Today (September 9), World of Hyatt announced two major changes in a row: its deeper American Airlines partnership is ending, and it is launching a new long-term strategic loyalty relationship with Delta Air Lines. In short, Hyatt’s core U.S. airline partner is shifting from American Airlines / AAdvantage to Delta / SkyMiles.

Hyatt is ending its deeper American Airlines partnership

Hyatt and American Airlines confirmed today that, after a review, they will not continue the current enhanced relationship. Existing member benefits will not disappear overnight. There is a transition window, and members who already have AAdvantage and World of Hyatt accounts linked should pay close attention to November 15, 2026:

  • AAdvantage members who finish linking by November 15 can still earn World of Hyatt rewards through Loyalty Point Rewards, through February 28, 2027 at the latest;
  • World of Hyatt members who finish linking by November 15 can still earn AAdvantage rewards through Milestone Rewards, through December 31, 2026 at the latest.
  • Some blogs have said that ConciergeKey members who already have a Hyatt account linked may keep complimentary World of Hyatt Globalist status through February 2028. As of now, the official September 9 announcements from American Airlines and Hyatt do not spell that out. Treat it as unconfirmed until it shows in your account or later official terms.

One feature will remain: even after the broader partnership ends, AAdvantage members staying at eligible Hyatt hotels can still choose not to earn Hyatt points and take 500 AAdvantage miles per stay instead.

The new partner: Delta SkyMiles

Almost as soon as the American partnership wind-down was announced, Hyatt formally said it is forming a new long-term, exclusive loyalty relationship with Delta Air Lines, expected to go live in the coming months.

The biggest early headline is Dual Earn — earning both currencies on the same trip:

Eligible World of Hyatt elite members who buy a qualifying Delta ticket will still get their usual SkyMiles-related benefits, plus extra World of Hyatt Points. In the other direction, Delta Medallion elite members staying at a qualifying Hyatt hotel will still get their usual Hyatt-related benefits, plus extra Delta SkyMiles.

That is different from the usual hotel–airline “pick one currency” setup. Hyatt and Delta have put Dual Earn at the centre of the new deal.

The official details are still missing: earn rates, which World of Hyatt elite tiers qualify, which Delta fare classes count, and whether status matching, challenges, or something like Milestone Rewards will be added later. Hyatt and Delta say those specifics will come out over the next few months.

The short version

Today’s Hyatt news can be boiled down to one line:

Hyatt’s deeper American Airlines partnership is now on a countdown
while it officially teams up with Delta SkyMiles, with elite Dual Earn as the core of a new exclusive airline relationship.


For World of Hyatt collectors, two things matter most right now. If you still use Hyatt × AAdvantage benefits, remember the November 15 account-linking deadline. After that, watch for the full Hyatt × Delta Dual Earn rules — especially how many extra Hyatt Points / Delta SkyMiles you earn per U.S. dollar spent. That number will decide what this partnership is actually worth.

Further reading

Hyatt also picked an exclusive airline partner in Canada a few months ago:

If you read this Delta announcement next to the July partnership between World of Hyatt and Air Canada Aeroplan, Hyatt looks to be choosing the most valuable airline loyalty program in each key market. Dual Earn, status challenges, credit cards, and elite perks are the tools for turning frequent flyers into longer-term World of Hyatt members.