Originally Posted by TwoDecks

Flew BOS-ORD R/T on AA yesterday. Despite being a gold on AA, I've been flying on my CP US number this year on AA. I've not been able to do the AA upgrade, but have typically been able to get exit row seating (flown to DFW, MIA, and now ORD under US FF).

Generally speaking, before yesterday, I've noticed no real benefit to being a CP. In fact, when my AA flight boarded 2 weeks ago to Dallas, they let CP's board first with EXP - and the gate agent said "your ticket doesn't say you're a CP, you can't board now". I basically told her to pound sand and I boarded anyway. On plane, I was treated as any other flier (which is what my expectation is)

Back to yesterday - my outbound flight was just a boring no different flight. I was originally booked on the 7:55pm return flight, but made it to the airport in enough time to get the 5:55pm return flight (it was sold out). My colleague (who is an AA Platinum) and I both went to the gate agent, and she said "Not sure I can put you on stand by if you're a USAir FF".

She then said "Oh, you're considered Executive Platinum" in our system, and she immediately put me at the top of the stand-by list. My Platinum flying colleague (who is a 3 or 4mm miler on AA, was #2 - about another 8 people were there before us, but we both bumped them). We both got on (and I received an exit row seat).

Then on the plane, they gave me extra treatment, despite sitting in coach. FA knew my name, asked if I wanted a real drink, and gave me a comp snack box. Odd that I've flown AA in the last few weeks under my US ff, and this hasn't happened before. Anyway, very nice experience - I suspect that I must have triggered something when I went for standby that made their manifest indicate I was the equivalent of an EXP sitting in coach.