Summary
- Elite tiers are exclusive & difficult to achieve, rewarding big spenders with VIP treatment.
- Benefits include priority upgrades, luxury transfers, enhanced service, and gifts.
- Achieving these tiers involves high spending and uncertainty, but VIP perks improve the travel experience.
Frequent flyers on the US big three, United, American, and Delta, are familiar with the different elite status tiers, from Silver to Platinum and more. However, a higher tier remains largely unpublished by these airlines, reserved for the most frequent and highest-spending travelers. These are called ConciergeKey at American, Global Services at United, and 360° on Delta, and here’s what you need to know about these invite-only tiers.
The three elite tiers
Each of the three main US legacy airlines has a “secret” additional elite level. You will sometimes see these referred to by airlines and loyalty programs, but the details and terms are not published along with the other standard elite levels.
The three programs are:
Related
Did You Know: Airlines Have Secret Elite Status Levels
Many airlines have an extra VIP level for the standard published tiers, with top-level benefits and treatment.
Hard to achieve
One thing all three levels have in common is that they are very hard to achieve. These are supposed to be just for the top airline users, so you would expect this!
Naturally, airlines are reluctant to give away too much on how to access their invite-only tiers; it takes away from their exclusivity. However, there are occasional hints and details released.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
According to One Mile At A Time, United usually awards Global Services to those who spend over $50,000 in travel a year, those who control travel spending for a company (usually senior executives), and some celebrities to ensure they have a smooth experience. Global Services is sometimes included as part of corporate contracts to select executives.
There is only one published way to get to lifetime Global Services: fly four million miles on United Airlines. Considering how long this takes, you’re more likely to get status by spending or if you’re closing in on retirement after a lifetime of heavy travel.
MileagePlus
As the loyalty program of one of the world’s biggest airlines, United MileagePlus is also one of the world’s biggest frequent flyer schemes. Today, there are more than 100 million members of the program.
Things are quite similar for American Airlines, which (speculatively) has a spending requirement of roughly $50,000 to $85,000 and requires you to be a key travel planner at your company.
Concierge Key is probably one of the best-known ‘secret’ elite tiers. – it is the card of choice in the 2009 movie Up in the Air.
AAdvantage
The American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer program was launched by the United States carrier on May 1st, 1981. It was the second loyalty program to be launched by an airline worldwide, and today it is the oldest still in existence.
Delta does mention their 360 status level at the bottom of the Diamond Medallion benefits page, but they only say it’s by invite only, and there’s no specific goal to achieve it. In an interview with cntraveler, a previous Delta 360 member stated they had flown nearly 330,000 miles and spent $79,000 with the airline before being notified.
Photo: Delta Air Lines News Hub
For those looking to achieve a more realistic, yet elite, status, find out more about points and miles with our loyalty guides here!
What you get for your loyalty
If you’re spending tens of thousands of dollars, expect the airline to treat you well. All these programs offer similar benefits – designed to make the booking, management, and airport experience as easy and flexible as possible. These members are likely to be using airports very regularly, and flying in premium cabins. The benefits add to everything that a top-level standard elite member would receive (such as upgrades, lounge access, additional luggage, and waived fees).
Higher upgrade priority. Global Services and ConciergeKey are first in line when it comes to complimentary upgrades on domestic and regional flights, outranking all others. Only paid passengers are ahead of these travelers, even when traveling on reward tickets. Delta 360° is reportedly ranked at the same level as Diamond Medallion members, per The Points Guy, which is not ideal for the most loyal customers. However, considering most of these passengers are already booked into business, or first, this isn’t a big issue.
Luxury transfers. Ever worried about a tight connection? All three invite-only tiers try their best to ensure you make even the closest flights by picking you up in a luxury car at the door of your flight. For Delta, you’ll possibly have a Porsche Panamera waiting for you, United has partnered with Jaguar, while American had a long-standing deal with Cadillac, per Upgraded Points. This is a benefit that truly sets apart these tiers from other levels, and sitting in the back of a luxury car is far better than a 500-meter dash through a crowded terminal. These luxury transfers will not be offered at all airports or with all flights.
Enhanced travel management. All three programs have a dedicated line and trained customer service agents with little to no wait time. Dedicated teams monitor your inbound and outbound flights, and will offer much easier and proactive rebooking and management.
You can always rest assured of being top of the list in cases of disruption. American’s ConciergeKey members are guaranteed next flight availability if their original flight is canceled, even if the next service is sold out. This is valuable for times of irregular operations when there might be only one or two remaining flights, even if it comes at the cost of bumping another traveler.
Related
ConciergeKey: What Is The Deal With American Airlines’ Secret Highest Tier Of Status?
This status tier is invite-only.
Gifts and goodies. Delta partially makes up for its lack of higher priority status by sending goodie bags with some serious gifts, from Ray-Bans to fancy liquor, depending on your taste.
Related
Delta 360: Inside Delta Air Lines’ Most Elite Status Tier
Only Delta dictates who gets into the carrier’s most elite status tier.
Increased availability and award discounts. United comes out ahead for these perks. In addition to being able to book award tickets in more fare buckets (meaning availability issues and waitlists are less likely), if you book a cash business class ticket, Global Services members can book another business class seat for just the price of a Saver-level award ticket. Expect a dedicated check-in at Newark and San Francisco, your own phone line, and staff tracking your every flight. American Airlines Concierge Key members can book award tickets with waived co-pays.
Is it worth it?
These invite-only status tiers are only unlocked by frequent high spending, so trying to achieve it is an expensive and uncertain affair. While these perks themselves don’t justify $50,000+ in flights, they are valuable if you are already traveling this much and want to ensure a seamless experience. For the few that receive them, they will, of course, make travel smoother and planning faster. For the rest of us, the pretty good benefits of top-level elite status will have to suffice.