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American Airlines announced today that it is adding the ability to earn and redeem miles for flights in JetSMART (a South American ultra-low cost carrier) through the AAdvantage® loyalty program. Mileage earning begins today and redemptions are coming in the future.
JetSMART passengers can join the AAdvantage® program while purchasing tickets on JetSMART’s website, enabling them to earn miles on both domestic and international flights. Later this year, AAdvantage® members will also be able to redeem miles for JetSMART-operated flights. The strategic partnership between American Airlines and JetSMART dates back to last year with a codeshare agreement between the United States and Chile. This recently expanded to flights in Peru and Argentina. Together, the two airlines are building the broadest network in North and South America.
Scott Chandler, American’s Senior Vice President of Revenue Management and Loyalty, said:
We are excited to welcome JetSMART and their customers to the AAdvantage® program, the most valuable travel rewards program. This is a significant milestone in our partnership that offers customers more low fares and more travel options throughout South America.”
AAdvantage® members can earn 2x miles for Travel LIGHT fares and 5x miles for Pack SMART and Pack FULL fares. Elite members earn bonus miles as outlined in the table above. These fares also earn Loyalty Points, which are needed to earn status.
American’s AAdvatage® is the longest running frequent flyer program. It launched in 1981 and has been running ever since. Recently, I wrote about Fiji Airways adopting the program as its own. This partnership will offer AAdvantage® members a seamless experience when traveling on Fiji Airways. They’ll receive benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding, complimentary baggage allowance, preferred seats, and enhanced award redemptions. Full details around the integration including what benefits elite members will receive have not been fully released. Things like upgrades and what counts toward qualification remain to be seen. Now, JetSMART will offer its passengers this opportunity as well.
American Airlines invested in JetSMART back in 2022 and that investment is now starting to make more sense. With the loss of LATAM to Delta, American needed to strengthen its standing in South America and JetSMART helps to fill that gap.
Anthony’s Take: It’s interesting to see American Airlines align with a low-cost carrier. There are no upgrades to be had, but we’ll see if any other benefits get offered in the future.
(Image Credits: American Airlines and JetSMART.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
