American Airlines reverses decision to withhold loyalty points

American Airlines has rescinded its scheduled policy to stop issuing loyalty points on travel agent bookings.

The move follows significant advocacy efforts by ACTA, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), and the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance (WTAAA).

According to ACTA, the proposed policy change would have had an extremely detrimental impact on the retail travel community, limiting traveller loyalty points accrual to bookings made by “preferred” agencies and direct bookings only. 

 “ACTA expresses its sincere gratitude to all members who actively engaged in the advocacy initiatives, as their participation was instrumental in achieving this positive outcome,” said Wendy Paradis, ACTA president. “While this development represents a significant victory for the retail travel sector, ACTA remains committed to maintaining a vigilant stance in protecting its members against any future actions or policies that may pose a threat to their business operations.”

She added: “ACTA recognizes the importance of safeguarding the interests of its members and will persist in its advocacy efforts on their behalf.”

 The association will maintain its close collaboration with ASTA, WTAAA, and other key players to ensure that the concerns of the retail travel community are effectively communicated and addressed at the highest levels of the industry.