Thanks! What happens if she does clear the upgrade before we get to the airport, but my account doesn't have any 500 certificates? Would she just get downgraded again? Because these are such short flights (about an hour each) not really sure its worth $40 per segment. And if we uncheck the request upgrade thing on the reservation where it says (1 passenger 500 mile cert for each segment) will that cause me to not get upgraded as well?
And if we both get upgraded but there are no certs in my account will we both be downgraded?
Also, does AA split up reservations if the upgrades don't clear prior to check in? UA does this, so not sure about AA.
I'm very new to platinum status as I just qualified for the first time. My understanding is that you can request upgrades without the 500 mile stickers being purchased but if the upgrades do clear you need to purchase them before you can check into the flight. I would imagine that if you checked in without purchasing the stickers you would loose the upgrade. I'm not sure how they work after you arrive at the airport and are placed on the airport waiting list.
If you are Platinum Pro. You don't need to worry about 500 mile upgrades in terms of upgrades for you.
AA will split the reservation, doing this should give you a better chance of being upgraded if there is only one seat left. The downside is that your companion will no lon ger receive any of the elite benefits they enjoyed because of you. This includes free checked baggage, free MCE seats etc.