Thats exactly why I was thinking about upgrading with miles. Bad think is AA flys the 787 to NRT and the MCE on that plane is said to not be so good. You're absolutely right though... Getting credit for all the miles flown should be high on my list... The flip side though is why have miles if I never use them for anything? In all my flying I have yet to cash in a single mile. I suppose I'm answering my own question and should try to use miles to upgrade!