Originally Posted by
Hyperacusis
It has nothing to do with this, actually. If AA truly considered this a benefit for non-hub passengers, they would advertise it. As it stands, it is something that not even all FTers are aware of, let alone your average flyer.
It has everything to do with AA's archaic Sabre IT systems.
Exactly. Remember the PALL list is used for involuntary and voluntary standbys as well as upgrades. As such, the T designation exists to prioritize passengers who may be stranded en route. The fact that this also benefits connecting upgrades is an unintended benefit, since the purpose of the list is shared among various categories of passengers. It would be more challenging to implement separate lists or prioritization within categories, so I'm sure they don't see the value in the IT investment to change. Especially, as Hyperacusis mentions, the amount of people who connect the dots to this is very, very small in the grand scheme of things.
That said, it is a useful undocumented benefit that has saved me from the back quite a few times.
As a side note purely in editorial nature, I would be extremely shocked if this "feature" (as far as upgrades are concerned) makes it into Jetstream once it goes live in Q2 2025.
