How does it work? I thought this was the only way to get First Class on AS with a companion certificate. So I look at flights, using the “upgradable fare” option with “miles” checked. The flights are offered in 3 columns: Main, First with Upgrade, and First. Curiously, the First with Upgrade fare is higher than a straight-up First—-$259 versus $219 for the flight in question.

I select a flight with the dark F icon, which indicates that upgrades are available on that flight. The Seat Preview shows lots of seats in First. I put that flight in the cart and it shows the cabin as “Main (M) F” in dark blue. So far so good.

I go through the booking process to seat selection and the First seats are all blocked; only Main cabin and Premium seats (with extra payment) are available for selection.

so is this a First Class booking or not? If I can only choose seats in Main or Premium, what have I paid all the extra $$$ for? I assume that this fare class is designed for people using 2-4-1 companion certificates; otherwise why would the fare be higher than regular First. But it looks like I am not getting seats in First Class at all.

I must be missing something. . . .

Do I have to go through the complete purchase, make the payment and deduct the miles (I haven’t seen how many), get the booking confirmed, and and then go back in to the booking to get seats in First? Will they show up then?

And it looks like I am only saving $100 on a booking for two, roundtrip SEA to SJC, but have to throw in some miles—-how many? It seems like a bad choice, unless the flights are far more expensive than these.