Navan Customers Will Get a New Benefit From Our NDC Connection With American Airlines

Update: On May 29, 2024, AA reversed the policy it announced below. The airline will no longer differentiate between booking channels when it comes to earning miles and loyalty points.

Earning miles and loyalty points on American Airlines just got a little trickier for some travelers.

Today, the airline announced that it will be changing eligibility on how customers earn miles and loyalty points, for tickets issued starting summer 2024. The catch: It depends on where the bookings take place.

To earn AAdvantage Miles and reach status faster, travelers will either need to book on the American Airlines platform or with an NDC-enabled partner, like Navan. For business travelers, that means working with a travel management solution that has a direct connection to the airline through NDC.

“This is a great example of why it pays to have a tech-forward solution that supports NDC connections and improves the traveler experience,” said Dane Molter, VP of Travel Product at Navan. “Fortunately, Navan has been out in front of this trend, with American and a slew of other airlines, and this new wrinkle is one more way Navan customers will benefit.”

In fact, Navan’s customers have already been benefiting from content available via our direct NDC connection with American. Since January, 57% of AA bookings made on Navan were fare options that would only be available via NDC or direct channels. Customers will earn miles and Loyalty Points on flights when they:

• Book directly with American and eligible partner airlines.
• Book travel anywhere as an AAdvantage Business™ member or contracted corporate traveler.

“We want to make it more convenient for customers to enjoy the value and magic of travel. Not only does booking directly with American provide the best possible experience, it's also where we offer the best fares and it's most rewarding for our AAdvantage members,” said Vasu Raja, American's Chief Commercial Officer, in a press release.

Fortunately, Navan customers have nothing to worry about, thanks to Navan’s existing NDC connection with American. When American implements these changes later this summer, Navan customers will continue to earn the maximum number of AAdvantage miles and find the airline’s best fares.

Learn more about American NDC vs. EDIFACT savings here.