Don’t want to lose your AAdvantage Elite Status? Keep if for one more year.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCz8he36hsk

I’ve written about this before, but yesterday was for many the first day of the new year, as it’s the first day of the new AAdvantage Elite calendar.

AAdvantage Elite status is earned during the calendar year, January 1 through December 31, but actual status continues through the last day of February.  So yesterday, March 1, was for some, their first day of AAdvantage Elite status in a lower tier, and for others, it’s the first day of no status.  When you move up in status, it’s recognized instantly, so those that earned a higher tier of status have already been upgraded.

I traveled quite a bit less less last year than in previous years, so I dropped to AAdvantage Gold. I’m not complaining, I’m happy to have the fee waived when checking baggage, to still have priority boarding, and to receive the occasional upgrade, but I’m really going to miss the 100 percent bonus AAdvantage miles that I used to get as an AAdvantage Platinum member. Now I’ll earn 25 percent bonus AAdvantage miles when I fly. That will be hard to give up.

While the difference between having status and not having status isn’t quite as extreme as this classic Carol Burnett skit, I know that when I travel without status on another airline it feels that way, so if you didn’t maintain your AAdvantage Elite tier or if you didn’t re-qualify for Elite Status last year, you can buy your way back.

An Exclusive Offer for AAdvantage Elite Status Members

Take action to maintain your AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Gold Status through February, 2012!
Having AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Gold status offers special benefits that can make all the difference to frequent travelers when they fly. To help make sure loyal elite status members don’t miss out on another year of valuable benefits, American Airlines is offering a special opportunity for members who do not requalify for 2011.

Enjoy another full year of elite status by renewing your AAdvantage Platinum or AAdvantage Gold membership for a one-time charge, extending your status through February 29, 2012.

Two-Tiered Pricing
Members who have made more progress toward elite status requalification during 2010 will benefit from lower prices to extend their status. AAdvantage Platinum members who earn at least 40,000 elite qualifying miles or points (or 48 qualifying segments), and AAdvantage Gold members who earn at least 20,000 elite qualifying miles or points (or 24 qualifying segments) during 2010 qualify for lower prices.

AAdvantage Platinum
40,000 Miles or Points or 48 Segments	Less than 40,000 Miles and Points and less than 48 Segments
$619	$769
AAdvantage Gold
20,000 Miles or Points or 24 Segments	Less than 20,000 Miles and Points and less than 24 Segments
$409	$559

If you didn’t maintain AAdvantage Executive Platinum, you’re out of luck. There’s only one way to stay Executive Platinum, and that is to earn it.  Speaking of earning it, here’s a guy Chasing Executive Platinum. As of February 7 he had already earned more that 22,000 Elite Qualifying Miles!

You have till April 30, 2011 to renew. Go here to find out more information or to renew your previous status.

Editor’s note:  American updated their AAdvantage Elite section and really improved how the information is organized. They did a really great job! If you haven’t seen the updated site, it’s worth a visit. You can also download a copy of the new 2011 Elite Member Guides.