Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways · Wednesday, August 12, 2026
American Airlines is changing its upgrade policy starting August 25th. Elite status members will no longer be upgraded to business class on transcontinental and Hawaii routes, but will instead receive upgrades to premium economy. This change aims to encourage passengers to book premium economy directly.
“Now, moving on to some bad news for American Airlines flyers like me. Starting August 25th, American Airlines will stop upgrading people with elite status to business class on some of its transcontinental and Hawaii routes. Instead, they'll only get upgraded to premium economy.”
“Making, I'm curious, do you think this makes elite status less valuable? Absolutely.”
“Yeah, I think that's exactly what they're trying to do. I mean, one thing I do want to point out is that you could book these premium economy seats with points or miles. But remember, none of this is guaranteed. You could book and then have to pay extra miles to get to business class, or they could change the rules again. So it's all just a huge gamble. I don't like it. I would say this makes the upgrades on American Airlines really not as valuable as they used to be.”