Does American Airlines Have Blackout Dates?

Does American Airlines have blackout dates? American Airlines, a famous air transporter in the United States, has been a topic of curiosity when it concerns blackout dates. These restrictions on travel benefits can affect travel plans.

Frequent travelers do face the frustration of blackout dates when trying to book flights. These dates, which restrict the use of certain travel benefits, can ruin your travel plans.

We will discuss the whole idea of blackout dates, how they affect travelers, and whether American Airlines enact such restrictions on its passengers.

Now let’s dive in and find out!

Does American Airlines Have Blackout Dates?

Blackout dates relate to days when core travel benefits like frequent flyer rewards or discounted flight fares are not available.

The goal of blackout dates is to balance capacity and provide fairness, and overhead airline flight costs.

Blackout dates, which are quite common in the airline industry, are not employed by all of them in their relationships with the customers.

American Airlines being one of the key air couriers in the United States has blackout dates for certain travel amenities.

What needs to be highlighted is that the airline changed its loyalty program by eliminating the use of regular blackout dates.

AAdvantage Program

American Airlines runs the AAdvantage loyalty scheme that offers various perks and prizes to its regular passengers.

The flight program used to have blackout dates which restricted the use of award travel on selected dates.

Nevertheless, American Airlines introduced a substantial shift in 2015 by adopting a revenue-based system for its AAdvantage program.

American Airlines introduced dynamic award pricing instead of blackout dates under the new system.

This translates to the fact that award travel availability is now determined by the price of the ticket, not at the fixed blackout periods.

With this change, travelers now have more flexibility in travel but that also means that there is a restriction to award seats during peak travel times, making them cost more points.

Other Restrictions

American Airlines has dropped the fixed blackout dates for AAdvantage.

However, one should mention that even the airline continues to impose travel restrictions on some travel benefits.

For instance, bargain promotional tickets and buddy passes may be limited to certain dates or routes.

They normally tell clients about these limits during the booking or in the offer terms and conditions.

Booking Considerations

To prevent any surprises, it’s crucial to keep a few things in mind before booking your trip with American Airlines:

1. Plan Ahead

Planning before you book a flight might help you get the best prices and availability, especially during busy travel times.

2. Flexibility

If your travel dates are not fixed, consider being flexible with your departure and return dates.

This can increase the chances of finding available seats or lower-priced options.

3. Stay Updated

Keep an eye on American Airlines‘ official website, newsletters, or social media channels for any updates or notifications regarding restrictions or limited availability.

4. Explore Alternatives

If your travel plans are rigid and coincide with popular travel periods, consider exploring alternative airports or nearby destinations to increase the chances of finding suitable flights.

While American Airlines does have restrictions on certain travel benefits, it has moved away from traditional blackout dates for its AAdvantage program.

The airline now uses dynamic award pricing, where the availability and cost of award seats are determined by the ticket price.

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Does American Airlines Status Reset Every Year?

Yes, American Airlines AAdvantage status does reset every year, but there are some facts you need to keep in mind.

Here are some of the things you should know about your American Airlines status and what makes it reset:

1. Qualification Period

The status qualification year runs from March 1 of one year to February 28 of the next year. This is to tell you that your status will not reset as long it is still in its validity period.

So, for example, your activities towards earning or requalifying for status in 2024 will be tracked from March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025.

2. Membership Year

Once you earn or require status, your membership year begins on the date you qualify (which could be any time within the qualification year) or on April 1st, whichever comes first.

Your membership year is valid through March 31st of the following year. For example, if you earn status in August 2024, your membership year will be valid until March 31, 2025.

3. Reset and Requalification

At the end of the membership year (March 31st), your earned status will expire. When this happens, you might want to maintain the status depending on the type of benefit you are getting from it.

To maintain your status for the next year (April 1st to March 31st), you need to requalify by meeting the specific earning requirements within the current qualification year (March 1st to February 28th).

There are statuses like the AA elite status that come with special treatment. You would love to be an elite flyer, but it is crucial to know how to earn it.

How do I get AA elite status?

To earn an AA (American Airlines) elite status, you need to focus on earning loyalty points. These days, you don’t necessarily need Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) to earn an AA elite status.

Here is how you get the AA elite status by earning loyalty points:

(I). You earn 1 Loyalty Point for each eligible AAdvantage mile you attend.

(II). You earn 1 Loyalty Point for each eligible AAdvantage mile you accrue.

(III). Eligible miles come from flying American Airlines, Oneworld partner airlines, JetBlue, and GOL Airlines.

(IV). You can also earn Loyalty Points through spending on AAdvantage co-branded credit cards, Shopping through the AAdvantage eShopping portal.

Dining out or ordering in through the AAdvantage Dining program, and Participating in other promotions/offers are other ways to spend your loyalty points.

Now let us check out some elite levels and their requirements.

Elite Status Levels and Requirements

Here are some elite status levels and the requirements you will need to meet if you want to earn any of them:

1. AAdvantage Gold

For AAdvantage Gold, you need to earn up to 40,000 Loyalty Points per year.

2. AAdvantage Platinum

AAdvantage Platinum will require you to earn up to 75,000 Loyalty Points before the end of each year.

3. AAdvantage Platinum Pro

Getting an AAdvantage Platinum Pro will require you to earn up to 125,000 Loyalty Points per year.

4. AAdvantage Executive Platinum

AAdvantage Executive Platinum comes with a lot of luxurious benefits and you will have to earn up to 200,000 Loyalty Points per year to get it.

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Tips for Accelerating Your Journey

If you want to quicken your steps on the AA elite status ladder, you will have to follow the below tips:

(I). Obtain an AAdvantage co-branded credit card.

(II). Visit the AAdvantage eShopping portal to earn bonus miles on everyday shopping purchases from partner merchants.

(III). Utilize promotions and discounts such as the American Airlines programs which give more Loyalty Points for specific activities.

(IV). Be decisive when planning your travel. Should you have the flexibility, book on American or partner carriers for your flights to earn the most Loyalty Points.

For an easy American Airlines trip, you should carry out all the necessary arrangements before the journey with updated information.

Also, consider what the alternative will be when making your flight reservations.

Happy travels!