American Airlines fails loyalty test

 

Are you an American Airlines frequent flyer who buys basic economy tickets?

The airline does not give a damn about your loyalty

American Airlines this week quietly ended the ability for customers traveling on basic economy tickets to earn miles and status as it chases more high-revenue flyers.

Basic economy tickets are the airline's most restrictive and already do not allow for changes or seat selection.

American customers with elite frequent flyer status who are flying on basic economy tickets will still be eligible for domestic upgrades.

So the airline only wants to reward its big spenders.

"We routinely evaluate our fare products to remain competitive in the marketplace," the airline said in a statement. 

"Customers who purchase a basic economy ticket on December 17, 2025, and beyond will not earn AAdvantage miles or Loyalty Points towards AAdvantage status. 

"Basic economy customers will continue to receive one free personal item and one free carry-on bag, free snacks, soft drinks and in-flight entertainment."

No surprise that no spokesperson wanted to put their name to that slap down of regular flyers. 

Basic economy tickets are airlines' cheapest but most restrictive fares, rolled out across the industry over the past decade. 

Generally, they do not allow customers to change their tickets without fees, or pick their seats in advance.

Qantas to offer flyers more legroom

 

Sick of feeling cramped when you fly?

Qantas today unveiled a new cabin product that it promises will offer a better experience.

The Australian flag carrier is "enhancing the on-board experience across its domestic and short-haul international fleet" with the introduction of Qantas Economy Plus, which is designed to give customers more choice with extra legroom seating, priority boarding and priority access to overhead baggage space.

Qantas says the Economy Plus seats will give customers up to 40% more legroom.

The new product will be available from February, 2026, on the Airbus A321XLR, A220 and Boeing 737 aircraft which operate on the airline’s domestic network as well as to New Zealand and Pacific Islands.

High-tiered frequent flyers will receive complimentary access to Qantas Economy Plus.

The launch comes as Qantas continues a fleet renewal program, which includes 48 next generation A321XLR aircraft on order.

The first two A321XLR aircraft began flying on the domestic network in September, with a third set to arrive before the end of the year.

The airline will begin reconfiguration of its 737 aircraft in December.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said Qantas Economy Plus will give customers greater flexibility with how they choose to travel and provide additional value for frequent flyers.

“This is an evolution of our economy offering and delivers more choice for our customers while recognising our most loyal frequent flyers with expanded benefits, in the areas we know they value the most,” Hudson said.

“We’re always looking for ways to enhance the onboard experience and maximise comfort for our customers. We believe this new seating product will be popular with our corporate and leisure travellers when it launches next year.”

Platinum members and above will receive complimentary access to Qantas Economy Plus when making their flight booking and Gold members will receive complimentary access at check-in, subject to availability.

Qantas Economy Plus will also be available for purchase on Qantas’ 737, A321XLR and A220 fleets, including on any short-haul international routes they operate, from February 2026 and pricing will be announced closer to the launch.

Image: Qantas

Good news and bad news for Rex flyers

A low-profile US aviation company is poised to run Australian rural airline Regional Express (Rex).

Air T has secured a deal to take over Rex, which went into administration last year with large debts and has been propped up with government money.

Rex is regional airline that serves numerous small towns across Australia,

It has been able to continue flying regional routes thanks to more than a $100 million government bailout.

The airline’s troubles were created when it attempted to compete with the major airlines - Qantas and Virgin Australia - on mainline big city routes.

More details on the deal could be released this week, news hub Travel Mole reported.

Air T operates various aviation divisions in the US, including charter and maintenance services. It also operates some FedEx services and a facility with access to hard-to-find aircraft parts which would help keep Rex’s Saab 340 aircraft running.

Over 30 of Rex’s 56 Saabs are currently in service, with the remainder grounded awaiting parts and engines.

There was also some bad news for Rex frequent flyers this week with the airline's loyalty program, Rex Flyer, suspended after the company managing the program was placed into voluntary administration.

Rex Flyer Pty Ltd is now in the hands of administrator EY (formerly Ernst and Young), which said it is now assessing the next steps for the loyalty brand and will issue an update to members as soon as practicable.

The development followed confirmation of Air T's agreement with Rex administrators to buy the the Rex business and retain staff, but also to pursue growth opportunities.

"The proposed acquisition contemplates a continuation and growth of Rex’s regional airline business and continuing employment for its workforce," Minneapolis-based Air T said on its website.

Air T has said it expects to close the acquisition of Rex by the end of the year, so long as creditor and
other approvals are obtained.


In a statement, a spokesperson for Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the announcement is a “positive step towards bringing Rex out of voluntary administration”.

Established in 1980, Air T has widespread freight and transport interests.

Here is a link to the Air T statement: https://airt.com/2025/10/21/agreement-regional-express-holdings/

Qantas issues apology after app security failure

Qantas has issued an e-mail apology to frequent flyers after this week's security issue with its Qantas app.

Thousands of flyers reported accessing info and tickets of other travellers when signing on to the app. Some could even print boarding passes for travellers other than themselves.

"On Wednesday we experienced an issue with the homepage of the Qantas App," the Australian airline said in the message.

"We want to apologise to all our impacted customers and assure you that the App is stable and operating normally.

"We have now identified the root cause and can confirm that this was a technology issue, and there is no evidence of a cyber incident.

"Qantas takes the security and privacy of our customers' data seriously and we want you to know that we have done everything we can to fully understand what went wrong so we can prevent it happening again.

"If you have upcoming travel, there is nothing you need to do. You can check your flight details at anytime on the Qantas App or website as usual.

"We will contact you directly if we determine that your sensitive travel information has been incorrectly displayed to another person.

"Please accept our sincere apologies."

Qantas adds 20 million extra seats for frequent flyers

Qantas has made a big move to try to win back the affection of its frequent flyers.

The airline announced today that Qantas frequent flyers will have access to over 20 million more reward seats with the launch of Classic Plus Flight Rewards, a new way for members to use their Qantas points to book flights.

The change is being promoted as one of the biggest expansions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program in its 35-year history and will reportedly make it easier to travel to destinations including London, Tokyo, New York and Singapore using Qantas points.

While usually requiring more points than the existing Classic reward seats, Classic Plus will offer much wider availability, while Classic Plus reward seats are also eligible for upgrades.

The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats will vary - like normal airfares - which means they’ll be lower during off-peak periods or when booking early, and higher during peak periods. During sales and promotions, prices for Classic Plus reward seats may drop below a Classic reward seat on the same route.

Classic Plus reward seats can be booked from today on Qantas international flights departing Australia for travel from July 1, 2024, exclusively via qantas.com and will be rolled out across the rest of the airline’s international and domestic network on Qantas-operated flights by the end of the year.

By the end of calendar year 2024, when Classic Plus has fully launched across the international and domestic network, members will have had access to 20 million new reward seats for travel across the rolling 12-month booking window. 

And the airline promises there will be a similar level of availability on an ongoing basis.

“The Qantas Frequent Flyer program is an integral part of Qantas and has always been about recognising our customers for their loyalty. We’ve spent a lot of time listening to members about how we can better reward them,” said Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson.

“We’re adding over 20 million new flight rewards with the launch of a new type of reward seat called Classic Plus. It’s one of the biggest expansions we’ve made to the Frequent Flyer program in its 35-year history.

“The growth and success of Qantas Loyalty is driven by engaged members who earn and redeem points across the frequent flyer program, including with our partners, and that’s why we’re investing in making more seats available to book with points.”

Qantas says it will continue to offer more than 5 million existing Classic rewards seats across Qantas, Jetstar and 45 partner airlines.

These, however, can be problematic. I invested in a business class seat using points for a recent overnight trip from Bali back to Australia.

My flight had to be changed, however, for Jetstar operational reasons, and even though I paid for a business class seat I didn't get one; or lounge access, or priority boarding. Nothing at all, in fact. I'm still waiting for Qantas to reimburse those points.

You'd think this would happen automatically. But apparently not. Here comes another stressful encounter.    

So while the extra seats are good news, the system still needs some work.

More Thai opportunities for Qantas frequent flyers

Qantas Frequent Flyers can now book Classic Flight Reward seats to more than 20 destinations across Thailand and south-east Asia as part of a new partnership with Bangkok Airways launched today.

Bangkok Airways joins Qantas Frequent Flyer’s more than 45 existing partner airlines, which will allow members to use their points to travel to more destinations in Thailand.

Travellers can access Bangkok Airways flights from Australia via Bangkok, Phuket and Singapore. The Qantas Group operates more than 50 return flights each week between these cities and Australia.

Bangkok Airways is a full-service carrier, with regular flights each day out of its hub in Bangkok to some of Asia’s most popular destinations, including Koh Samui and Chiang Mai in Thailand and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

The partnership expands on a codeshare agreement that was introduced in 2014 allowing Qantas customers to book commercial seats on Bangkok Airways flights.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer was excited to welcome Bangkok Airways to the program.

“We want our members to be able to use their Qantas Points on reward seats to as many destinations as possible and our portfolio of partner airlines means they can choose from hundreds of locations across the globe," she said.

“Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for our frequent flyers and this partnership will make it easier for them to explore more of the region using their points.

“The option to book reward seats on Bangkok Airways’ expansive network across Thailand and south-east Asia will also open up thousands of new redemption opportunities.

“Reward seats continue to be great value and there are millions available for booking now across domestic and international routes for the next year on Qantas, Jetstar and our partner airlines.”