Today American Airlines announced mostly negative changes for earning status in 2016 for 2017. (It also announced negative changes to earning award miles on paid flights and to its award chart.) The five big changes to status earning:
1. No More Elite Qualifying Points
There used to be three ways to earn status: elite qualifying points (EQP), elite qualifying miles (EQM), segments. In 2016, there will be two, with EQP getting the axe.

The number of elite qualifying miles and segments needed to qualify have not changed.
2.

Starting in the "second half of 2016," you will earn award miles on American Airlines tickets according to the cost of the ticket instead of the distance flown.

5 miles/U.S. dollar – AAdvantage member
7 miles/U.S. dollar – Gold
8 miles/U.S. dollar – Platinum
11 miles/U.S. dollar – Executive Platinum

Delta announced a nearly identical move in February 2014, and United copied Delta in June 2014. Both changes are already in effect, so American is just playing catch up (catch down?) here.

A few months ago I was lauding American Airlines award space to Asia because partners Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines were releasing tons of award space in Business and First Class at the last minute. Yesterday I checked in on Cathay Pacific award space and found it greatly diminished at the last minute (though not non-existent.)

Today let's check in on Japan Airlines premium award space at the last minute.
Award Prices
American Airlines awards to Asia are way under-priced compared to United and Delta awards.

Airberlin is adding three new routes to its Dusseldorf hub starting next Spring. All three routes currently have very good award space for two passengers during Summer 2016 in flat bed Business Class.

Airberlin is adding three new routes to its Dusseldorf hub starting next Spring. All three routes currently have very good award space for two passengers during Summer 2016 in flat bed Business Class.

Right now, Air New Zealand has a monopoly on direct flights between the United States and New Zealand with flights between Auckland and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. It adds an Auckland to Houston flight on December 15, 2015.

The good thing about booking Air New Zealand award space is that you have access to the whole country through connections instead of just Auckland.

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back.

Cathay Pacific First Class is one of the nicest in the world.

The service is amazingly attentive, including a hand-written note to go with your meal.

The food is amazing and completely made to your specifications like when I asked for every breakfast side and nothing else on one plate.

The bed is my favorite in the air for how much longer and wider it is than most flying beds.

Not only is Cathay Pacific First Class great, but historically it has been very easy and cheap to book with American Airlines miles.

American Airlines charges only 67,500 miles

Qatar Airways begins flying between Doha and Sydney on March 1, 2016. It is releasing 4 Business Class seats in both directions on many flights that you can book for only 45,000 American Airlines miles each way!

Qatar is a member of the oneworld alliance, meaning that its award space can be booked with American Airlines miles, British Airways and Iberia Avios, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and many more programs' miles.