15 Airlines That Allow Travelers to Pause Elite Status

Life changes, like becoming a parent or facing unexpected health issues, can transform frequent flyers into occasional travelers.

If you find yourself grounded for a while, you might worry about losing your elite status. Fortunately, some airlines recognize the challenges of new parenthood and health concerns, offering elite status hold policies to support long-term loyalty.

For parents expanding their families or those dealing with illness, we’ve put together a list of 15 airlines that provide elite status hold options.

Aer Lingus

Members of Aer Lingus AerClub with Silver, Platinum, or Concierge status can request an extension of their status due to serious illness or the birth or adoption of a child. This extension can last for the duration of maternity leave for either event. In the case of illness, a doctor's letter must confirm your inability to travel for at least 16 weeks.

To qualify, you need to submit documentation from your doctor or provide a birth certificate or adoption papers through the Aer Lingus contact form. You can receive up to two extensions within a five-year span.

For comprehensive information, visit the AerClub FAQ page.

American Airlines

Although American Airlines lacks an official policy for holding status during pregnancy or parental leave, I reached out to the airline and received this statement.

"We recognize that our members experience significant life events that can affect their travel plans," said the spokesperson, "and we encourage them to contact us during such times. We evaluate each situation individually and case-by-case."

Air France and KLM

Through the company's Flying Blue Family initiative, new parents have the option to suspend their elite status.

If you hold Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Ultimate status and experience a downgrade during medical, maternity, paternity, or adoption leave, you may request to keep your previous status level. To initiate this, please submit a customer service request to Air France-KLM Flying Blue using the program's contact form.

Alaska Airlines

MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75K elite members of Alaska Airlines who are new parents can pause their status for one year during pregnancy and parental leave through Alaska's Elite Leave program.

To initiate a status pause, send an email to Alaska Airlines at [email protected], including your full name, date of birth, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number, and documentation of pregnancy or parental leave, such as a letter from your employer or doctor. Eligible parental leave types comprise maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.

After your one-year period is over, you can resume from where you left off and continue working towards requalification. However, please note that individuals who received elite status as a gift or through a status match will not qualify.

United Airlines

Although United does not have a publicly available policy online, we reached out to the airline and received this statement.

"We recognize that each of our MileagePlus members faces unique situations, and our aim is to collaborate with them and provide extensions when suitable," a spokesperson for United stated. "Therefore, we have trained our agents to grant status extensions for maternity and paternity leave."

This aligns with the experience shared by Summer Hull, a content director at TPG. After the birth of her second daughter, she contacted United, and the airline extended her United MileagePlus Premier Platinum status into the next year.

Delta Air Lines

Delta SkyMiles features a program known as "Reclaim My Status," allowing anyone whose SkyMiles elite status has decreased or lapsed due to significant life changes — such as a new baby, job transition, or health issues — to request reinstatement of their status.

Eligible members will receive complimentary elite status for three months and must fly a specified amount on Delta within that period to maintain their elite status. You may need to provide supporting documentation for your request, so ensure you are ready to travel again before submitting it.

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian offers a status extension program that enables you to retain your Pualani elite status for one year following a qualifying medical event. A medical event includes parental leave or a medical issue lasting 12 weeks or more that prevents you from flying.

To obtain a status extension, simply submit your request. Once your eligibility is verified, Hawaiian will extend your elite status for one full program year.

Similar to many programs, individuals with complimentary elite status, including those who received status as a gift or through matching, are not eligible for an elite status extension.

Iberia

The Iberia Plus loyalty program includes a feature that allows parents on maternity or paternity leave to extend their Iberia Plus elite status if they are unable to fly enough to maintain or earn status.

You can prolong your elite status for an additional 12 months after the arrival of a new child by sending a medical report, maternity leave certificate, or court documentation related to adoption, guardianship, or fostering to [email protected]. For the other parent to qualify for renewal of their Iberia Plus level, they must take at least eight weeks of leave during the validity period. The status will only be extended after this leave is taken.

This benefit is not applicable to status earned through alternative criteria outside the standard program guidelines and cannot be utilized in two consecutive periods.

Aegean Airlines

Aegean's Silver and Gold elite members can extend their elite status for one year from the birth of their child until the child's first birthday. During this extension, elite members can continue to enjoy their benefits, although only one parent can suspend their status for a single child at any given time (meaning both parents cannot simultaneously pause their status for the same child).

To request this benefit, use the airline's contact form and choose the "email" option. In the category field, select "Miles+Bonus," then choose "My Status" and attach the necessary proof documents:

• Mother: birth certificate
• Father: birth certificate along with proof of paternity leave

Aegean also offers a family-friendly mileage pooling program for when you’re ready to redeem those miles.

Qantas

Qantas offers a benefit called "Status Hold," which allows eligible Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One members to pause their status for up to 18 months.

Status Hold is available for parents who take at least six consecutive months of parental leave from paid work to spend time with their growing family. Qantas acknowledges that six months of leave is quite rare in the U.S. If your leave is shorter than this, reach out to the Frequent Flyer Service Centre to explore your eligibility options.

The great part about this generous offer is that you can continue earning Qantas points and status credits as you normally would during this period. You'll also retain access to lounges.

This offer also applies to foster and adoptive parents. Eligibility is established through an application process, which requires members to submit supporting documentation from a physician confirming pregnancy or a child's birth certificate, along with a letter from their employer indicating a parental leave of at least six consecutive months. Members can submit a maximum of two approved Status Hold applications within a five-year timeframe.

Air Canada

Through Air Canada's "Altitude Status Extension" program, parents have the opportunity to extend their elite status benefits for a minimum of 12 months.

Qualifying is simple: Parents can email proof of their parental leave from their employer, the child's birth certificate, and documentation of adoption or fostering to [email protected].

British Airways

British Airways has a policy that permits Bronze, Silver, and Gold Executive Club members to pause their status during maternity, paternity, or adoption leave.

New parents who wish to take advantage of this status hold should email all required documentation, including a letter from a doctor or the baby's birth certificate (or relevant adoption documents), to [email protected], along with their full name and British Airways Executive Club number. As an extra bonus, British Airways will grant your baby 1,000 Avios to kickstart their account when you enroll them in your Household Account.

Please note that this courtesy is limited to a maximum of two approved status holds for each Executive Club elite member within a five-year period.

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia provides a generous "Membership Pause" option that allows Platinum, Gold, and Silver members who are caring for or preparing for a child under the age of 2 (including adoption) to request a six-month pause on their membership account to maintain their elite status when they're ready to travel again.

Both parents are eligible to apply for a six-month membership pause until the child turns 2. Applications can be made through the membership contact center.

While no formal documentation appears to be necessary, approval is at the airline's discretion. Verification may be required if requested.

Virgin Atlantic 

To extend your status, Virgin Atlantic advises parents expecting a child through birth or adoption to contact their customer care center at [email protected] with your name, membership number, and a copy of the birth or adoption certificate.

Each member requesting a status extension must submit a separate request.

Bottom line

Family-friendly policies like elite status holds not only foster long-term loyalty through goodwill but also demonstrate that airlines recognize the significance of family. We hope to see more airlines adopt similar policies.

The good news is that even airlines without formal policies usually assess requests on a case-by-case basis and may be willing to accommodate requests for non-parental reasons as well.