American Airlines is apparently a tiny bit desperate; they’ve expanded their previously very targeted double EQM promotion to now be system-wide, for all passengers flying on AA metal. The promotion is valid on any normal mileage-earning tickets through January 31, 2012.
Most of the typical restrictions on this sort of promo – only newly purchased tickets, minimum fare class, residency requirements, etc. – are waived for this promotion. It even includes the rarely seen "This offer can be combined with other AAdvantage promotions," in the fine print. If you’re flying on AA anyways you should ABSOLUTELY go register here prior to your flights.
And, of course, the speculation can now begin as to whether other carriers will match the offer.
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I’ll go on record and predict United won’t match.
I hope they don’t match.
Mostly for selfish reasons – I’ve only got about 8K of revenue miles on UA metal in the period and not much time to find more runs – but I also simply don’t see what it would do to help the company at this point. I’m actually rather surprised that AA did it in the first place.
January is generally a low travel month, and most people alreaady have their holiday travel, so any additional demand either will be at low demand times, or at high fares. The question is how much will this generate incremental demand vs. just give out additional elite status without generating much new revenue.
we’re already half way into dec, so incremental mileage runs become dec 31 is very limited because most people have made travel arrangements already. And jan is usually too early to do mileage runs since most people wont know how far/close to a status tier they are unless they have the whole 2012 mapped out.
My guess ? It’ll bump a few pax up the tiers and dilute it for the rest of them, but only among those already loyal to AA.