US airline elite status benefits compared

What are the elite tiers at American, Delta and Southwest?

American boards AAdvantage status members in four groups: Group 1 for AAdvantage Executive Platinum members, Group 2 for AAdvantage Platinum Pro members alongside oneworld Emerald members, Group 3 for AAdvantage Platinum members alongside oneworld Sapphire members, and Group 4 for AAdvantage Gold members alongside oneworld Ruby members of the oneworld alliance. [1] Delta has four Medallion tiers — Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond — and qualifies members on Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs). [3] Southwest's structure is A-List, A-List Preferred and Companion Pass. [6]

Delta's MQD thresholds for the 2026 Medallion year are $5,000 for Silver, $10,000 for Gold, $15,000 for Platinum and $28,000 for Diamond. [3] Delta Main Basic (Basic Economy) tickets are not eligible for earning miles or credit toward Medallion and Million Miler Status. [3]

Southwest counts 20 one-way qualifying flight segments or 35,000 tier qualifying points for A-List, 40 segments or 70,000 points for A-List Preferred, and 100 segments or 135,000 Companion Pass qualifying points for Companion Pass. [6] Southwest says a new Rapid Rewards programme with Silver, Gold and Platinum statuses starts on 1 January 2027. [6]

How do upgrades, seating and same-day changes compare?

Delta pairs Medallion status with Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades, plus a higher earning rate at each tier. [3] Platinum and Gold members get access to the full Sky Priority suite of services, Silver members get Priority Boarding, and Diamond members hold the highest priority boarding among Medallion members along with preferred pricing on a CLEAR+ Membership. [3]

Southwest handles seating differently: A-List Preferred members board before Group 1 and A-List members board in Group 1. [6] A-List members can select a Preferred or Standard seat at booking or up to 60 minutes before scheduled local departure, and can move to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure, while A-List Preferred members can select an Extra Legroom, Preferred or Standard seat at booking. [6] Those seating choices cover up to 8 additional passengers on the same reservation, for a total of 9 seats. [6] Both Southwest tiers include free same-day standby on an earlier flight, requested through an agent or the app at least 10 minutes before the original scheduled departure, or 60 minutes ahead on the app for domestic flights and 90 minutes for international ones. [6] Government taxes and fees for that change are payable, with refunds provided. [6]

American invites status members to board after ConciergeKey members, First and Business travellers and families with children under 2, and they may board any time after their group is called, up to 15 minutes before departure, using the Priority boarding lane. [1]

What airport and baggage benefits come with elite status?

American gives status-based free checked bags to the member and guests travelling on the same reservation, excluding group reservations, on itineraries marketed and operated by American. [1] The allowance depends on the highest status held at ticketing or check-in, and a member whose status was higher at ticketing can show the ticket receipt to the airport agent to claim it. [1] The benefit may not apply on codeshare flights not operated by American, and if the standard cabin allowance is higher than the status allowance, the standard allowance applies. [1] Oversize or overweight bags may cost extra, and seasonal or year-round limits apply to some destinations. [1] Priority check-in is available on aa.com, in the American app or at Priority check-in areas at the airport, and Priority security lanes operate at select airports. [1]

Southwest gives A-List members one free checked bag with the second at $35, and gives A-List Preferred members the first and second bags free. [6] Bag fees apply to Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares, and checked bag benefits do not apply on flights booked with a partner carrier. [6] Both tiers get Priority Lane access at check-in counters and Express Lanes at security where available, plus priority phone support. [6] A-List Preferred members also receive up to two complimentary premium drinks per leg on select flights of 251 miles or more. [6]

Delta includes waived fees, including baggage fees, in its Medallion benefits, and names waived baggage fees among Silver Medallion benefits. [3] Lounge access arrives through Diamond Choice Benefits, which can include Delta Sky Club access, and Choice Benefits have been selected through the Fly Delta app since 1 February 2025. [3] Diamond members also get exclusive savings with Delta Vacations. [3]

Do elite benefits extend to companions?

American extends its free checked bag allowance to guests on the same reservation, excluding group reservations. [1] Southwest's Companion Pass goes further: a member chooses one person to fly with them free of airline charges, excluding taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way. [6] The member's tier seating and checked bag benefits extend to both travellers, and on flights with assigned seating the member can select an available seat for the Companion. [6] Companion Pass is not eligible for use with Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings. [6] Southwest also notes that seating benefits may not apply on itineraries booked with partner airlines. [6]

Exceptions and limits

• Fare and route conditions. Southwest ties bag fees to Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred fares, and American limits its free checked bag benefit to itineraries marketed and operated by American, so codeshare flights can behave differently. [1] [6]
• Earning exclusions. Delta Main Basic tickets do not earn miles or MQDs, and MQDs do not roll over from year to year — the balance resets on or about 1 January each calendar year. [3]
• Programme year. Delta's thresholds above apply to the 2026 Medallion year, and Southwest's new Silver, Gold and Platinum statuses begin on 1 January 2027, so tier names and benefits can change between programme years. [3] [6]
• Tier depth. Some benefits appear only at the top or bottom of a ladder: Delta Sky Club access comes through Diamond Choice Benefits, while waived baggage fees are named at Silver, so a single benefit does not describe a whole programme. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Do all three programmes give elite members free checked bags?

American gives status-based free checked bags to the member and guests on the same reservation on itineraries marketed and operated by American, and Southwest gives A-List members one free bag and A-List Preferred members two. [1] [6] Delta describes waived fees, including baggage fees, as part of Medallion status. [3]

Which Delta Medallion tiers get complimentary upgrades?

Unlimited Complimentary Upgrades are named for all four tiers — Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond — and Diamond members receive the highest Complimentary Upgrade priority. [3]

What does Southwest Companion Pass include?

A member chooses one person to fly with them free of airline charges, excluding taxes and fees from $5.60 one-way, and tier seating and checked bag benefits extend to both travellers. [6] The pass is not eligible for Getaways by Southwest vacation bookings. [6]

How much spending earns Delta Medallion status for 2026?

Delta's thresholds toward 2026 Medallion Status are $5,000 MQDs for Silver, $10,000 for Gold, $15,000 for Platinum and $28,000 for Diamond. [3]

Can American elite members use priority security lanes?

Priority lanes are available at select airports, and priority check-in is offered on aa.com, in the American app or at Priority check-in areas at the airport. [1]

Related pages

Programme guides: AAdvantage status, Delta SkyMiles Medallion status, Southwest Rapid Rewards elite status. Glossary: frequent flyer terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. United MileagePlus, JetBlue TrueBlue, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles are not covered here; see the MileagePlus status guide and the TrueBlue Mosaic guide.

1. American Airlines AAdvantage member statuses, checked 18 October 2026
2. Delta SkyMiles Medallion program overview, checked 18 October 2026
3. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards tiers, checked 18 October 2026