Does upgrade chance increase or decrease if you check in online?
 

I tried to search the forum to find related posts but didn't find anything. If there is something, please direct me.

I am flying STL-DFW (AA #1329)and then DFW-TPA (AA #304)on Thursday. I booked the flight January 7 and requested upgrades at that time. (I became EXP for the first time a few days before booking the flight.) The upgrades have not come through. Seat maps (which I know may not be reliable) show available seats in F.

My question is will my chances of getting the upgrade change if I check in online when the 24 hour window opens up for checkin? If I do that does my name stay on the upgrade list?

Thanks for any help on understanding the upgrade process.

Upgrades are by time of request, not by time of check-in
If checking in 24 hours in advance, this doesn't stop an upgrade from clearing with less than 24 hours remaining.

OLCI does not affect upgrade clearing. Nor does it affect your priority on the airport upgrade list. These days, only a few things matter with regard to e-upgrade lists:

1) status - the biggie
2) original timestamp of the upgrade request
3) thru vs. O/D
4) "travel disruptions" - sometimes could matter, but is more common for standby lists

I am also a newly minted ExPlat and I have found that calling regularly the phone agents can push the upgrade through before they would automatically clear.

Getting a service like Expertflyer and calling intelligently can save time (both yours and theirs) as these availabilities are generally not random, but can actually be seen (within 24 hours, anyway).

Cheers.

Don't forget that using a eVIP or using miles+copay will trump complimentary upgrades. However, I would never burn an eVIP or use miles+copay on the flights that the OP has listed...

That is not correct. These come from different inventories, and the inventory for SWU/miles is available before that for stickers. In that sense, there is a better chance. Within the 100-hour window, though, it depends upon which inventory is available first.

Cheers.

Have you made sure your EXP was recognized since you bought the flight a few days before you obtained your new status. It is not automatically recognized by AA.

Guess I could be wrong but IME I have switched to an eVIP or miles+copay on a few occasions when I had to purchase a last minute ticket to improve my odds. Most recently I flew SBA-LAX-JFK and my LAX-JFK complimentary UG cleared immediately when I booked it (~48hrs out) and my return JFK-LAX wasn't clearing. I was 4th on the upgrade list at the airport behind 3 EXP's and I asked the GA if I could burn a eVIP and it moved me to 1st on the list and it cleared 15 mins later.

I was under the impression that on a 3-class plane, C will open before R and on a 2-class plane, A will open before X. Not necessarily true?

Sometimes, yes, A/C inventory might become available before X/R inventory. But not always. Not guaranteed at all.

Nope, not necessarily. Sometimes sticker inventory becomes available before eVIP/miles+copay inventory.

I would say that, more likely than not, this is what happens. However, it's not because one "trumps" the other. It's just about which inventory opens first, and that's not guaranteed. Striving for accuracy.

Cheers.

If we are only speaking in terms of an EXP trying to upgrade, the "stickers" are technically the complimentary UG and this is the class that the ticket will fall into?

Yes, and sorry, I should have been more clear.

That is a very good point! If the OP booked and the PNR / trip record hasn't updated to EXP status it would be treated with the same restrictions as Platinum or whatever the OP's previous status was. Some flyers have had to call AA and have the record updated.