Originally Posted by
jbalmuth
To my knowledge, there are only very few flights between North America and South America that have first class cabins, namely the few 777w flights on AA (JFK - EZE, JFK - GRU, MIA - EZE, DFW - GRU). I've been following availability on these 4 routes (for travel in January - February 2018) for several months now, and not a single EF alert has come through. I cannot assert that not a single A seat has become available on any of these four routes on a single date in either direction, but that is definitely my impression since I began watching (in late September).
My query is whether others have noted this lack of availability as well.
[I don't recall seeing blackout dates in the xONEx fare rules, or an alert on the OneWorld site that "A" availability is blocked between N. America - S. America (or even a FT sticky up above about this state of affairs), so I assume that I've overlooked a prominent announcement. A link to it would be very much appreciated.]
The problem most likely is that AA uses A for both "cheap" first class and for upgrades to first on 3-class flights. So, you are fighting for space with people using SWUs and miles trying to get into first. I would try calling AA and maybe (depending on status) they might open something up for you. Otherwise, good luck!