Originally Posted by
PDXPremier
I personally wish there were an option to use SWUs to upgrade to PE... particularly on flights where J upgrades are rare like LAX-SYD or DFW-Hawaii.
Be careful what you wish for, though -- if SWUs are allowed for Y to PE at some point in the future, it's possible that they may no longer allow one to bypass PE for a Y to J upgrade if/when such a change is made. I suppose it could benefit passengers who have no status or any status lower than EP, though, as they currently have no way to upgrade into PE.
While there has been all sorts of speculation about the potential of that happening over the years (SWUs only allowing Y to PE, instead of Y to J), I think AA has been quite generous to continue to allow upgrades even from deep discount Y all the way to J with a single upgrade instrument.
The ability for a CK or EP to get a Y to PE upgrade for $0 on the day of departure seems just as generous. From what I recall, it was originally supposed to be a limited time sort of thing (presumably while they worked out how to allow PE upgrades with their current IT), but for whatever reason, the policy still seems to be in place. It's even better that it's done on the day of departure at the airport/gate, so it ensures paid premium cabin customers aren't being deprived of any benefits, either.