For some, myself included, it’s a big deal when they finally earn elite status with an airline. To earn elite status with any domestic airline you basically have to fly over 25,000 miles. On top of that, most require you spend more than $3,000 doing so.
Over the past several years I’ve become numb to it, but flying at least 25,000 miles a year is quite a lot. It’s especially significant when you compare it to the average flyer. That’s why, when you do finally reach elite status it should be celebrated.
Historically American Airlines has celebrated these milestones with customers by sending out AAdvantage elite status Welcome Kits. In fact, I’ll never forget the first time my American Airlines AAvantage Gold welcome kit showed up. It was a small booklet with a newly minted membership card inside. The welcome booklet also explained many of the benefits offered from elite status. It’s a booklet that I still have today.
Well, for the 2019 qualifying year, it seems American Airlines has taken a lot of that information online. Last year, when I reached Executive Platinum elite status I received an email from American. Within the body of the email was a link that took me to the American Airlines AAdvantage Elite Status Benefits page. This year, I received a similar email. However, this time, the link took me to a new webpage which welcomed me elite status. As I clicked around I found that each elite status has its own website and all of them are equally beautiful.
American Airlines AAdvantage Gold Elite Status Benefits Page
The first of these new elite status webpages was the American Airlines AAdvantage Gold status welcome page. This page starts off with some American branding and the familiar American Sans font welcoming you to AAdvantage Gold status. To explore the rest of the page you simply scroll down.
As you scroll, you’ll find a ton of text and imagery which explains many of the benefits offered from AAdvantage Gold elite status. Finally, toward the end of the page, is a reminder that Gold status also comes with OneWorld Ruby status which provides various benefits when traveling on OneWorld partner airlines.
Toward the bottom of the page is a neat graphic which lists most Gold benefits “at a glance.” I personally like the way this area of the page displays a little logo with each benefit.
Finally at the bottom of the page is an area which highlights the benefits you could receive by reaching the next elite level.
In this case, the next elite level is American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum status.
American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Elite Status Benefits Page
If you click on the “learn more about Platinum benefits” button you’ll reach the Platinum benefits page. Like the Gold status page, this page begins with some American branding and text welcoming you to AAdvantage Platinum elite status. Like gold, this page also features someone in frame looking off into the distance.
As you scroll down you’ll uncover many of the benefits AAdvantage Platinum elite status has to offer. Toward the bottom of the page you’ll once again find an area which introduces you to your OneWorld elite status benefits. AAdvantage Platinum status maps to OneWorld Sapphire elite status. Sapphire status comes with a ton of benefits, most notably of which is access to Business Class lounge when traveling internationally with OneWorld carriers. I personally get a lot of use out of my OneWorld elite status benefits.
Toward the bottom of the Platinum elite status page is again a nice graphic which summarizes the various benefits offered by AAdvantage Platinum elite status.
Finally, at the very bottom of the Platinum elite status page is again information on the benefits offered by the next highest elite status; Platinum Pro.
There is again a button which takes you to a page to “learn more about Platinum Pro benefits” offered from American.
American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Pro Elite Status Benefits Page
Platinum Pro is the third highest of four tiers of AAdvantage elite status. As the name implies, Platinum Pro is above Platinum, but is more of a Platinum Plus rather than a whole new level of status. Similar to Platinum and Gold, the Platinum Pro benefits page again has a picture of someone in frame looking off into the distance. Perhaps everyone is looking to see if their elite status actually gets them anything anymore?
As with the other pages, as you scroll down you’ll find various blurbs about many of the benefits offered from Platinum Pro elite status. The common theme in all of these pages is that elite status makes it easier to get home to your loved ones.
As with Platinum status, Platinum Pro again maps to OneWorld Sapphire elite status. So, when traveling on OneWorld Partner airlines you’ll receive the same benefits as you would with Platinum. The major difference between the two is that Platinum Pro comes with Unlimited Complimentary Domestic upgrades.
Toward the bottom of the page you’ll once again find a little bit of information about the next highest level of elite status; Executive Platinum.
As with the other pages, toward the bottom of the Platinum Pro page is a link that will take you directly to the Executive Platinum benefits page.
American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum Elite Status Benefits Page
Since the original email I received was once again welcoming me to Executive Platinum elite status this is the first benefits page I discovered. When I first opened the page I hadn’t yet realized that smug looking people staring off into the distance was American’s elite benefits theme this year.
As I scrolled down the page I was pleased with the rolling video behind scrolling text of these benefits pages.
Overall, jokes aside, I think American’s done an excellent job with all of these elite status benefits pages.
Since Executive Platinum elite status offers the most benefits of any tier, the EP page was a bit longer than the others. However, again at the bottom of the page was again some information on OneWold Elite status. This time, as Executive Platinum status maps to OneWorld Emerald status the benefits offered were a bit different.
Specifically, OneWorld Emerald allows OneWorld passengers to visit First Class lounges. This is by far my favorite elite benefit offered by OneWorld Emerald elite status.
A little lower on the page is a graphic complete with all of the benefits offered by Executive Platinum elite status.
As there a quire a few benefits, I couldn’t quite get them all into a single screenshot.
As EP status is the highest (besides Concierge Key) offered by American, the bottom of the page did not offer insights into a higher level and instead takes you to American’s AAdvantage Benefits website.
Final Thoughts
I have to admit, I’m quite impressed by each of these elite status benefits websites. At first glance they are all beautiful and do a great job explaining the various benefits offered from each level of elite status. Sure American’s website also offers this information, but presenting it in this way makes is so much easier to keep it straight and actually understand. So, overall I love this idea from American and think they’ve done a great job with each of these pages.
However, the introduction of these pages is a bit worrisome. I say this because just today I received my Executive Platinum welcome kit and it’s a bit… disappointing. See, in the past American has presented all or some of this information in a welcome kit booklet. This year however, American has opted to present the benefit guides online and slim down the printed welcome kits.
Instead of a booklet, I only received a small card which included my membership card and brag tags. The card matched the branding on the webpage, but did not offer any explanation of benefits. Instead, the welcome kit directed me to the aforementioned websites. So, for 2019, it seems American has decided to cut costs by sliming down the AAdvantage Welcome kits. Instead, the airline has decided to online benefit guides.
