HT: Lucky

Word is on the street that we are going to see details of a new combined AAdvantage program very soon. Lucky references both a FlyerTalk thread and Travelingbetter.com, which is a very trusted source of AAdvantage information. According to the scoop, the program would be effective March 1, 2015.

MJ’s Take

I’ve blogged a bit about the things I hope the new American does and does not change. While I think that over the longer term, it is more likely than not that AAdvantage morphs into more of a revenue-based program, I have also speculated that it need not copy the changes that Delta has made, and that United has essentially mirrored. If the rumors are true that we are going to see details of a new combined program sooner rather than later, it is almost a certainty that the new AAdvantage is going to look a lot more like the old AAdvantage than anything else. The fact that the combined airline is adopting the IT systems of the larger airline in this merger makes me even more certain of that.

I’m no expert, but I don’t think that with everything else going on, there is any other option than adopting the majority of the existing AAdvantage program if the new American really is going to introduce a new combined program on March 1, 2015. If AAdvantage had its own revised program ready to go then I’d feel differently, but I don’t think that’s the case. No matter what happens – hold on tight, things could get interesting very soon.

-MJ, October 22, 2014

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