Jetwire - Friday, September 27, 2024

Automatic 20% mileage refunds for award tickets coming Oct. 15

Beginning Oct. 15, you and your eligible travelers will automatically receive your 20% mileage refund when redeeming miles for AAdvantage award tickets. You will no longer have to complete a mileage rebate form after travel is complete, so award travel just got a little easier and you will see your mileage refund that much sooner. In order to process mileage refunds automatically, there are a couple of steps you need to take.

• Ensure you and your eligible travelers are AAdvantage members.
• Add your and your eligible travelers' AAdvantage numbers into traveler profiles in Travel Planner before booking any award travel.
• When redeeming miles for an award ticket on aa.com or the American Airlines app, you must indicate on the Passenger Details page whether you are traveling for business or leisure purposes.

Find out more information and action steps on the Retiree site, including how to ensure your traveler profiles in Travel Planner are set up correctly so our systems can automatically process your mileage refunds.

Connecting through LHR? Tax exemption change to post-travel refund

Changes are now in effect as to how American processes the United Kingdom (UK) departure tax exemption for standby and positive-space travelers connecting through London Heathrow (LHR). While eligible through (T) travelers have previously been able to reduce their departure taxes at the time of travel, transactions are now charged the full departure tax amount. Through travelers can then receive the tax exemption by submitting a refund request after completing travel. American is committed to complying with the laws in each country it operates, and this change in process aligns with UK tax documentation requirements. The change applies to standby and positive-space travelers connecting through LHR to board American-operated flights returning to the U.S. These changes do not impact the ability of traveler to obtain through status (a "manual T") on the priority list once an airport agent confirms their eligibility and inbound boarding pass from another airline. More information on how to submit a request for this UK departure tax refund is in the Travel Guide (under Service charges>International taxes>Notes). Be sure to retain your inbound boarding pass and flight details along with any confirmation emails or receipts, as you will need to provide documentation with your refund request.

A new contract for our flight attendants

American's flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, (APFA), ratified a new agreement. The contract will deliver significant improvement in pay, benefits and quality-of-life provisions to American's nearly 28,000 flight attendants. “Reaching an agreement for American's flight attendants has been a top priority, and today, we celebrate achieving this important milestone,” said CEO Robert Isom. "Both the APFA and company negotiating teams had a shared mission of delivering an agreement our flight attendants have earned, and I greatly appreciate their work and relentless focus."

Tentative agreement for TWU-IAM-represented team members

The TWU-IAM Association and American have reached a tentative agreement for a contract extension covering more than 35,000 team members. This agreement will provide significant increases to pay rates and premiums for our Tech Ops, Fleet Service, Cargo and Central Load Planning team members, further underscoring our commitment to ensuring our team is paid well and competitively. Additional details, including the voting timeline, are expected in the coming days.

Tell Me Why: 'We've really been focusing on supportability.'

The latest episode of Tell Me Why dives deeper into our summer 2025 network announcement (you can find out the specifics about that announcement on our Newsroom). This episode's guest, Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, discusses how we are growing our comprehensive global network. We’ll offer customers five new routes to Europe next summer, including returning to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI), for the first time since 2019. Tell Me Why is available on American's Newsroom on the podcast page so your family and friends can check it out also.

The journey of friendship and support through service

In a heartwarming story of friendship and resilience, watch how American Airlines Premium Guest Services Agent Armie Pilarca-Woods and customer Pat Gonzalez turned frequent encounters at the Admirals Club into a powerful and lasting friendship. Pat, who confided in Armie in her own cancer battle, became a crucial support for Armie when she faced her own diagnosis. Now, both breast cancer survivors, Armie and Pat reflect on their 30-year friendship journey that started with a customer interaction. Watch the video on Newsroom.

Investing in the future of Tech Ops

American announced a bold investment in the future of our aviation maintenance program Sept. 9, creating new jobs and bringing additional work to our Tech Ops maintenance bases in Charlotte, Pittsburgh and Tulsa. We will add nearly 500 new jobs, including more than 385 aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs), across these locations. We will also add additional lines of heavy check maintenance work to these bases. The additional work means we can maintain more aircraft in-house on our own timeline, helping to ensure we run a reliable operation. Learn more about the announcement on our Newsroom.

Simply the best

Tech Ops leaders honored the 2024 Ken MacTiernan Excellence in Aviation Maintenance Award honorees at a ceremony in Grapevine, Texas, earlier this month. Team members nominated aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) from around the world and recipients were recognized during National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day celebrations across the system this spring. Since 2019, the Excellence in Aviation Maintenance Award has honored those who exhibit the qualities of professional AMTs, strive to uphold the highest standard in aircraft maintenance and support and promote the profession. Meet the honorees and see photos from the event on our Newsroom.

JetSMART launches AAdvantage mileage accrual

Our South American partner, JetSMART, has adopted the AAdvantage travel rewards program for its customers. AAdvantage members are now able to earn miles and Loyalty Points when traveling on JetSMART-operated flights. Later this year, AAdvantage members will also be able to redeem miles for JetSMART flights. Learn more on our Newsroom about how we are offering customers more low fares and more travel options throughout South America with JetSMART.

DFW Forward: Wall-breaking event officially marks start of construction

City, airport and American Airlines leaders officially marked the start of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport's $9 billion capital improvement plan, DFW Forward, late in August. American's and DFW's 10-year lease agreement includes $4.8 billion in capital investments that will be realized over the next decade, including the renovation of Terminal C, construction of gate expansions at Terminal A and Terminal C, construction of Terminal F and other significant modernization projects. The program will modernize our customers' experience with updated facilities and expand the airport with 24 additional gates that will prepare DFW, North Texas and American for future growth. Flying out of DFW soon? Navigate construction via the DFW app or dfwairport.com/construction.

Another new MAX has arrived

We took delivery of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft N355TW on Sept. 5. This brings our MAX fleet to 63 total aircraft, with four aircraft delivered so far this year.

Are you ready for REAL ID?

Beginning May 7, 2025, every air traveler 18 and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or another acceptable form of identification to fly. On that day, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents will no longer accept standard driver's licenses at airport security checkpoints. With less than a year before the REAL ID Act goes into effect, compliance still varies widely from state to state, and awareness about the new requirements is still low among the traveling public. Make sure you and your dependent travelers know that they'll soon need a REAL ID to fly, and encourage your family and friends to update their driver's license ahead of the deadline.

Vote for American in the Business Traveler Awards

American is shortlisted for the 2024 Business Traveler Awards in the categories of Best Premium Economy, Best Frequent Flyer Program and Best Airline App. While a list of aviation and hospitality experts, leaders and editors nominated brands for the short list, it is up to customers and team members to choose the winners for each category. Make sure you cast your votes by Oct. 15. Winners will be announced on Nov. 21 — good luck to the American team!

What's goin' on?

Check out the latest and greatest upcoming company-related events using the Event Calendar. To add an event, open the calendar and select Submit an Event at the upper-right corner.