Originally Posted by
ESpen36
Yes, nowadays AA is holding back more seats in premium cabins instead of always releasing them right at 100 hours. LGA-ORD is enough of a high-yield route that AA might expect to sell a number of those seats before releasing the rest (still probably a majority) for upgrades.
How many F seats are sold on earlier and later flights that day? Someone paying a full fare is paying both for cabin comfort and
flexibility. They should be able to get on an earlier flight if they show up early at the airport and they should be able to call shortly before departure and rebook to a later flight; and they should not have to be stuck in a middle seat in the back while someone on a cheap fare is enjoying a free upgrade. As much as I myself enjoy getting upgraded when paying for coach, I certainly appreciate a restrictive policy for early upgrade clearing the times I travel in paid F. I think AA has got it right. If you absolutely want a confirmed seat in F you need to either pay for it or use miles to upgrade.