Originally Posted by
snardy
You can't request an upgrade for more than one other person on your reservation using 500-mile upgrade coupons. I ran into this issue last month when I traveled with my wife and mother-in-law on paid tickets (neither of whom have status with AA). AA customer service told me that if we wanted to upgrade, she would have to split my wife or MIL into a separate reservation. However, that 3rd person would not be able to take advantage of my ability as a Platinum to select an Economy Plus seat for free (we already had an entire exit row to ourselves).
So that's why you will not see an option to request a 500-mile upgrade for your ticket. Blame your kids!
For what it's worth, I've traveled with more than one companion before (my parents), and split the PNRs into my mother and me in one, and my father in the other, and given my father my F boarding pass to sit with my mom. As long as you select the MCE seats before you split the PNR, they shouldn't lose the seat.