Originally Posted by
Time traveller
If your dates aren't flexible and you don't want to buy Y tickets and waitlist for an upgrade, it seems like your current plan is a reasonable option.
I'm only AA Gold, so SWUs aren't an option. Miles + copay upgrades are $350/person/direction, which is about the same as the BA YQ. If there's another upgrade mechanism I'm not thinking of, I'm all ears.