Last month, American announced a slew of positive changes to AAdvantage. However, it seems we can’t have genuinely positive things as American announces more 2024 changes, some of which are negative. Alas, none truly come as a surprise in this day and age.
I’m not going to go over everything again, but American’s changes announced last month included things like making Basic Economy more flexible, while also providing enhancement to AAdvantage benefits. It’s too bad, but is entirely expected, that at least some negative news would follow, as has been the case as American announces more 2024 changes.
American Announces More 2024 Changes
As was the case during the January announcement, as American announces more 2024 changes, there are several different types of changes lumped together. To make things a bit more digestible, I’ll break them out into their own subsections.
Baggage Fees
This one is quite negative for most casual flyers but can be somewhat positive for some. As I’m sure you can guess already, American is raising its checked bag fees, with domestic Main Cabin first checked bag fees increasing from $30 to $40. You can obtain a $5 discount, bringing the fee down to $35, provided that you add your checked bag online – meaning, you add your bag online any time before you get to the airport. If you add your bag at the airport, you’re on the hook for the full $40.
The second checked bag fee is also increasing, going to $45, while first checked bag fees for short-haul international (think Canada and Latin America) are increasing to $35. Online discounts aren’t available for either of these. It’s also worth noting that the pet-in-cabin fee is increasing to $150 from $125.
Of course, all AAdvantage Elites will continue to receive free checked bag allowances, while the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard and higher cardholders will continue to receive their first checked bag free for them and up to four companions on the same itinerary.
This change was predictable, as Alaska Airlines recently increased its checked bag fee. It was just a matter of who would follow suit first.
If you’re someone who travels heavy, the news isn’t all bad. That’s because overweight/oversize fees are getting a slight adjustment. You see, previously, anything over 50lbs or 62 inches would incur a penalty of $100 to $200. However, if you’re over by just a little – up to 53lbs or 65 inches – you’ll pay just $30 in penalties. Anything over 53lbs or 65 inches will continue to incur $100-$200 penalty fees, while the fee for bags weighing 70-100lbs remains at $200-$450.
For bags that are both oversized and over-limit, American is reducing the fee from $250-$450 to $30-$200 if your bag falls into the 50-70lb range. From 70-100lbs, the fee drops to $200-$450 from $350-$650. However, it’s worth noting that, as of April 17, 2024, American will no longer allow oversized bags over 115 linear inches and will no longer allow javelins, pole vaults, and hang gliders.
Aside from the oversized restriction, all other baggage changes discussed above go into effect for tickets purchased on or after February 20, 2024.
AAdvantage Earning Restrictions
Another thing to come up as American announces more 2024 changes is a restriction on earning AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points. Specifically, you’ll only earn miles and points if you book through one of the following channels:
- Directly with American and eligible partner airlines.
- Book travel anywhere as an AAdvantage Business™ member or contracted corporate traveler.
- Book through preferred travel agencies. American will share a list of eligible preferred agencies on aa.com in late April.
- Main Cabin customers will only earn miles and points if booked directly with American – preferred travel agencies won’t count.
AAdvantage Miles Sharing
If you’re someone who likes to pool miles with others, then here’s something good that came about as America announces more 2024 changes – the mileage sharing fee is decreasing. By a lot.
Previously, it’d cost about $0.015 per mile to share your miles, which is obscenely expensive! You could probably get a better deal buying miles when they go on sale. But now, you’ll pay just $0.005 per mile transferred – a third of what it used to cost. Better yet, this change is already in effect.
American Announces More 2024 Changes, Final Thoughts
While the overall mix is fairly balanced, there’s no denying that the major sentiment as American announces more 2024 changes is negative. After all, the largest change – the increase in bag fees – is quite negative. However, American wasn’t the first mover here, and they won’t be the last. If you’re an even somewhat regular American flyer, then it makes sense to have their co-brand card even more so now, as having it will allow you to dodge the fee altogether.
Oh well, that just gives me less of a reason to fly American. I do wish Alaska and American would give reciprocal baggage benefits for their respective co-brand credit card cardholders, especially since they already offer reciprocal elite member baggage benefits, but I can see why that wouldn’t necessarily work. Oh well. Yes, you can do this by booking codeshare flights on America via Alaska, but still.