The big three US airlines each partner with major hotel chains for loyalty program mileage earnings and redemptions. American Airlines partners with Hyatt, among others, and since 2019, the airline’s AAdvantage program has operated an ‘enhanced partnership’ with World of Hyatt, the hotel chain’s loyalty program.

This agreement provides additional benefits for members of both programs and was positioned as a meaningful point of differentiation for the two parties within their respective industries. However, this partnership has formally come to an end, with the two parties announcing on September 9 that they had mutually decided to cut all benefits associated with the enhanced partnership.

American and Hyatt are still mutual program partners, but they no longer offer additional benefits compared to other comparable partners. This is notable since American no longer has one hotel partner that it is particularly close to, while Hyatt has now replaced American AAdvantage with Delta SkyMiles.

The End Of The Enhanced Partnership

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American Airlines has multiple hotel partners through its AAdvantage loyalty program, while Hyatt also has multiple airline partners. In 2019, however, the two parties expanded their partnership by offering reciprocal status and point earnings. In practice, the single greatest benefit was that members of each loyalty program could earn one mile/point per dollar spent with the other, in a practice sometimes known as double dipping.

However, this perk was discontinued in 2025. After this point, the main benefit of the program that the two advertised was the ability to receive awards that could be applied to the partner (as in, AAdvantage Loyalty Point Rewards included World of Hyatt rewards, while Milestone Rewards offered AAdvantage benefits).

This was a far less lucrative benefit than the double-dipping earnings. In addition, American and Hyatt also offered fast-track promotions for elite status with one another, and these promotions ran fairly consistently. While it’s disappointing that the two parties are no longer offering this partnership, the reality is that it’s been pared back significantly over the past seven years.

It’s no longer anywhere near as valuable as it was at the beginning, and the two companies have gradually drifted apart. As such, the discontinuation of the enhanced partnership isn’t a major loss for loyal customers of either company. AAdvantage customers won’t notice much of a difference unless they’re regularly booking stays with Hyatt, and the same applies to World of Hyatt members.

World Of Hyatt & Delta Air Lines

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The same day that Hyatt announced the end of its enhanced partnership with AAdvantage, it also announced a new partnership with Delta SkyMiles. Details of what the full collaboration will eventually entail are limited, but upon launch, Delta Medallion members will earn miles when spending on qualifying Hyatt bookings, while also earning World of Hyatt benefits.

Meanwhile, World of Hyatt elite members earn points on qualifying tickets booked with Delta Air Lines, while also earning SkyMiles benefits. Hyatt is essentially bringing back the ‘double-dipping’ that was previously present with the American Airlines partnership, and the two entities explicitly highlight the ‘Dual Earn’ benefit.

In essence, Hyatt has brought back the full partnership of old, but replaced American with Delta Air Lines. While American and Hyatt stated that the decision to discontinue their extended partnership was mutual, it’s clear that Hyatt was looking to maintain a close relationship with a major US carrier, whether it be American or not. Publicly, Delta and Hyatt both highlight their shared focus on providing a premium travel experience, although this is more of a marketing point.

In reality, what determined Hyatt’s decision to go with Delta over American happened behind closed doors. Both companies would have offered overall agreement proposals to Hyatt that demonstrate how each airline values the partnership with the hotel chain, and the company may have even sought proposals from additional airlines, although we may never know for sure.

What May Have Influenced Hyatt’s Decision To Go With Delta

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It’s unknown exactly what the factors were that saw Hyatt choose Delta as its primary airline partner, but it’s rare for any one factor to sway a business decision. Instead, major choices like deciding between multiple large airlines to designate a preferred carrier and offer more features come down to the overall packages being offered.

American, Delta, and any other company that Hyatt may have invited to a possible internal competition would have submitted full proposals that outline cost, product, and collaboration, along with many other details. It’s notable that Hyatt and American have gradually pulled back their partnership since it was first implemented, while the new agreement with Delta will essentially mimic what the partnership with American Airlines originally looked like.

This further indicates that Hyatt wanted some form of a close partnership with a US airline, and Delta’s proposal was more lucrative. Given that it has unseated an incumbent that had already pared back its partnership with the hotel chain, it’s clear that Delta placed a higher strategic value on the agreement than American did.

Handing out millions in bonus currency doesn’t come cheap, and in addition, part of the reason why two companies would develop such partnerships is to attract more customers. Hyatt receives more business from AAdvantage members, while more World of Hyatt members choose to fly American. Today, however, most people have already made the switch. Meanwhile, Delta is not only taking American’s spot as Hyatt’s closest partner, but the two parties are actively looking to deepen their relationship in the future.

American & Hyatt Going Forward

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American AAdvantage members with a linked Hyatt account will continue to access World of Hyatt rewards until February 28, 2027, as long as they link their account by November 15, 2026. Meanwhile, World of Hyatt members may continue to earn AAdvantage rewards until December 31, 2026, so long as their account is linked by November 15, 2026.

After these dates, Hyatt will still be an American AAdvantage partner, but it won’t be as differentiated from American’s other hotel partners. Starting next year, AAdvantage members may earn 500 miles per stay with Hyatt rather than earning World of Hyatt points. American also partners with Marriott and IHG, with AAdvantage offering its members up to two miles per dollar when booking with either of the latter two choices.

Meanwhile, World of Hyatt members may convert 5,000 points to 2,000 AAdvantage miles. IHG Rewards members may transfer 10,000 points for the same number of AAdvantage miles, while Marriott Bonvoy members may transfer 30,000 points for 2,000 AAdvantage miles. Hyatt has several airline partners globally. This includes six carriers in North America, four airlines in Europe, 11 airlines in Asia, and one airline in Australia (Qantas).

Within the US, Hyatt partners with Delta, United, and Southwest in addition to American, and most of these carriers issue 500 miles per stay to their loyalty members (Southwest Rapid Rewards members earn 600 miles per stay). American is just another option for World of Hyatt members, but the hotel chain now offers its customers a new preferred option.

The Most Comparable Agreement In The US

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United Airlines MileagePlus and Marriott Bonvoy have a long-standing partnership, which is similar to the agreement in place between Hyatt and Delta. The partnership is known as ‘Rewards Plus’, and there are several benefits offered to elite members from both programs. Rewards Plus includes reciprocal elite status, along with a superior points-to-miles transfer ratio.

United miles can also be converted to Marriott points at a 1:1 ratio, and the two occasionally run dual accrual promotions. The benefits aren’t the most outstanding, but it is one of the closest partnerships between an airline and a hotel brand in the US. United, of course, has multiple hotel partners with which you can earn miles if you book with them, while Marriott has agreements with several different airlines.

However, United is the hotel brand’s preferred airline partner and vice versa, thereby attracting more customers and building loyal business. Delta Air Lines will now have an extremely competitive agreement with Hyatt to rival the Rewards Plus partnership, but now American Airlines is the odd one out. It might not need to find a new partner and draft up a comparable agreement, but American is also looking to move upmarket and build a premium brand image.

Without offering a comparable partnership to loyal AAdvantage members, American’s desirability could take a hit, and this is the opposite of the direction that the carrier has been headed in. It’s focused on building a brand that is as desirable to consumers as Delta and United, so it therefore wouldn’t be surprising to see American court another hotel brand for a closer partnership.