Airline Status Matches

Airline frequent flyer programs give extra benefits (upgrades, free checked bags, and lounge access among them) when you attain upper-tier “status,” and they sometimes offer incentives to switch your loyalty from the program you use the most. It’s called a “status match” in airline parlance.

Airlines are competing for your business especially when carriers merge and become stronger. They know they can lure flyers away from other airlines because of their expanded network, and many flyers take the bait especially when media coverage touts the new airline’s program.

The coming American Airlines-US Airways merger has opened new possibilities. American is a member of OneWorld, and US Airways was a member of Star Alliance. The new carrier will belong to Oneworld, and it will work hard to bring over Star Alliance loyalists from the US Airways program while also courting other airline elite members to take advantage of the new airline’s expanded program.

Carriers often provide status matches to certain tiers within their program to give new customers a chance to see what it’s like in the loyalty program without having to do all of the work to get there.

What is required of most airlines is usually a copy of one’s current elite credentials and account activity. Some airlines are more lenient than others especially when a traveler is paying higher, more lucrative fares.

Other airlines offer challenges requiring new members to show they will be loyal by flying a certain amount within a specified time period to maintain a status level for the whole year. Be aware that some airlines limit the number of challenges available per member within a certain period of time so be sure to ask as it varies frequently. For example, if you take a status match this year, you may not be eligible for it again next year. And some airlines offer status matches just once per member.

When applying for a status match, it is wise to decide if another airline may serve your needs better than another. And while one carrier may not have worked for you in the past, recent mergers may have made it a better. For example, Charlotte, N.C. travelers may not have been interested in American’s AAdvantage program before, but now that it is merging with US Airways, it is the new “home program”.