AA and US Airways start to merge frequent flier clubs

American Airlines Group said it would begin to integrate frequent flier benefits from the two carriers, AA and US Airways, that combined in a recent merger. The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Tuesday that members of AAdvantage and Dividend Miles, starting Tuesday, would begin to accrue benefit miles regardless of which of the merging airlines they flew. Members of the two frequent-flier clubs will also be granted benefits from either airline, such as access to better seats and baggage checked at no additional charge, the newspaper said. "Throughout the integration, we have hundreds and hundreds of policies that need to be aligned. We want to create a seamless experience as early as possible for our elite travelers," said Kerry Philipovitch, American's senior vice president of customer experience. Philipovitch said customer service workers had gone through two orientation training sessions to understand how the merger would affect customers. The first training took place last summer, while the second, in September, amounted to a refresher course, made necessary because the merger was delayed by the U.S. Justice Department for three months. The airline said it would merge ticket counters and airport gates in Phoenix and Miami by the end of March 2014. The gates and service counters are already in close proximity at New York's JFK Airport, which will aid in the transition, the Star-Telegram said. The two carriers each belonged to different international affiliations. AA belonging to the Oneworld Alliance and US Airways belonging to the Star Alliance. The airline said it expected US Airways to drop its membership in the Star Alliance on March 30, at which point, the merged airline will remain a member of the Oneworld Alliance.