dls25

YYZ-LGA would be AA-operated and not allowed under the MoveUp rules. You will have to do YYZ-PHL-CLT-LHR or YYZ-DCA-CLT-LHR to stay on US metal and keep the same # of stops. There are no other options.

jrobin

Can I not Move Up to YYZ-CLT-PHL-LHR, or YYZ-DCA-PHL-LHR?
(The earlier CLT-LHR flight is sold out.)

Or is this not allowed for some reason?

dls25

It would be allowed but good luck getting a YYZ agent to actually agree to it. I do not think YYZ actually has US employees so they can be expected to be ignorant of MoveUp rules, especially concerning intercontinental itineraries.

jrobin

Clearly YYZ does have US staff. I checked in at YYZ US kiosk about 11:30 am. for YYZ-PHL-LHR. Kiosk asked if I wanted to consider moving up. I said YES. Kiosk said no flights available. Asked check-in staff, who were quite receptive, but when I said my preferred flight departed in 40 minutes, they said it was too late for them to move me to that flight. Fair enough, as many would not make it to the gate that quickly.
So I cleared CBP and security in 10 minutes and went to AC. Friendly AC person said sorry, as their computers do not have US systems available, but to ask at the gate, and offered directions.
Got to gate about 15 min. before departure. All boarded except waiting for 1 laggard. Asked gate agent, who volunteered to move me to the direct flight YYZ-CLT and skip PHL. I said I wanted a reroute YYZ-CLT-PHL-LHR with the same number of sectors. She asked if I wanted to do the extra sector for points reasons. I said Yes, but I also wanted to get to LHR earlier, and gave her a sheet of paper with all workable flights for each sector written out. She tapped away at her keyboard, which resulted in new boarding passes spewing out, and said to enjoy my new flights and that she had managed to keep me in aisle seats all the way, as in my original booking. No mention of any charge so I did not ask. I wondered if my original flight 3770 was full and that was why no charge as Oneworld status is not supposed to count.
So overall a very good experience.

cristo

I've not flown US much in the past, so have a quick question. Is the $75 fee to moveup to an earlier flight only waived for AA elites, or is it also waived for other oneworld elites?

CPRich

"We waive the MoveUp fee for AAdvantage elite status member"

US is AA, so they're waiving this for their own elite members. I don't see anything about waiving it outside of their loyal customers.

asdf098

Last week I was traveling SFO-PHL-YYZ with my girlfriend on the same PNR. I'm EXP (former CP) and she is no status. At the PHL AC I requested a MoveUp for both of us to an earlier flight, and was forced to pay a $75 fee to move her due to no elite status. The agents claimed the benefit does not apply to elite companions, and proceeded to split our PNRs when processing the MoveUp, which further resulted in her having Group 3 printed on her BP.

I tried to argue the point with the agent, and showed her this post by the US Airways twitter account from Aug 2014: https://twitter.com/usairways/status/501015311890399232. She (and other agents at the desk) insisted the policy has always been the same, and that companions have never had Move Up fee waiver benefits.

I found this post in this thread which seems to say the opposite, but it's from 2009, with the latest update of 2012. Furthermore, I can't find any clear statements about the existence or absence of this benefit online.

Were they correct in charging me? If not, is there anything concrete I can refer to when emailing customer service to ask for a refund?

SpinOn2

They were wrong, there is an option to move up a companion for free in that situation, so they just simply didnt know what they were doing there unfortunately.

Carl

What about more than one companion? And must all be in the same PNR?

Mykle

Yes, multiple companions in the same PNR are also exempt from the fee. I asked an employee for the current reference point, and it's now ACS DRS, Ticket Counter, Move Up. Under Policy, item F says the fee is exempt for Elite Members, and their companion(s) in the same PNR.

Now the stupid part...the instructions then tell them to divide out the companions. This is what causes the system to prompt to charge for the companions, since they are no longer part of the same PNR.

If they keep everyone in the same PNR, and make the change within the PNR, they can document the waiver and all would be well. Unfortunately, you're going to need a seasoned person who knows this. I've argued the point, won sometimes, lost other times. If I lose at the ticket counter, and have to pay the fee, I contact Customer Relations and they refund the card. Annoying, but this all goes away in October when US goes onto the AA system (where we can do these things ourselves online).

Carl

Thanks for the great info. I'm planning on a MoveUp next week (just for me) and am already somewhat dreading it as it will involve using a different hub, and there are many workers who believe that's forbidden. Glad to have a reference.

As for using the AA system to make changes on our own: it's great in theory but has many flaws. For starters, it only shows flights scheduled before the ticketed flight rather than ones from the whole day. So those of us who plan to MoveDown (so to speak) must call. And even more irksome, it only shows flights through the booked hub, even if ones through another hub are far more efficient. AA still seems to need major tech help in some areas. I hope they'll figure all of this out soon.

ibrandsguest

If I plan to MoveUp to earlier flights (same origin, connection and destination), if there is a 41 minute connection (at DCA, from a Shuttle to an Express flight), will I be able to MoveUp?

Both flights that I want to get on show plenty of seats, both on the regular US website and on the mobile one (looking at the number of seats available for standby).

Will I be able to MoveUp on both flights before my first flight? Given the 41 minute connection, I'd rather not have to deal with MovingUp the second segment during that short connection; I'd rather do it at the origin airport.

Thanks.

adambrock

The minimum connection time at DCA is based on flight number ranges. Can you provide your flight numbers? Some MCTs are as short as 25 minutes, but the standard is 45.

Carl

Many of us were looking forward to US flights transitioning to AA because of their more flexible same-day change policies. Well, now it seems things will actually be worse than MoveUp.

In the past, AA travelers could same-day confirm for $75 and potentially depart earlier or later than the original flight. Or they could standby for an earlier flight for $75 (free for elites). Unlike MoveUp, the only requirement was same departure date, origin, and destination. So one could switch from EWR-ORD-LAX to JFK-LAX or LGA-ORD-SNA. Now, AA has quietly changed the policy, apparently effective immediately, so that co-terminals (different airports in the same area) aren't permitted, AND the routing (including stops) must be identical. Whereas one can now MoveUp and switch hubs in the process, AA no longer permits that. As some have noted, if you're in a market where there's only one flight to a particular hub each day (but multiple ones to other hubs) and you're booked on that flight, changes wouldn't be possible (without paying the change fee and buying a new ticket).

I'm posting this here for folks that are primarily (or exclusively) US travelers. And again, it's not like AA has publicized this major change. They just sorta sneaked it in, effective immediately. (However, existing MoveUp parameters are still the same through Oct 16.)

More info in this post from Gary Leff: http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....-restrictions/

redtop43

I am flying PHL to LAS tomorrow. I am AA Gold, but the question is applicable to being Plat also because I will be plat after this trip.

I'm on an 8:25PM nonstop on US metal arriving 10:52PM. I'd like to get there earlier. I have one bag to check; carrying it on is not an option.

I have a decent seat (23F on an A321) and I'm willing to sit in a nasty seat for a short hop but not all the way to Vegas. I didn't see any F seats available all day. There are several earlier nonstops but only the one at 3:35 has any decent seats (row 10, exit row with extra legroom but no recline which isn't a big deal to me). There are lots of connections.

Time is not a big consideration for me. I can get to the airport many hours early, but (especially since I have no lounge access, unless someone is going to PHL tomorrow and wants to guest me in) I'd rather not go way early and sit there all day if there is zero chance early arrival will benefit me.

So my questions:

1) Is it true I am eligible for free standby?
2) Can I stand by with a checked bag? Is it possible they would confirm me at the counter when I check my bag?
3) Can I stand by for a connection, or does it have to be the same routing?
4) If I were plat, would I be able to confirm this change in the morning? Can it be done online or would I have to call?
5) Am I eligible for free MCE if I fly on AA metal? (Which would necessarily be a connection.)