READ THIS NEXT: Southwest Is Finally Changing the Way It Boards Flights. News of American Airlines’ boarding changes comes after Southwest Airlines announced a change to its famously (or infamously) unique approach to boarding. Typically, you’re assigned a boarding group and position that indicate where you line up to board and in what order.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Some travelers prefer this method, which allows you to pick your seat when you get on the plane, but when traveling with children, things get a bit complicated. To help families find seats together, Southwest lets families with kids under the age of six board after the first 60 passengers in group A. But now, the airline is testing a system where families can board before group A, regardless of the letter on their boarding pass, per Beat of Hawaii. The change was made with the hopes that it will simplify and save time when boarding, even though Southwest already has one of the fastest processes in the industry. Now, American Airlines is following suit when it comes to helping passengers board earlier—and they’re not limiting the option to families. Those who sign up for AAdvantage, American Airlines’ loyalty program, will soon enjoy new perks when the boarding process begins. According to a press release from the airline, among several other updates to the free program, members will only need 15,000 Loyalty Points to board in Group 5 (preferred boarding) for the membership year. As groups board in numerical order, that means only four groups will be ahead of you. Aside from getting you on the plane sooner, boarding in Group 5 also gives you “a slightly upgraded experience,” namely extra legroom and complimentary snacks, drinks, and alcoholic beverages, as well as free movies and TV, according to NerdWallet. The new incentive kicks off in March 2023 as part of the new Loyalty Point Reward system (previously known as Loyalty Choice Rewards), and benefits go beyond just upgrading your boarding group. When you reach that 15,000 number, you also get to choose between two other Loyalty Point Rewards—priority check-in, priority security, and Group 4 boarding for one of your trips or five coupons to select preferred seats. According to CNBC, “preferred” seats are often located at the front of the economy cabin, but they won’t get you extra legroom. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Members earn Loyalty Points based on the price of your ticket, per USA Today, and a sliding scale is used to calculate the actual amount, depending on your member status. You can also earn points when you buy goods from one of the airline’s partners or by getting yourself an American Airlines co-branded MasterCard. Once you reach a certain level, you stay there—you don’t need to cash your points in to access your reward. “Think of loyalty points as something that you constantly accumulate throughout the year. They’re never spent,” Heather Samp, AAdvantage managing director, told USA Today. “Once you get to one of our loyalty point reward thresholds, the benefit is unlocked or the choice is unlocked.” As you continue to rack up Loyalty Points, you continue to access new perks and benefits, with rewards available at sky-high thresholds like 550,000, 1 million, and 3 million, USA Today reported. Previously, there was a 75,000-mile cap per ticket, but the airline has lifted that with the latest round of changes, Samp told USA Today. While American has certainly made some exciting updates, not every change is necessarily positive. To reach Gold status, members now need to earn 40,000 points, as opposed to 30,000, meaning you’ll need to spend more money to obtain the lowest tier of frequent flyer status, CNBC reported. The number of miles AAdvantage members earn is also down to just two miles per dollar spent on basic economy tickets, which is down from five miles per dollar. This change goes into effect on Jan. 1 for travel starting March 1, 2023, according to American’s press release.
