dailynewsnblog
Fort Worth-based 
American Airlines will soon offer the ability for passengers booking tickets to mix cash and airline miles to make a booking. The airline sent details of the new policy to its AAdvantage frequent flyers on Friday, which explained that the airline would allow travelers more flexibility when it comes to purchasing a ticket.
This move will see those part of the airline’s AAdvantage loyalty program now be able to combine cash and miles to pay for domestic travel only. At this stage, this is only permitted for flights that are within the contiguous United States, and excludes Hawaii and Alaska. As the program develops, American has confirmed it plans to expand the offering on more routes.
Mixing Cash And Miles To Book An American Airlines Ticket
American confirmed that the new feature will go live in the coming weeks, and the move is set to provide an alternative way for members to make the most of the AAdvantage membership. To mix both cash and miles, passengers will need to be logged into their loyalty account on the American website or app, and after selecting their preferred itinerary, the checkout screen will offer a form of payment that is a mix of cash and miles.
When selecting the form of payment, an interactive slider will allow travelers to decide on the combination of cash and miles for the ticket. This type of mix-and-match payment is already available with other major US carriers, 
United Airlines and 
Delta Air Lines.
Despite the initial offering being available only on domestic US flights on the mainland, the airline will likely expand this to Hawaii and Alaska and potentially international destinations in the near future. This move comes at a prudent time, when airline ticket prices continue to rise following increased costs in global fuel supplies and airline operations.
Status Match On American Flights With Proof Of Other Airline Status
American’s new mix of miles and cash offer comes in the same week as the oneworld carrier announced a limited-time promotion where it would offer travelers an equivalent status match on American flights. Eligible travelers can submit proof of status miles with Delta, JetBlue, United, or others, where AA would then offer an Instant Status Pass, which would be equivalent to the competing airline for four months.
This comes as American looks to close the gap on market share in the US and improve the customer experience. American already announced that it plans to roll out Starlink Wi-Fi across its mainline fleet in the coming months, bumping it ahead of one of its biggest competitors, Delta, which has opted for Amazon Leo.
Airlines often provide status matches in a bid to attract high-value, high-spending customers from other airlines. This captures elite flyers who often spend more on premium cabins, last-minute tickets, or look at co-branded credit cards. This poaches flyers from other competitors’ loyal customer bases. While the trial period is often temporary, it could result in the traveler changing travel preferences to another airline.
What’s The Benefit Of American Airlines Miles And Cash Mix
To increase booking flexibility, the opportunity to mix miles and cash can assist travelers in spending frequent flyer balances and drive revenue through its AAdvantage loyalty program. This attracts loyalty engagement by giving its members an easier way to redeem miles.
For those with small points balances, these may not otherwise have been enough to cover the full cost of a ticket, and will open up additional inventory for customers to book regular cash seats instead of using miles, providing a partial discount mechanism. The benefit for travelers is that it can shave the price of expensive fares with the use of miles.
For American, it will clear accumulated miles on the airline’s balance sheet while driving higher engagement in the airline’s loyalty initiatives.
