Stickers required for direct flight
 

Hello. Standard disclaimers (looked at the wiki, searched the forum--terms direct AND required, searched aa.com).

It appears from aa.com that a direct ATL-SJU flight is requiring 4 stickers even though the direct mileage is 1547. With AA's 51-mile grace, shouldn't this flight only require 3 stickers?

Is this worth a call to web services? Or am I not understanding the policy? Assuming I only earn the 1547 miles for the flight, and not the 594+1045=1639 (ATL-MIA-SJU), shouldn't it only be fair that I am charged the number of upgrades corresponding with the number of miles earned?

Cheers,
LBBZman

P.S. I know "fairness" is not necessarily relevant when it comes to policies :)

Not clear what you are saying. But I think you are saying that you want to be upgraded on 2 separate segments. One from ATL-MIA and one from MIA-SJU. And I assume you are on a single flight number, so you will only get the miles from ATL-SJU? If so, my memory is that stickers are due per segment.

HOWEVER, the answer to your question of "is it worth a call" is "Gee, for $30, I would invest 5 minutes on the telephone, would you?"

If both segments have the same flight number, AA will treat is as a nonstop. The stickers required are governed by the mileage received.

OP - it is possible that AA's distance table has the distance at just over 1550 miles. Great Circle Mapper has it at 1547. AA is often slightly different. If AA really has it at under 1550, it should be 3 stickers.

Okay, it has been a while since I had this circumstance. Now, that raises another question. Does that mean that a sticker upgrade will only clear if both segments are available simultaneously? In other words, if ATL-MIA is open, but MIA-SJU is not, then the upgrade won't clear because of single flight number?

Yes, both segments must be available simultaneously.

AA shows it as a distance of 1550 miles exactly.

how did you find that?....do they do a non stop?....

any way, atl-mia is 595, mia-sju is 1045, so 2 stickers for each seg....call and let us know...

AA's interactive route map gives mileages for any route (including "direct" ones with a stop).

AA has it listed in their timetable as 1547, so i would call AA.

Chances are there is nothing you can do on the front end, request the upgrade, use 4 stickers, call CS and ask why 4 were used instead of 3 and they will probably credit you one sticker.

It's been my experience with direct flights that AA.com will tell you the number of stickers needed as if both segment miles were added together. Because I didn't want to take the risk by requesting an upgrade on AA.com, I've added myself to the airport upgrade list when checking my bags and have been quoted the number of stickers required as if the flight were a non-stop.

I've also been told I have to deplane at the stopover city and wait to be called again for an upgrade on the second leg.

This has been true on SEA-BOS where non-stop mileage is 2496 (needing 5 stickers) and connecting mileage is 1721+867=2588 (needing 6 stickers).

Just to update my OP, I was worried about nothing. My upgrades did not clear in advance, so I had to wait until the airport for each upgrade to go through. The upgrades cleared separately; however, I was only charged for 3 stickers after flying.

So, although AA.com indicates 4 stickers will be required prior to flying, only 3 stickers were deducted.

Cheers,
LBBZman

P.S. The AAngel at the ATL AC had a difficult time adding me to the upgrade lists. I'm not sure what keystrokes she had to enter, but she kept saying something about "invalid code." I then heard her say, "oh it's R." So I got the impression that since my ATL-MIA upgraded into X and my MIA-SJU upgraded into R, she wasn't quite sure at first what to do. But it all worked out.

Many thanks for circling back to provide an update! ^ :)

Which post is correct?

Both? :p

For me, whenever I've been on a direct flight, in order for the auto-upgrade to process, both segments must have the correct inventory AND both flights must have the same seat available for assignment.

If I don't clear in advance, then I can ask the EXP AAgents to break up the segments the day of the flight so that each set of gate agents can clear my upgrades separately.

(Don't know if my experience is the norm or an outlier...)

This part is absolutely correct.

However, if they do not clear when the elite upgrade window opens, you do not need to wait until day of flight. You can call the elite line and if X is available on either segment, at that point the phone agent can break up the itinerary and clear the one available upgrade or both -- if X was there but the same seat was not available on both flights.