Originally Posted by
janetdoe
I don't know if full-fare Golds are prioritized above EXPs on a discount fare
Those purchasing Y or B tickets are upgraded before others within their elite levels. That is to say, an Executive Platinum on a cheapo fare would be upgraded before a Platinum on a Y or B fare.
Originally Posted by
Consultette
No one can truly know the answer but it is possible he purchased a higher fare class. Not scientific by any stretch of the imagination - but I have noticed the fares on the DFW -> PHL leg fluctuate quite a bit. My understanding is that if his fare class/booking code is higher than yours he would get upgraded first.
That is only true of Y/B fares, which are almost always more expensive than the cheapest discounted first class fares and therefore are not commonly purchased by most members (AAirpass and very-last-minute purchasers aside). AA do
not operate their upgrade priority in the same way as other large airlines who use fare paid or booking code to rank the upgrade list top to bottom.