New AAdvantage Business Select Tier Unlocks More Value For Small And Midsized Businesses

The AAdvantage Business™ program rewards both eligible companies and their travelers with AAdvantage® miles and additional Loyalty Points for booking business travel on aa.com, through American’s mobile app or with any agency, offering a faster pathway to a more rewarding experience for companies and travelers alike. Plus, the program gives companies access to a convenient suite of tools to handle reporting, traveler management duty of care and more.

To continue to meet the evolving needs of its members, the AAdvantage Business™ program is rolling out a new tier on July 21 that allows the opportunity to unlock even more value for businesses with elevated travel needs.

How it works

The AAdvantage Business™ program makes it simple for companies and travelers to earn rewards, with the flexibility to book eligible American travel anywhere. It’s free and easy to join.

Businesses earn miles on all eligible employee travel. Plus, employees who choose to register can also earn additional Loyalty Points. Businesses with at least five active registered travelers and $5,000 in spend from registered travelers can use their miles for free travel or transfer miles directly to their employees. Spend and redemption requirements are waived for Citi® / AAdvantage® Business™ World Elite Mastercard® cardmembers.

The AAdvantage Business Select™ tier is designed to provide additional benefits to companies with a spend of $250,000 or more within a calendar year. This new tier unlocks added benefits, including:

Exclusive savings up to 4% on eligible fares.

Preferred Group 5 boarding for travelers.

Immediate access to using company earned miles for free travel and employee transfer.

AAdvantage Business™ members: Companies spending under $250,000 annually — program experience and benefits remain unchanged.

AAdvantage Business Select™ tier: Companies spending $250,000 or more annually — unlocks added benefits.

All AAdvantage Business™ members will continue to earn 1 AAdvantage® mile for every $1 spent on eligible travel, and their registered travelers can earn additional Loyalty Points, helping accelerate their path to status.

“The AAdvantage Business™ program was designed to meet small and medium-sized businesses where they are and provide them with a way to make business travel more seamless and valuable,” said Lucas Martin, American’s Senior Vice President of Sales. “Adding the AAdvantage Business Select™ tier allows us to further enhance the benefits that our most valuable members earn.”

American Airlines is always looking for ways to make travel more rewarding, and for companies enrolled in the AAdvantage Business™ program, it’s doing just that. https://www.aa.com/web/i18n/aadvantage-business/how-it-works.html

Southwest Adding A Fourth Fare Level To Boost Revenue

Southwest Airlines is adding a fourth fare category as part of changes designed to attract more business travelers and boost revenue.

The new fare level will be priced higher than Southwest’s cheapest tickets but below the airline’s top two fare categories. Southwest executives think this will fill the large price gap between the cheapest fares, called Wanna Get Away, and more-expensive tickets.

Consumers who buy the new fare level, called Wanna Get Away Plus, will get 33% more frequent-flyer points than the basic ticket, and they will be able to transfer the value of a ticket to another Southwest customer.

It’s the first major change in Southwest’s fare structure in 15 years. Airline officials said the changes announced Thursday will take effect in May or June.

Airlines frequently tinker with fares and fees to squeeze more revenue from passengers. In recent years, Delta, American and United have reacted to competition from discount airlines by rolling out new, bare-bones “basic economy” fares. The big-three airlines then nudge customers to pay more for regular economy seats that include the amenities that they have come to expect.

Southwest hinted at the changes back in December without giving details. The new fare level is among several moves, including a new credit-card deal with Chase Bank, that the Dallas-based airline hopes will collectively boost annual revenue by between $1 billion and $1.5 billion next year.

Executives declined to say how much more Wanna Get Away Plus seats will cost compared with cheaper seats, but it will vary by flight. Besides more frequent-flyer points and the ability to transfer credit, Plus buyers will be allowed to fly standby at no extra cost, even if there is a higher fare for the new flight.

Southwest will also add early-boarding privileges to the next priciest fare, called Anytime, to avoid cannibalizing sales of full-price tickets. Early boarding is a perk because Southwest does not assign seats, meaning that the last passengers to board a crowded flight wind up in middle seats.

Andrew Watterson, the airline’s chief commercial officer, said all the changes should be particularly appealing to business travelers. Southwest is trying to take more business travel away from Delta, American and United.

Southwest’s most expensive tickets, called Business Select, are fully refundable and include early boarding, a free drink, and the most frequent-flyer points. Anytime tickets are also refundable, while Wanna Get Away ones are not. All three include up to two checked bags for free – something other U.S. airlines don’t offer – and free ticket changes.

A majority of Southwest customers buy Wanna Get Away fares.