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DOD / DODU (LFBU) Space-available, counter, kiosk, and online upgrade (master thd)

Old Dec 7, 2012, 7:35 pm
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Load Factor Based Upgrades (LFBU) and Day Of Departure Upgrades (DODU)
These generally relate to Non-elite, space-available, kiosk, online and counter upgrades which may be available close to departure if there is unused (after sales and pending upgrades) inventory once the flight has passed to airport control; these are available for payment (normally, credit card).

On line check in offers may be made at the time of check-in, including with the AA app.

Kiosk-based LFBUs may be offered at the Self-Service (Check-in) Machines ("kiosk") (and occasionally with online check-in) if there are seats available - as per the AA wording and the FAQ (see first post). One may be offered a LFBU on an award ticket.

Counter Upgrades may be offered at the ticket counter or Admirals Club in the USA or at non-stateside locations on occasion, usually announced by a small sign visible to passengers checking in at the ticket counter or Club. They may be offered (or not) and may cost as much as $750 (or more) for a longhaul transocean flight.

As per other upgrades, one earns miles / points at the level of the originally purchased fare.



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DOD / DODU (LFBU) Space-available, counter, kiosk, and online upgrade (master thd)

Old Apr 17, 2017, 9:50 am
  #226  
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A year or 2 ago the kiosk offered me $700 to upgrade coach to biz for DFW-NRT. I was on a very cheap fare that wasn't much more (for a mileage run) and I declined.

On another DFW-NRT a few months ago after we were boarded we could see vacant seats in biz. One guy inquired, the FA said to ask the GA. He left to do that and returned a few minutes later. GA told him it was too late, catering was already set.
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 9:59 am
  #227  
 
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Originally Posted by ericgdukie44
25,000 miles or $425? Seems pretty close to me.
copay is only 350 ?
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 10:02 am
  #228  
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There was also this very recent example of elites actually on the waitlist for using upgrade instruments being offered paid upgrades:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28150987-post2099.html

some members reporting in here as well:


followed by quite a few reports of same via PM and email, etc-- all at that $745 amount
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 11:13 am
  #229  
nrr
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Originally Posted by aztimm
A year or 2 ago the kiosk offered me $700 to upgrade coach to biz for DFW-NRT. I was on a very cheap fare that wasn't much more (for a mileage run) and I declined.

On another DFW-NRT a few months ago after we were boarded we could see vacant seats in biz. One guy inquired, the FA said to ask the GA. He left to do that and returned a few minutes later. GA told him it was too late, catering was already set.
Suppose "guy" chose to pass on AA's sumptuous meals and settled for Y meal he would have gotten anyway + bc drinks [bc drinks do not require extra catering] would he have succeeded?
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 12:48 pm
  #230  
 
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Friend of mine flew PHX-MCO on Friday and I saw in her PNR she was offered a buy up to first for $260.45. It was a very specific amount, down to the cent level.
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 1:26 pm
  #231  
 
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I received one about a week prior to my departure for a DCA-DFW-HKG leg which I flew last Wednesday. It was $745. I had already waitlisted for a SWU on the flight. My upgrade from DCA-DFW cleared two days prior to departure and my upgrade for DFW-HKG cleared the night prior to departure. I think I remember glancing at the upgrade list at the gate prior to boarding, which was about 30 people long and seeing that 10 or so had cleared, with one being out of order which I assume was a J->F upgrade.

Great crew on DFW-HKG made the long flight pass by nicely with some great chats in the galley.
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Old Apr 18, 2017, 9:37 am
  #232  
 
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Originally Posted by weirdlyndon
Friend of mine flew PHX-MCO on Friday and I saw in her PNR she was offered a buy up to first for $260.45. It was a very specific amount, down to the cent level.
My take is that might be a fare difference upgrade which AA could sell even with people on the upgrade list. The approximately $55 per 500 miles option should only be offered when all expected elite or mileage upgrades will be done.

Specifically, AA's "safest" route to FCM is to lower close-in Business/First seats domestically when there are many empty seats such that those who paid higher Economy prices will find the buy-up difference very attractive (or last-minute shoppers just buy premium class tickets since it is so close to price to last-minute Economy seats). This will allow AA to maintain its elite/mileage upgrade policy, but in reality would allow them to sell more seats than provide "free" upgrades.

Rasheed

Last edited by rasheed; Apr 18, 2017 at 9:44 am
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Old May 8, 2017, 9:32 am
  #233  
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How much is a "reasonable" pay for upgrade at kiosk / LFBU?

I have NO SWUs left, I'm flying in Y JFK-ZRH on 5/31/17. Sometimes AA offers a "kiosk deal" allowing an upg for cash only, I would have only a few minutes to make a decision--what is a "reasonable" offer?
PS: (1)EF is showing J6 for flt. 64
(2)A long time ago with J1, they wanted $3000 [For THAT flt I had an SWU upg request and a EF "C" upg alert, I did receive an email from EF, that "C" was available, but it was time-stamped 5 minutes AFTER the flt. departed.???]
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Old May 8, 2017, 9:38 am
  #234  
 
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A reasonable paid upgrade is whatever you think is reasonable. That said, a normal miles + co-pay upgrade is $350 + 25,000 miles. If you value AA miles at 1.5 cpm, that would be $375 worth of miles. $375 + $350 = $725 = the ceiling on what I'd ever pay for a cash upgrade. Maybe factor in the extra miles earned and you'd get me to $800.
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Old May 8, 2017, 10:27 am
  #235  
 
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Originally Posted by flyingmusicianlax
A reasonable paid upgrade is whatever you think is reasonable. That said, a normal miles + co-pay upgrade is $350 + 25,000 miles. If you value AA miles at 1.5 cpm, that would be $375 worth of miles. $375 + $350 = $725 = the ceiling on what I'd ever pay for a cash upgrade. Maybe factor in the extra miles earned and you'd get me to $800.
"extra miles earned"? Regardless of upgrade mechanism, you still earn based on the pre-upgrade class, do you not? Only an upfare -- paying the full fare difference -- gets you the higher class' earnings. Or so I thought...
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Old May 8, 2017, 10:39 am
  #236  
 
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Assigning a value is highly situational, but generally I'm willing to pay $50-100 per hour of flight time, assuming I'm traveling alone, but perhaps slightly more if I don't have a good coach seat.
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Old May 8, 2017, 10:41 am
  #237  
 
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Yeah, I've seen some absurd ones (cheap) on other airlines (my friend got $100 for upgrade to first from MCO/LAX; ETA: on Alaska) and I've seen some absurdly expensive ones on int'l itineraries.

I've done $600 cash from BOM/LHR to 1st on BA, which got me in the CCR in LHR for 4 hours on top of the plane upgrade. And I've often seen... $500 (maybe $700? Now I'm self-conscious) from NRT/LAX on AA advertised at the counter.

I think, domestically, the standard AA exchange rate is $50/500 miles or so (roughly)?
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Old May 8, 2017, 10:42 am
  #238  
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$3000 is a straight up fare change to business class fare- not any kind of upgrade offer

If a paid upgrade is offered, will be like $700-$900, in that range, with a good likelihood of it being $745, again, if available, which I'd say the likelihood of same on that flight is quite low
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Old May 8, 2017, 11:06 am
  #239  
 
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"Reasonable" is subjective. If business is lie flat seats I'm willing to pay $100 per hour of flight time; $50 per hour if standard domestic first.
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Old May 8, 2017, 12:47 pm
  #240  
 
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Originally Posted by Austin787
"Reasonable" is subjective. If business is lie flat seats I'm willing to pay $100 per hour of flight time; $50 per hour if standard domestic first.
To validate the first sentence above, I would pay about 2/3rd what Austin787 would pay; ie $60-70 per hour international, $30-40 per hour domestic.

Other threads have cited the "$1/minute" rule (or $60/hour) as the starting point for considering an upgrade. I can't remember if this is domestic, international or both.
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