How to Keep Earning AAdvantage on May 1

Important update: As of May 29 American Airlines' plan to restrict AAdvantage miles and loyalty points earnings by channel is "off." This presumably means that all American bookings will earn AAdvantage miles and points at the same rate regardless of channel, including AmTrav.

Note: all AmTrav bookings qualify for full AAdvantage miles & loyalty points earning (more on this down in option 3).

As announced in February, American Airlines will stop awarding AAdvantage miles and loyalty points towards elite status for many bookings on July 11. This includes many bookings made through the most popular corporate online booking tools (OBTs) and travel management companies (TMCs).

Here's how your travelers can continue to earn AAdvantage miles come May 1:

Option 1: Book with American directly, including on AA.com, the American app and American's reservation lines. Obviously for corporate travel this is a disruptive change, leaving your OBT and TMC to book American — maybe not the best option for your travel program.

Option 2: Have a corporate contract with American. Of course, these contracts have become harder to get in the last year, your company needs somewhere around $1.5 million in American spend to qualify, which many travel programs don't have — particularly small and midsize programs under $10 million or $20 million in spend.

Option 3: Book with a "preferred agency" — like AmTrav. Preferred agencies have adopted American's latest booking technology to access American's lowest fares, and use modern fare displays that American requires — and your travelers really like too! Becoming and remaining a "preferred agency" will get harder over time, but AmTrav is well-positioned since we use American's latest booking technology for 100% of our American bookings. And, bonus: your company will save at least 12% with full access to American's lowest fares.

Option 4: Finally, your travelers can continue earning AAdvantage miles and points if your company is enrolled in AAdvantage Business and your TMC correctly marks your travelers' tickets with your company's AAdvantage Business credentials. AAdvantage Business is a direct-only SMB program that only awards credit to companies for direct bookings (option 1), but also allows travelers to earn AAdvantage miles and loyalty points on TMC and OBT bookings. (It also makes it easier for travelers to book business travel with American directly, something that American likes and travel administrators may not like.)

That's it — for now. As we've seen from American, though, things change quickly. AmTrav customers are well-positioned, though, having saved millions will American's lowest fares, keeping their AAdvantage earnings, and being prepared for whatever's next.