American Airlines is one of the biggest airlines in the world and a major player in the travel industry. Given its enormous international network, we could only speculate that multiple individuals and enterprises would be eager to apply for their affiliate program. An affiliate program allows partners to receive commissions by referring customers to a particular company’s product or service. So, is there an American Airlines affiliate program for bloggers to join?
Does American Airlines Have an Affiliate Program?
American Airlines currently does not have an affiliate program. This means no one can earn through promoting American Airlines services. American Airlines has opted to skip out on this type of advertising, but that isn’t the case for most other airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, which have great affiliate programs. So, continue reading to learn about a few airline affiliate programs you can join.
To begin with, here is how you can earn with American Airlines via their AAdvantage Program.
Ways to Earn with Partner Airlines — AAdvantage Program
American Airlines has no affiliate program. Still, travelers can earn AAdvantage miles on its large list of partner airlines. The AAdvantage program is one of the most lucrative frequent flyer programs. Still, it also offers members a chance to earn miles by flying American Airlines flights and with its wide array of airline partners.
Calculating Base Miles
When flying with American Airlines or one of its partners, the base miles you can earn are usually based on the money spent on travel rather than the distance traveled. This is what it looks like on a typical day:
- Base Miles Calculation: You typically earn 5 miles for every dollar spent on your flight’s base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges.
- Elite Status bonuses: Members with elite status earn bonus miles on their flights based on the level of that status:
- Gold: 7 miles per $1 spent (40% bonus).
- Platinum: 8 miles per $1 spent (60% bonus).
- Platinum Pro: 9 miles per $1 spent (80% bonus).
- Executive Platinum: 11 miles per $1 spent (120% bonus).
Suppose passenger A pays $300 for a ticket and has Gold status; in this situation, the passenger would earn $2100 AAdvantage miles (300×7).
Details for Earning Miles
If travelers want to earn AAdvantage miles when traveling WITH American Airlines or its partner airlines, they must:
- Book qualifying flights: Such flights should be in an authorized fare class and have been ticketed on American Airlines or a partner airline.
- Add AAdvantage Number: When booking through partner airlines, include your AAdvantage number.
Travelers can earn miles on many routes with American Airlines, including the Oneworld member airlines.
Earning Miles with Partner Airlines
AAdvantage members can earn miles on partner airlines in two main ways:
- American Airlines Booking: For flights booked via American Airlines and ticketed on American stock, members earn miles as if they were traveling on an American flight.
- Booking directly with partners: If you book directly on a partner airline, the earning potential will vary by fare class. And some airlines give miles for distance instead of dollars spent. Japan Airlines, for example, has a different earning rate based on fare class.
Miles needed to earn awards.
The number of AAdvantage miles needed for award flights is not only different by region but also varies widely based on several variables:
- Length of flight/Class of service: Shorter flights usually require the fewest miles. For example, one-way economy flights under 500 miles start from 7,500 AAdvantage miles. Also, some domestic flights may require 12,500 miles or more.
- Dynamic Pricing Model: American Airlines has a dynamic pricing model for award flights, which dynamically increases or decreases the miles needed depending on demand and availability.
Using Miles with Partner Airline Flights
AAdvantage members can use earned miles to pay for flights or services not only on American Airlines, but also on partner airlines. The process generally looks like this:
- Booking via the Website: Members can book award flights directly on the American Airlines website or app.
- Calling customer service: Members might have to call customer service for any partner airlines that do not appear online.
Members must check with their partners, as some may charge for phone bookings.
5 Alternatives to the American Airlines Affiliate Program
CheapTickets Program
CheapTickets is a subsidiary of the Expedia Group, attracting more than 60 million unique monthly visitors. The site offers a selection of over 260,000 properties and allows users to book travel on more than 400 airlines. The brand also has a well-known loyalty plan that allows customers to earn CheapCash for every flight booked and redeem it at hotels.
They run the affiliate program via CJ Affiliate, paying $2 for every air ticket sold. Commissions for hotels, car rentals, and activities range from 1% to 5%, and you’ll earn 30 bucks for each cruise booking. The cookie duration on all bookings is seven days.
Commissions are paid per air ticket and for each cruise booked. All other categories pay a percentage of the sale. CheapTickets may provide incentives for high-quality traffic and shares affiliate newsletter announcing the latest deals.
- Commission: $2 per air booking
- Cookie Duration: 7 days
KLM Program
An award-winning airline, KLM services 92 cities throughout Europe with an impressive 70 international destinations. As part of Air France KLM and the SkyTeam Alliance, it serves 1,063 destinations in 173 countries.
Affiliates receive a commission on for all KLM bookings via global tracking solution. The affiliates will receive 1% on medium-haul flights and 1.5% on long-haul flights, with a 30-day cookie window.
KLM offers tools such as a link maker, product feed, flight search widget, and custom mobile banners to aid affiliates.
- Commission: 1% – 1.5% on flights
- Cookie Duration: 30 days
Etihad Airways Program
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways operates globally and was awarded Best First Class at the 2022 Business Traveller Middle East Awards.
FlexOffers manages the affiliate program and offers a 30-day cookie to earn a 1.6% commission on all flight bookings. Payments can be made via bank transfer, wire, check, or PayPal.
- Commission: 1.6%
- Cookie Duration: 30 days
Hawaiian Airlines Program
Hawaiian Airlines operates approximately 130 flights between the Hawaiian Islands and provides daily nonstop flights to 16 U.S. cities, along with international services to American Samoa, Japan, South Korea, Sydney, and Tahiti. From 2004 through 2020, it topped all US carriers for on-time performance. It was also named best US airline by Condé Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.
To get a 1.5% commission on flight bookings and 0.5% on vacation packages, you can apply to their affiliate program directly at CJ Affiliate. Note that flights must be completed within 30 days of the original booking for affiliates to earn a commission.
- Commission: 1.5% on flights; 0.5% on vacation packages.
- Cookie Duration: 30 days.
Omio Program
Omio is a travel booking platform for international travelers. It allows them to arrange flight, train, ferry, and bus trips with over 1,000 travel providers in one go.
The Omio affiliate program is available through the Impact Radius network. It comes with a 30-day cookie duration and a 2%-8% loyalty commission per booking. Impact’s data shows the program has a 30-day EPC (Earnings Per Click) of €1.10!
The Omio affiliate program application is reviewed within 14 business days. If approved, affiliates can access a full media library of banners, creatives, search widgets, and API.
- Commission: 2% – 8% per online sale
- Cookie Duration: 30 days
Final Thoughts on American Airlines Affiliate Program and Its Alternatives
American Airlines does not offer an affiliate program now. Still, travelers still stand to gain plenty from the AAdvantage program just flying American and its many partner airlines. Understanding base mile calculations, earning potential with partners, and how to redeem successfully can open various travel benefits. Also, there are many travel affiliate programs to earn extra cash.
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Sources:
- advertising.expedia.com/getting-started/brands/cheaptickets/
- aa.com/i18n/travel-info/partner-airlines/american-airlines.jsp
- investopedia.com/articles/investing/080315/how-expedia-makes-money.asp
