gemac

You are apparently flying on Monday. Monday is, of course, the day when they sell the most business class seats to Europe. Their history may indicate lots of last-second passengers buying business class tickets.

If you want your SWUs to clear earlier, try flying Wednesdays.

Panamajon513

Wait, what? Care to expand on this?

sukn

Unlike domestic upgrades, check-in time does matter for the airport list for international eVIP upgrades. The list is sorted by check-in time within each elite group. As such, it is in our interest to check-in at the 24-hour mark if the eVIP hasn't cleared by then.

If you are new to this news, you may also not know that companions on separate PNRs lose the status of the elite on the eVIP list for international flights. So it is best that the companion and elite are on the same PNR, but the drawback to this strategy is that two seats must open up for both to clear otherwise you will passed on the list and the upgrade will go to a solo requester.

normcpa

Originally Posted by sukn
Since your flight is less than 24-hours away, have you done on-line check-in? Check in time matters if your upgrades does not clear until the gate.

I have been under the impression that the time you originally requested the upgrade (almost always when when tickets were purchased) is the determinant for one's place in the upgrade queue, prioritized by status, not only during the early 100-72-24-hour period, but also during the check-in process.

sukn

This does not apply to international flights and eVIP upgrade requests. See my post above.

oklAAhoma

When using SWUs, there is no 100-72-24 hour period nor (as already noted by sukn) does original request time carry over to the airport list.

altaskier

I find a degree of randomness. In October I'm flying ORD-LHR, NRT-ORD, ORD-PVG, and PVG-ORD. The PVG roundtrip cleared first, and cleared without me getting a notice from my saved alert on ExpertFlyer.com. The NRT-ORD leg cleared soon after, again without notice on ExpertFlyer. ORD-LHR has not cleared yet though biz is only 1/3 full; I'm pretty confident it will clear too but of course I have no idea just when.

I am surprised that I had 3 recent upgrades clear without getting the ExpertFlyer.com notifications on my saved alerts. I assume that ExpertFlyer probes the AA availability list every day or so until the flight gets closer, and that availability was opened, was taken (by me), and went away in between ExpertFlyer's periodic probes.

zsciaeount

Two very good pieces of advice. Yes, I checked in as soon as it was available. I am glad you brought this point up in the conversation.

I ended up following your last suggestion and called again. I simply asked point-blank if the agent could clear me and she took care of it.

Of note, it sounds like this was not going to have happened automatically. She just told me that it "should be possible" and she contacted revenue management directly. Earlier in the day, another agent didn't offer to do this, so even at the EXP level, it really seems to depend upon the agent.

panjabi

FWIW, here is another data point

Last Friday, on AA 456 from SJC to DFW, they held 8 (out the 16 total) F seats till 24 hours before departure. Then they released 3 to EXPs. Then at the gate they released the other 5 to Plats etc.

brp

I believe that "Intyernational" may not be necessary here as I think it would apply to domestic SWU requests as well. It's the instrument as opposed to the route. I also believe it applies to miles+copay. Basically anything except stickers.

Cheers.

oklAAhoma

SJC-DFW is normally a fairly elite-heavy route. I find it surprisng that all EXPs were upgraded before reaching the gate.

I'm curious. How do you know that at 24 hours, exactly 3 upgrades went to EXPs, yet the released at the gate went to anly Plats, etc? And most importantly, what constitutes the "etc." in "Plats, etc?"

mach92

None of my EVIP's ORD LHR, LHR DFW have cleared yet either. I fly the middle of next week. Never sat in coach across the pond

bamboosensation

One big question I have is which is the better course of action.


I was once told by an AAgent that it's better if you haven't cleared at 24 hours, to online check it and immediately get your name on the airport wait list b/c your check in time helps with your spot in the queue (domestically)---

my question is, when you online check it, does it automatically stop your online request and you forfeit that method of upgrading and just have to wait it out at the airport, or are they both simultaneously helping you?
Does this make sense?

ps. as a plat I have NOT been clearing much between JFK LAX and I know it's an elite heavy route but I always ask aagents which days/flights are best for me to get the upgrade, but it hasnt' seemed to matter.

I often end up 1 or 2 on that dreaded gate list just barely not making the cut.

c'est la vie.
Hoping today's 3pm flight from LAX to JFK will come through for me at the airport



fingers crossed.

sukn

There is a difference between Revenue Management and th Day of Departure desk. DOD desk will assist in clearing eVIPs (and miles +copay) within 24-hours of flight time, and during the weekend and off hours when RM is not otherwise available. DOD is available to the agents 24-hours a day. They will not entertain requests to clear upgrades outside the 24-hour window. Those go to RM.

So if you call weeks before your flight and the agent submits your upgrade for approval, it goes to RM and the passenger is usually told to call back during the next business day when RM is back in the office for a decision.

The third piece of this puzzle is of course the automated system the agents have available to them to clear eVIPs.

Perhaps the reason the DOD assists with clearing upgrades is because miles+copay upgrades are supposed to cleared prior to the gate. Supposedly GAs shouldn't be processing miles+copays at the gate.

panjabi

Well.. great question. I am an EXP and I booked this flight only a couple of days earlier. I got upgraded 24 hours earlier. Based on about a few dozen earlier such flights from SJC.. I have found out that I tend to be at the bottom of the EXP table due to my last minute travel

Regarding the "Platinum etc" comment I made that due to the fact that I (like all another annoying Elites ) was standing near the gate waiting for the First Class boarding announcement and I heard the Gate Agent ask people for Credit Cards to "buy stickers". I can only assume that means the 500 mile upgrades

..and also.. the guys who got upgraded were WAY too happy and thankful instead of being sullen and meh like us EXPs who expect upgrades as our birthright