Hi folks,

First time posting but been a long time browser and fan of the forums here.

I've got a question about 500mile upgrades, I'm an AAdvantage Gold member and primarily an international flyer, so by and large the 500 mile upgrades are useless to me as my normal route is LHR-ORD-CVG, they are not valid on the international leg and the US internal flight doesn't have a first/busines cabin.

So on the infrequent occasions that I do have an internal flight to make with an upgradable cabin, I always try to use my 500 mile upgrades. I request the upgrades as soon as I book the flight, often months in advance. Here's the thing though, I've requested it on around 10 segments over the last year now and not one time has it been successful, neither confirmed in advance or at the gate :-(

Is this a fairly normal experience? The segments I've requested it on are ORD-SFO, ORD-LAS, ORD-LAX, MIA-PUJ.

Are there any tips you have that might improve my chances?

Thanks.