nologic

What is the typical Envoy/Business Class meal in Dec for CUN-PHL for flight leaving at 2pm, arriving at 6:35pm? 3 hours, 30 mins, 1460 miles, A330-300? This is currently listed as lunch service.

Also, when do AA Platinums get potentially upgraded? In advance, At airport only? Is this a free upgrade if it clears for myself and a companion?

PHL

Business class Meal service on CUN-PHL is standard domestic meal service with choices that vary each month.

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/intheair/envoyfirst/firstclass.html?re=1

AA plats are eligible for a free upgrade on day of departure if there are any seats left.

nologic

Ugh. Last month BOS-PHX-BOS F on US was chicken or vegetarian pasta. Both chix were bland, boring, disappointing. I was hoping Envoy service might be better.

As for clearing F, that's a little disappointing to have to wait for day of departure. I guess 24 hrs means to check in online at exactly 24 hrs minus 1 min?

Is this the same upgrade treatment for US Air elites or do AA elites come behind US confirmed elites?

3Cforme

It works the same it has worked for the last five months. See the wiki.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...grades-us.html

nologic

After 10+ years and 6000+ posts, this site is just too overwhelming to read thru when someone that's an experienced expert can just explain the simple answer. Here it sounds like you are saying that USAIR Elites come first, and then it's a free for all?

This is a dec 5th, Friday flight for Cun-phl...on a big plane (A330-300) with a lot of Envoy seats. what do u all thing the UG chances are for 2 ppl...in general, this is low season, but not no season.

Speedracer2

I think you have a lot bigger chance than me clearing any upgrade on American.

s0ssos

I could tell my experience as AA plat on US flights. You can be put on the upgrase list (call in or checkin via mobile), but they don't clear til the flight (except in one case the agent at the counter 3 hours befote upgraded me).

nologic

So, that's gotta be different that w USAIR elites. So, AA elites are treated w inferior status/UG priority on a wholly owned/acquired airline?

Organgrinder

Just as US elites are treated (upgraded) on AA, after AA elites...the airlines elites still get upgraded first, then the other airline's elites. At least until next year. We could get into a whole other discussion about inferior treatment (...sticker upgrades, partner upgrades, other policies starting next year) but it has nothing to do with the current upgrade policies in place at both airlines

nologic

Hmm, so it's reciprocal. Sucks that u come behind all USAIR elites w UGs, with an airline that's been acquired, but now you've explained it. Just have to hope for low loads to and from CUN midweek (Mon and Fri) in early Dec.

aztimm

Mod note: let's keep this discussion to the posted thread topic--
"What is Envoy/Business Class Meal CUN-PHL at 2pm?"

NOTE: there's also plenty of info on this topic over here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html


If you'd like to discuss upgrades on US as an AA elite, or upgrades on AA as a US elite, please direct that to the appropriate thread here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...er-thread.html


Thanks.


aztimm

PHL

Nologic -

Like on AA, a flight from the CUN to PHL on the A330 has the same kind of meal service as a flight from CUN-JFK on a 737. The meal service is basic domestic first class. The fact that it's on a big plane with lie flat seats is a luck of the draw perk that's due to aircraft utilization in the off season. You won't find the A330's going to CUN in the Summer travel season. So, enjoy the trip even if you don't get upgraded. Coach isn't horrible, and the on demand video at every seat throughout the plane is a nice perk.

That being said, Envoy as a name is gone. One of the first things that happened during the long process of aligning the different pieces of the airlines was to drop the name "Envoy Class" and adopt the AA name "Business Class".

It's been very clear from the get go that the whole elite member upgrade method is an iterative process. So, yes, AA elites traveling on US are treated exactly like US elites traveling on AA. Gotta wait until day of travel to vie for an upgrade. The A330-300 has 27 seats up front, and it's a heavy leisure route. I'd say your chances of snagging two are decent at the moment, as long as you are both on the same reservation. If your companion is on a separate ticket, there may be an upgrade fee since they would be treated as a general member.

As of now, US805 on 12/5 has 16 unassigned seats out of 27, with greater than 9 available to sell.

nologic

Thanks for that helpful insight, although I agree these are leisure flights, there are prob a lot of US and AA in pack. That said, big planes and a maybe more UG chances. I'm also on US 889 CLT-CUN on Dec 1st, which is also an Envoy Class flight, but I care a little less because it's earlier...

Are there a better pair of economy seats than others? Any tips here? Thanks for the note about making sure we are on the same record. We would have potentially ticketed separately, and I would have thought the airline would link the records as it relates to status UGs, as has been my experience on AA with two separate records, but we'll ticket together to be more safe.

Is it me, or does this merger seem more ineptly integrated than any I've experienced previously?

These guys should have the ability to mandate and execute integration more effectively, openly, welcomely, friendly, and efficiently.

This seems like everything is getting worse, going backwards, resisting change, impeding improvements, etc.

The merger seems more often an excuse to just not do things or not do things well, or do less, than otherwise.

grahampros

Actually, relative to other mergers it's been pretty smooth so far. Folks just don't like change. Now we'll see how it goes when the fun really begins when systems are moved over to AA's and SOC. Those are the biggest milestones. They are taking a slow focused approach to the integration and that's probably not a bad thing in the end.

You also had the option of connecting over DFW or MIA to stay on AA metal where you'd possibly have a higher chance of upgrades before before DOD.

PHL

So far, I'd say it's going ok. They have been very open and up front about the stages of the integration and the limitations until next year when the operating certificate and systems are truly merged, so I give them some credit for that. And, last week they announced how the frequent flyer programs will be merged in early 2015 which I thought was pretty fair overall. The UA-CO merger, by comparison, was an unmitigated disaster when they flipped the switch in March 2012. And, when US-HP merged systems in 2005 there were significant issues (often referred to as the meltdown). I'm pretty sure the braintrust at the "new" AA is doing everything to have a repeat of others' mistakes.

For seats, check seatguru.com, and also look at the A330-300 thread in the US forum. Lots of insight about good coach seats to select (if available).