Originally Posted by
JJeffrey
All that matters is that the stickers are in your account at the time of check-in. The fact that the OP purchased the stickers after the upgrade cleared is irrelevant.
That said, I fly with separate PNR companions frequently and there are seemingly always issues at check-in for the companion when upgrading. AA's computers always get confused and try to pull stickers from the companions account, etc. Its an easy fix for an airport agent but you do frequently have to check-in with an agent, irrespective of how many stickers you have or if you bought them before or after the upgrades clear, etc.
It's easy to play Monday morning QB and say "you should've arrived earlier" however I'm with the OP on this one, arriving 2 hrs before should be plenty as an EXP in business, even with an (easy) issue to sort out. Sounds like LAX was a zoo.
If it is the case that upgrading companions on separate PNRs usually causes issues at check in no matter how many upgrades the sponsor has in their account, then that is an issue on AA. However, irrelevant though it may be to you and others, I still think there is a reasonable difference in terms of expecting things to go wrong when you have the required number of upgrades in your account at the time the upgrade occurs versus when you don’t.
As for Monday QB’ing, I am not saying OP should have gotten to the airport earlier. I think 2 hours is generally reasonable. But I don’t see how it’s AA’s fault that OP’s reasonable actions turned out to be unreasonable in this particular circumstance. To me, this is a learning lesson, not an instance that justifies demanding AA somehow pay.
But hey, I am glad OP has supporters, even if I am not one of them.