American Airlines sparks fury as it cuts key perk for economy flyers: 'Unchecked greed'
Flying American Airlines on its cheapest tickets just got a lot less rewarding.
As of Wednesday, travelers who book basic economy fares will no longer earn AAdvantage miles or loyalty points — a sharp downgrade for buyers of the airline's lowest-priced seats.
American now joins Delta, which stopped offering miles on basic economy fares in early 2022. United does let passengers collect miles on its cheapest fares.
Passengers on American hoping to rack up miles toward free flights, seat upgrades, or discounts at qualifying hotels will now have to pay more and move up to the next fare tier to keep earning rewards.
Customers have been seething about the change on social media.
'I'm getting tired of everyone coming down on us peeps in the middle and working class,' one flyer complained about the policy change in a Reddit thread. 'It's unchecked greed.'
American introduced basic economy fares in 2017 as it moved to compete more aggressively with ultra-low-cost airlines like Frontier and Spirit Airlines.
At its launch, the no-frills option was about as bare-bones as airline travel could get. For the first 10 months, American didn't even allow basic economy passengers to bring a carry-on bag.
American is changing the benefits in its basic economy program
But as the fare class grew more popular, the airline gradually layered in perks, including free snacks, in-flight entertainment, and the ability to earn frequent-flier points.
However, basic economy customers were typically relegated to the final boarding groups and barred from making ticket changes or receiving refunds.
Still, American stood out as one of the last major US airlines to let entry-level flyers earn loyalty points at all.
'Honestly, I'm a little surprised American Airlines' policy on basic economy fares was as generous as it has been for this long,' another Reddit commenter said.
'Delta has been far stingier on basic economy benefits for years.'
The Daily Mail found one-way basic economy fares on American Airlines for as little as $90.
'We routinely evaluate our fare products to remain competitive in the marketplace,' an American Airlines spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
The airline industry is having a blockbuster earnings year, largely because high-income Americans are flying to luxury destinations
American's CEO, Robert Isom
'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.'
American's move is part of an industry-wide push to steer more customers toward higher-priced fare classes.
Nearly every carrier has been slashing low-profit destinations from their portfolios and focusing on high-end European travel and wealthier customers.
This year, airlines have been raking in billion-dollar profits as high-end travelers spend on first-class tickets.
That's motivated airlines to add luxury vacation spots to their flight plans.
But lower-earning customers have largely stopped flying, forcing airlines to nix their cheap domestic flights.
Delta said it would make 'surgical' cuts to its US flights in August. United Airlines is cutting 4 percent of its domestic flights. JetBlue is also cutting flights.
Meanwhile, budget airlines that rely on lower earners have struggled in 2025.
Spirit Airlines declared its second bankruptcy in less than a year, while Avelo Airlines had to stop flights to its largest markets amid financial strain.
