What every major US airline is doing about your elite status

Airlines want you back. Really. U.S. carriers have allowed passengers to change or cancel flights without penalty fees during the coronavirus pandemic. Now some are giving elite members in their loyalty programs automatic extensions on their status, some as long as 18 months.

Airlines have lost big in the last few months. Airline tracker OAG says that since March 1, U.S. airlines have been operating many flights at less than 20% of their usual passenger load.

Here's a look at how some carriers are changing their loyalty programs (Southwest's Rapid Rewards and JetBlue's TrueBlue/Mosaic programs haven't announced changes) _ and making it easier to get to the next elite category.