Qantas status credits double for American Airlines flights

Bad news about American Airlines one day with their divorce from LATAM, and good news the next day for Qantas Frequent Flyers travelling on American Airlines (and for American Airlines AAdvantage members).

Executive Traveller (formerly Australian Business Traveller) is reporting that from 1st October 2019, Qantas FF’s travelling between Australia and the USA will be able to earn up to four times as many status credits, and more points than previously.

What flights are affected

Don’t get over-excited if you are booked directly with Qantas with a QF flight number (whether on Qantas or AA metal) – it all remains the same – no need for excitement.

However, if you are booked with American Airlines, on a flight with an AA flight number, even if it is on other metal, as long it has an AA code – you will see some improvements in either or both status credits and FF points.

This change is the result of the approved joint venture between American Airlines and Qantas this year. It reverses the fit-of-pique cuts to FF points and status credit earnings that coincided with the rejection by authorities of the first application for a joint venture in 2017.

This goes with this

Qantas runs 10 Frequent Flyer categories which it matches to its partner airlines cabin categories. In descending order of Status Credit and Points earnings:

• First
• Flexible Business
• Business
• Discount Business
• Flexible Premium Economy
• Premium Economy
• Discount Premium Economy
• Flexible Economy
• Economy
• Discount Economy

With these categories, also come earnings of different numbers of points and status credits. By simply changing the category it matches a partner airlines categories with, it can change what frequent flyers earn.

Example: Sydney to LA or San Francisco

For instance, Qantas used to match its Flexible Economy with American Airlines Premium Economy, giving you 8,250 frequent Flyer points, and 45 Status credits. By changing that and matching Qantas Premium Economy (instead of Flexible) with AA’s Premium Economy, you are suddenly earning 9,000 points and 90 Status Credits – that’s a doubling of Status Credits in one stroke.

AA Cabin	AA Fare class	Previous Qantas category	New Qantas category
Premium economy	P	Flexible Economy	Premium Economy
Economy	H	Economy	Flexible Economy
Economy	G, S	Discount Economy	Economy

The table above demonstrates what categories of fare will benefit the most from this change in classification. Qantas is also generally increasing the points and status credits it awards on some of these classifications as part of its biggest revolution in the Frequent Flyer program in 32 years^TM which will benefit Frequent Flyers even more.

More Qantas Points and Status Credits for Australia/USA flights

Have a look at the table below, which I have adapted from ET. You can see that all categories benefit from at least double the Status Credits they had before October 2019. And in some cases, the increase in points is also around double – look at Discount Economy and Economy for example.

Category	to 30 Sept '19			from 1 Oct '19
	Points	Status		Points	Status
First	11,250	135		18,000	270
Business	9,375	90		13,500	180
Premium Economy	8,250	45		9,000	90
Flexible Economy	7,500	45		9,000	90
Economy	3,750	20		6,750	60
Discount Economy	1,875	20		4,500	45

US domestic flights – earn up to double Qantas status credits

Depending on the length of our US internal flights, you will also earn increased status credits – about double on short domestic flights (400 miles or less), and double or better on longer flights (400 miles or more).

Great news if you are travelling from LA to New York – your points could go from 75 to 150 status credits, depending on your earning category (see tables below).

Just remember that what we call Business on internal Australian flights, AA calls ‘First Class’ for internal USA flights.

There’s no change to the Qantas FF points you will earn, however.

Short USA Flights

Category	to 30 Sept '19			from 1 Oct '19
	Points	Status		Points	Status
Business	400	20		400	40
Flexible Economy	250	10		250	20
Economy	125	5		125	10
Discount Economy	100	5		100	10

Long USA Flights

Bring on the double status credits! On east-west flights say LA to New York Status Credits double:

Category	to 30 Sept '19			from 1 Oct '19
	Points	Status		Points	Status
First	3,750	75		3,750	150
Business	3,125	50		3,125	100
Flexible Economy	2,500	25		2,500	50
Economy	1,250	15		1,250	35
Discount Economy	625	15		625	25

These rates also apply to destinations Qantas categorises as ‘West Coast USA/Canada’ & ‘East Coast USA/Canada’.

There’s a couple of other city pairs that are of interest, receiving the double status credits treatment:

Dallas to NYC or Boston

Category	to 30 Sept '19			from 1 Oct '19
	Points	Status		Points	Status
Business	1,875	40		1,875	80
Flexible Economy	1,500	20		1,500	40
Economy	750	10		750	25
Discount Economy	500	10		500	20

Other than that – everything else regarding Qantas points and Status credits on USA internal flights is pretty much the same.

2PAXfly Takeout

These adjustments represent the formalisation of the Qantas / American Airlines joint venture. The rise, and in some cases doubling of Status Credits earn will increase loyalty to Qantas, and those extra points in some cases will also be appreciated.

American Airlines is well acknowledged not to be the USA’s premier airline, so this will stop leakage of Qantas’s savvy passengers to airlines like Delta, Jet Blue and Alaskan.

Maybe I should plan some travel to the USA – barring double points its the only way I will retain Platinum next year!