite upgrades from economy to Delta One,” Griff said on Thursday. “United doesn’t allow complimentary upgrades on routes with Polaris cabins.”
Gary Leff, a points expert and author of the aviation blog View from the Wing, wrote in a blog post on Thursday that American Airlines seems to “systematically be squeezing out areas” where they are likely missing out on revenue.”
“I think this is broadly fine, although it’s clearly less value to status members who have been jumping from coach to business class,” Leff said. “To fly business with an upgrade you’ll need to first be in the premium economy cabin which costs more.”
“I largely expected American to do this not just with domestic upgrades but with systemwide upgrades and for long haul international flights — about seven years ago,” Leff added.
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