Originally Posted by
skviolet98
If I were to buy an economy class ticket and upgrade with points to business, would the business class ticket come from the same pool as award tickets or is there a separate inventory for points upgrades? How would one find out if there is availability for an upgrade on a particular flight?
Yes, upgrade inventory is different from award inventory. If you have SWU's in your account then you can view upgrade space at aa.com, but otherwise the only way to see it is with a paid subscription to ExpertFlyer (they do offer a free trial).