American Airlines has been innovating extensively with its loyalty program, AAdvantage, to find the best ways to offer an elevated travel experience to the carrier's most loyal passengers. Beyond the airline's cobranded credit cards (which it has two different lines of) and the airline's elite status scheme (which has recently introduced easier-to-attain lower tiers), the third pillar of the airline's loyalty program involves its strategic partnerships.
For the most part, these partnerships are with other airlines and allow extensive cooperation to help more easily transfer passengers across their networks, preserving any elite status they have. In some cases, these partnerships may also be with hotel chains or rental car companies.
In 2025, the AAdvantage program will be expanding the offerings of three of its most high-profile partnerships. By linking AAdvantage members to the loyalty programs of Hyatt, Fiji Airways, and JetSMART, the airline will be able to continue providing passengers with a unique travel experience. Let's take a deeper look at these partnerships and everything that they will bring to the table in 2025.
American announced this unique partnership at the start of the month, and it is set to significantly improve the travel experience for both leisure and business travelers. In January, AAdvantage members will soon be able to choose different World of Hyatt awards when they have reached a given American Airlines status. The reverse will also hold, marking a new level of cross-program integration between airline and hotel loyalty programs.
These program enhancements will offer more opportunities for members of both loyalty programs to use their reward points across both programs to book everything from flights to hotel rooms to other unique experiences. The loyalty program now allows members to hone in on either program to boost their elite status, to earn perks across both loyalty networks.
The new American Airlines partnership with South American low-cost carrier JetSMART provides customers with the opportunity to earn AAdvantage miles on both domestic and international flights. This partnership will significantly expand the AAdvantage program's reach in South America, opening access to destinations across the continent. Passengers only need to join the AAdvantage program to capitalize on this offer.
In 2025, Fiji Airways, the national airline of Fiji, will join the AAdvantage loyalty program. This partnership will enhance travel experiences and redemption options for passengers. American Airlines loyalists will also benefit from a seamless transfer experience when flying with Fiji Airways, which includes perks such as priority check-in, complimentary checked baggage, and preferred seating.
These new partnerships enable carriers to enhance their loyalty offerings without significant investment in their programs. For American Airlines, these collaborations will further improve the travel experience for AAdvantage members.
