FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Impact of AA clearing upgrades later than in the past
Old Jan 27, 2012, 10:24 pm
  #289  
deac83
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Amb Elite & LT Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,230
Originally Posted by laxconnorw
That answers part of the question - maybe. Since you are not EXP, AA at times holds seats back for EXPs who bought coach tickets and have requested to upgrade using SWUs. Once their (EXP) SWUs clear, then the SWUs clear of everyone else on down the line in order of status. (Directly above AND directly below posts make it even more clear).

As to your other questions: EXP's - do you guys typically end up waiting till the very last day to get your SWU's cleared? And a better question would be does anyone have a low success-ratio using their SWU's?

#1, it all depends on the flight number/route, time of year (season), equipment flown on route.

#2, in 15 years I have never NOT received an upgrade when requesting via SWUs.

In the last 5 years:

EZE - DFW I cleared in the AAdmirals club in the last hour. Might have 'stolen' the seat as EF alert came up and I walked to the desk and asked if 'UG" was available. Mrs. Deac83 (no status) didn't clear as there I got the last seat. Gave Mrs. Deac83 the seat and I rode in the back. Also booked this flight only two weeks out, so we would not have been high on the list.

ORD-BRU neither of us cleared, our record was split so we both didn't have to clear at the same time. Reservation was made 6 months out when J was nearly empty. At the gate they offered $1000 vouchers for volunteers. Unfortunately our plans were very set and we couldn't take those especially since the EVIPs didn't clear.

DFW-LHR Mrs. Deac83 on her own as a gold, while I was flying ORD-LHR (with a cleared EVIP). We were doing DFW/ORD - LHR - MUC all in for $450 ea, so sacrifices had to be made.

So, 3 non-clears for Mrs. Deac83 (with maximum of Gold) and one for me.

I say it's not quite correct to imply everything clears all the time. If it's just me yes 90%+ eventually clears, but when it's 2 people not so much.

As others have said flexibility, many times, can get you cleared at booking.

DFW-BCN - work schedule allowed us to fly two days earlier with two confirmed UG's two weeks before travel.

Instead of DFW-BRU (any routing), took the DFW-CDG, spend the week-end in Paris and took the train to BRU. Again confirmed UG's at time of booking.

DFW-HAM, instead of DFW to LHR, took DFW-BOS-LHR-HAM and returned TXL-MAD-DFW, all confirmed UG at time of booking.

So the message, as others have said, is that if you say 'I need to fly on day X and back on day Y on the most direct routing' your chances of confirmed UG's at time of booking are reduced, but if you can fly on alternate dates and are willing to take alternate routings your chance go up dramatically.
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