American Airlines recently announced a series of changes, including updates to checked baggage fees and compensation for flights that are forcibly canceled or changed. However, the biggest change is that going forward, flights will only earn AA miles and LP if booked through AA’s official website or through designated third-party sellers. Previously, major airlines such as AA, UA, and Delta did not restrict mileage earning on tickets booked through third parties, so in that sense AA is the first in the industry to introduce such a rule.
So far, AA has not announced which third-party partners will still qualify for earning AA miles. My guess is that AA also wants to avoid paying too much commission to third-party booking sites and instead encourage travelers to book directly on its own website.
