AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Offers for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® are not available through this site. Some offers may have expired. Please see our card marketplace for available offers
It's been a doozy of a week for American Airlines loyalists. A few days ago, Citi and American Airlines announced a refresh of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. Apart from an increase in the annual fee, this was largely a positive update. However, on the same day, American also announced it would increase Admirals Club® memberships by as much as 65%.
Apparently, this one-two punch of updates isn't over yet. As part of the AAdvantage® mid-year updates, American Airlines is limiting complimentary upgrades on select routes. Here's what you need to know.
American Airlines Slashes Complimentary Business Class Upgrades
If you frequently travel to Hawaii or on transcontinental flights, American Airlines is slashing your upgrade options. Starting August 25, 2026, AAdvantage elite members who purchase a main cabin ticket will only receive complimentary upgrades to premium economy — not business — on select flights to/from Hawaii and select transcontinental routes.
The only way you'll be able to score a business class upgrade is if you meet one of the following conditions:
- You bought a premium economy ticket
- Premium economy isn't offered on your flight
- You bought an instant upgrade to premium economy
Note that this update only applies to complimentary upgrades. You can still use your Systemwide Upgrades to move to the next class of service.
Complimentary upgrades are automatically requested once your flight is ticketed. You'll continue to be confirmed before departure based on status:
- AAdvantage Gold: 24 hours before departure
- AAdvantage Platinum: 48 hours before departure
- AAdvantage Platinum Pro: 72 hours before departure
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum: 100 hours before departure
However, American notes in the update that the premium economy cabin on select aircraft includes middle seats, which means you may be assigned one. In other words, you bought a window seat in the main cabin, and thanks to your loyalty, you are rewarded with an upgrade to a middle seat in premium economy.
On August 25, American will begin updating existing main cabin to business upgrade requests to reflect a premium economy upgrade instead. If your upgrade to business has already been confirmed for travel on or after August 25, it will be honored as long as there are no changes to your trip.
Affected routes
Here are the routes affected by this update. If you plan to travel between the following cities, you'll need to purchase a premium economy ticket if you hope to get a business class upgrade:
- New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO)
- Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Honolulu (HNL)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Kona (KOA)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Maui (OGG)
- Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL)
- Chicago (ORD) to Honolulu (HNL)
- Chicago (ORD) to Maui (OGG)
That still leaves a few routes where you might be able to score a first class upgrade, as the aircraft that serve these routes don't offer a premium economy cabin — at least for now:
- Phoenix (PHX) to Kona (KOA)
- Phoenix (PHX) to Maui (OGG)
- Phoenix (PHX) to Kauaʻi (LIH)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Kona (KOA)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Maui (OGG)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Kauaʻi (LIH)
However, keep in mind that most of these routes don't actually have lie-flat seats. Instead, they are served by smaller aircraft with a standard domestic first class cabin.
Related: How To Fly American Airlines' Best Business (and First) Class Seats Within the U.S.
Bottom Line
For many travelers, one of the main benefits of holding elite status with an airline is complimentary upgrades. When you prioritize flying with one airline instead of the dozen options available to you, you do so thinking that it will pay off down the line. While AAdvantage elite members can still qualify for complimentary upgrades, premium economy does not have the same draw as a lie-flat seat when you are flying from coast to coast or to Hawaii.
This is a major downgrade for AAdvantage loyalists, and a disappointing move from American Airlines. It seems airlines would rather have empty seats at the front of the plane than reward their most devoted passengers.
