American Airlines Accounts Shut Down Again
Back in late 2019, American Airlines carried out a massive wave of AAdvantage account shutdowns, targeting members it believed had abused Citi/AAdvantage credit card mailers and promotional offers. Many affected users received notices stating they were “no longer eligible to participate in the AAdvantage program.”
At the time, American Airlines said members had exploited targeted application offers that were not intended for them. The airline froze or permanently closed many accounts and confiscated miles balances in the process.
In the years since, the shutdowns remained controversial. Some customers argued the terms were unclear, while others claimed they lost legitimately earned miles from flights and spending activity. There was also a lawsuit in 2024 regarding the account closures and forfeited miles.
Now there are fresh reports that some users who were originally banned in 2019, but later opened new AAdvantage accounts, are once again being shut down by American Airlines. These newer accounts had sometimes remained active for years before being closed recently. It’s not clear exactly how widespread these new shutdowns are, or whether American Airlines recently conducted another review of previously banned customers. But the reports suggest the airline may still be actively enforcing earlier bans against people who attempted to rejoin the program under new account numbers.
The AAdvantage terms give the airline broad authority to terminate accounts and confiscate miles for what it considers abuse, fraud, or misuse of promotions. For anyone who was affected by the original 2019 shutdowns, these latest reports are probably a reminder that American may still have those accounts flagged internally years later.
