American Airlines has introduced a new option for its top-tier elite status members to redeem miles for access to the Flagship First dining facility before departure. This offering is part of the airline's "Enhance with Miles" program, which was launched in recent years. The ability to use miles for Flagship First dining was hinted at earlier this year.
According to an American Airlines spokesperson, the redemption rates are set at 20,000 AAdvantage miles for Executive Platinum members and 24,000 AAdvantage miles for Platinum Pro members. To preserve the exclusivity of these dining areas, Platinum Pro members can only redeem miles for entry passes twice per year. Executive Platinum status holders have the opportunity to redeem a pass two additional times.
American's Flagship First dining facilities are described as a lounge-within-a-lounge concept available at select airports. The restaurant-style experience first appeared in New York in 2017 and later expanded to Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Miami. During the pandemic, all Flagship First dining locations were closed; however, only those in Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami have reopened since then. The Los Angeles location remains temporarily closed, while the New York facility has been converted into a joint-use lounge space with British Airways at JFK Airport's Terminal 8.