American Airlines Just Slashed A Major Perk From Basic Economy Tickets

US-based carrier American Airlines has announced a change to its Basic Economy fare bracket, wherein, as of earlier this week, passengers booking these tickets will soon be unable to accrue frequent flyer miles or points towards a higher loyalty status.

However, the carrier has stated that no other changes have been made to the current offerings and amenities available for passengers flying in the basic fare bracket, and that the airline’s Elite status customers will still be eligible for perks when flying in this fare bracket.

No More Miles Or Points In Basic Economy

American Airlines, earlier this week, announced that starting 00:00 Central Time on Wednesday, December 17, passengers booking flights on the airline’s Basic Economy fare bracket will no longer be eligible to gain loyalty points or miles towards the airline’s frequent flyer program AAdvantage. However, as reported by CNBC, these passengers will still be eligible to carry one free personal item and a carry-on bag with them for free, and will also continue receiving complimentary snacks, soft drinks, and access to the airline’s In-Flight Entertainment (IFE).

While the Basic Economy price is marketed as the cheapest fare bracket for a particular flight and is also the most restrictive when it comes to flexibility and amenities, it is not uncommon for airlines to reward or offer additional perks to their most loyal customers flying in this fare bracket. American makes no exception here, as the carrier’s Elite Status Members will reportedly still be eligible for upgrades to first-class on the domestic flights even if they purchase a basic economy ticket.

Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines. Any response received will be updated in this article.

CNBC reports the following statement from American Airlines:

“We routinely evaluate our fare products to remain competitive in the marketplace. Customers who purchase a Basic Economy ticket on December 17, 2025 and beyond will not earn AAdvantage miles or Loyalty Points towards AAdvantage status.”

Different Fare Brackets In American Airlines Economy

When looking at a random domestic flight, American Airlines offers four different fare brackets within its economy class / main cabin. In this case, it is flight AA118 onboard the airline’s Airbus A321XLR, on the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to New York JFK Airport (JFK) route on December 27. For a one-way service, the airline offers six different fares (four in economy / main cabin) while one each in premium economy and the airline’s Flagship Suites.

At the time of writing, here is how the fares vary:

As stated above, basic economy being the most restrictive, passengers booking it cannot check bags in, select a seat, change their booking, and will have to be the last ones to board the aircraft. However, with the more expensive tickets, the booking becomes more flexible. Main allows passengers to select certain seats, board with an earlier group, and can make some changes to their bookings, but they will have to pay to check in bags or select extra legroom seats or make changes on the same day as the flight.

On the more expensive side, Main Plus and Main Select tickets allow passengers to select extra legroom seats and board even earlier. Main Plus tickets allow for one checked-in bag for free while charging passengers to make same-day changes, while Main Select will charge passengers for the checked bag but enable same-day flight changes and earlier boarding. However, both these tickets are eligible for a full refund.

American Following Delta Air Lines

While this announcement from American Airlines is sudden, the strategy is not new to the industry, as this was done first by Delta Air Lines a few years ago, when in December 2021, wherein reports from The Points Guy indicated that the airline’s passengers who purchasing tickets on Delta’s lowest fare brackets (basic economy) would not be eligible to earn miles in the airline’s SkyMiles program or earn points towards attaining Medallion Elite Status.

It becomes rather interesting as airlines around the world are shifting these days, where it is observable that quite a few traditional low-cost carriers are now shifting towards a hybrid business model, catering to long-haul and premium-heavy routes by changing their network and fleet strategy. On the other end of the spectrum, there are legacy carriers such as Delta and American making changes to their offerings in certain markets, making more options available, and attempting to capture the low-cost market.

Only time will tell if the strategy used by Delta and American will be incorporated by other carriers in the US, such as United Airlines, and more importantly, if airlines in other parts of the world will also try and adopt such policies.