Originally Posted by Fly AA J all the way
That is true only if these are routes wher AA does not usually offer YUPs, often times less expeinsive than full Y fares.
And capacity constrained, like the "Z" fares on CO, which are probably equivalent to the YUPs.
But there are routes like EWR-LAS where Y is $1100 and A (full F) is $1200, no discounted FC, so being elite saves you $100.
And EWR-FLL/PBI where Y is ~$600 and A is ~$640 -- on that route on AA, you need a YUPP (often limited availability) to match the CO A fare.