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American Airlines said Wednesday that it will keep the spending requirements to earn elite frequent flyer status in 2027 steady for a third consecutive year as the carrier courts higher-spending travelers and tries to catch up to industry profit leaders Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
Delta and United each said they would also keep elite status thresholds the same for the 2026 earning year.
Airlines offer elite loyalty program members perks — ranging from earlier boarding and a free checked bag to free upgrades to roomier cabins and airport lounge memberships — in exchange for lots of flights on the carrier and its partners, as well as co-branding credit card spending.
Airlines in recent years have switched their loyalty program models to reward travelers’ spending instead of simply how far they fly.
American said it is also adding more perks for milestones in between earned status tiers, like two food and beverage coupons at the 15,000-point level or a subscription to The New York Times games or cooking platforms or the Times’ sports publication, The Athletic. The first level of elite status, Gold, is awarded at 40,000 loyalty points.
The carrier has been investing in new cabins and larger lounges and on Tuesday said it is starting to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi, a plan it announced last April.
American didn’t outline adjustments to its Citibank credit cards after it said it would drop Barclays as one of its credit card partners, though it expects to announce changes later this year.
