Unpublished AS Upgrade Priority Rules?
Nov 1, 2018, 9:30 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: All over
Programs: MR, HH, DL, ALK
Posts: 136
Unpublished AS Upgrade Priority Rules?
I'm sure this has probably been discussed here before, but if so I was not able to find the specific dialogue about it...
A mileage run guy sitting next to me last night mentioned that upgrade priority with Alaska is also determined by an unpublished method which ranks fliers essentially based on how far past 75K they fly each year. Essentially, if you flew 100K in 2017 for example, your upgrade priority would be higher than someone else who only flew 80K. If this is true, AS does not advertise as such.
Thanks for your replies!
A mileage run guy sitting next to me last night mentioned that upgrade priority with Alaska is also determined by an unpublished method which ranks fliers essentially based on how far past 75K they fly each year. Essentially, if you flew 100K in 2017 for example, your upgrade priority would be higher than someone else who only flew 80K. If this is true, AS does not advertise as such.
Thanks for your replies!
Nov 1, 2018, 9:34 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,445
Have not seen or heard of this before. Maybe MillionMilers get an extra bump in terms of priority if there's a tie, but maybe others have heard or @missydarlin can confirm.
Nov 1, 2018, 9:45 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: All over
Programs: MR, HH, DL, ALK
Posts: 136
He also said that he's friends with the COO and knows pilot #3 or something. The smell of the conversation at that point was going in a direction that led me to insert earbuds and disengage in further conversation.
Nov 1, 2018, 9:49 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,387
Nov 1, 2018, 10:17 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: AS 100K, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 1,828
A mileage run guy sitting next to me last night mentioned that upgrade priority with Alaska is also determined by an unpublished method which ranks fliers essentially based on how far past 75K they fly each year. Essentially, if you flew 100K in 2017 for example, your upgrade priority would be higher than someone else who only flew 80K. If this is true, AS does not advertise as such.
However, AS has never said they were adopting this. And as others note, it seems unlikely that their mainframes and green screens would even be up to the task if they wanted to.
Nov 1, 2018, 11:13 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Nov 1, 2018, 11:48 am
#9
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: AS 100K, Marriott LT Platinum
Posts: 1,828
You are right. I didn't correct the OP on the specifics, but was noting that AA is the one US carrier I know of with upgrade logic that treats elites within a tier dynamically based on recent activity. It is indeed based on spend and not on BIS miles.
Nov 1, 2018, 11:54 am
#10
Moderator Communications Coordinator, Signatures
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: deep within the Eskimo lair
Programs: TubWorld, Bar Alliance, Borratxo Legendarium
Posts: 16,968
Have not seen or heard of this before. Maybe MillionMilers get an extra bump in terms of priority if there's a tie, but maybe others have heard or @missydarlin can confirm.
Nov 1, 2018, 1:08 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
But based on what I have been seeing with upgrade list clearing out of order:
Another bizarre tale of the upgrade list
...who knows what is going on!
Another bizarre tale of the upgrade list
...who knows what is going on!
Nov 1, 2018, 2:43 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
In fairness...
1. AS publishes relatively little information about how this works, and
2. It does not work as published.
So, whether this guy was right or not (almost certainly not), how it actually works is definitely unpublished.
Whatever is going on with premium upgrades seems to be incorrect. Regardless of whether you get the "you've been upgraded to premium" email (I've gotten it exactly once, several months ago) you can just go in and select a premium seat when your upgrade window opens, or even before (it seems to work any time during the day that your upgrade window WILL open... at least sometimes... so if you have a late-night flight, you basically might get a whole extra day).
I've certainly selected premium seats (manually, with no charge) while 10+ people ahead of me on the upgrade list did not get premium or F seats (and pretty much everyone on the list is usually head of me because I'm just MVP and I usually manage to snag R or T fares). The seat selection screen will claim that it will charge you (the charge will be listed when you select the seat) but when you hit "ok" it just assigns the seat without directing you to the payment screen.
I THINK what is happening here is that the premium upgrades are not clearing automatically, which leaves the seats open to be snagged in first-come, first-served order, by anyone who is eligible, regardless of priority order. Obviously I benefit from this (since I'm at or near the bottom of the priority list) but that means that someone else is getting screwed.
F seems to work more or less correctly for me (ie, there is never any U space, and, when it opens up, people ahead of me get it immediately, so I never get it...)
1. AS publishes relatively little information about how this works, and
2. It does not work as published.
So, whether this guy was right or not (almost certainly not), how it actually works is definitely unpublished.
Whatever is going on with premium upgrades seems to be incorrect. Regardless of whether you get the "you've been upgraded to premium" email (I've gotten it exactly once, several months ago) you can just go in and select a premium seat when your upgrade window opens, or even before (it seems to work any time during the day that your upgrade window WILL open... at least sometimes... so if you have a late-night flight, you basically might get a whole extra day).
I've certainly selected premium seats (manually, with no charge) while 10+ people ahead of me on the upgrade list did not get premium or F seats (and pretty much everyone on the list is usually head of me because I'm just MVP and I usually manage to snag R or T fares). The seat selection screen will claim that it will charge you (the charge will be listed when you select the seat) but when you hit "ok" it just assigns the seat without directing you to the payment screen.
I THINK what is happening here is that the premium upgrades are not clearing automatically, which leaves the seats open to be snagged in first-come, first-served order, by anyone who is eligible, regardless of priority order. Obviously I benefit from this (since I'm at or near the bottom of the priority list) but that means that someone else is getting screwed.
F seems to work more or less correctly for me (ie, there is never any U space, and, when it opens up, people ahead of me get it immediately, so I never get it...)
Nov 1, 2018, 3:59 pm
#14
Join Date: Dec 2017
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 48
But based on what I have been seeing with upgrade list clearing out of order:
Another bizarre tale of the upgrade list
...who knows what is going on!
Another bizarre tale of the upgrade list
...who knows what is going on!
Yesterday I flew back from San Jose - the plane departed with an empty seat in 1st class. 15 minutes into the flight they asked a random guy if he wanted the seat. The guy was not on the upgrade list.
Nov 1, 2018, 5:43 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
US Dividend Miles used to have this policy. AS, on the other hand, does not have and has never had this policy to my knowledge.