Geauxtigers

Would have cleared DCA-DFW this afternoon, didnt mind though as I had 7D. Now for the torture tube back to BTR...

Expresswayvisual

It's a 77W. I haven't gotten an email from AA but in my reservation page it shows business and I can choose my seat in the business cabin.

metallo

Missed a mid-afternoon SEA-ORD upgrade over the weekend. I purchased last-minute when the flight was already F0. I had hoped something would open up and was actually #1 on the list, but one of the gate agents told me told me she didn't remember clearing a single upgrade all day. She said it was all paid First and speculated that it was due to cruise ship season. I was actually lucky just to grab a coach fare for ~$220, as a few hours later the cheapest I could find was about $800, with most flights unavailable or over $1000.

Once on board, I was seated in the bulkhead row of Y on one of the AVOD 738s. I presented my EXP card to the FA when the food/beverage carts rolled by, and the FA said, "Well, welcome to our main cabin, Mr. [metallo]." I was offered a choice of snack/drink. According to the FA, everything from the BOB menu was available. I chose the pastrami sandwich with coleslaw, which was better than some F meals I've had on pmAA/US. It came with potato chips, which were the same Kettle cooked ones that are often in the F snack basket. I asked for a scotch, and she gave me two Dewar's minis with a cup of ice.

Tough to complain about missing this upgrade, really, and good service in the back certainly made it easier to swallow.

cmd320

It's funny because a couple of times I found the service in the back to be better than I'd had in the front in a long time. Perhaps they just feel really bad about it.

Austin787

I had a similar experience on DFW-YVR a few years ago, as Platinum. Missed the upgrade even though I was #1 on the list (booking 2 weeks before didn't help my chances plus it was a Friday night). I boarded near the end and all first class seats were occupied. I was in the exit row seat and the middle seat remained empty. I selected a chicken sandwich and the FA (who was great) kept swiping my credit card but it wouldn't go through. So she comped my sandwich. While I may not have gotten that upgrade, sitting in the exit row, middle seat empty, and a free sandwich gave me most of the first class benefits on that flight.

Stripe

Thought I was going to get my first domestic miss of the year today on the 6:45 am ORD-DFW, an elite-heavy flight if there was one. #1 was the only one cleared, F was fully booked, and I was #2 as boarding was completing. Asked GA if everyone in F had boarded because I was #2. At first it was, "everyone is here" but I pressed with "Is everyone on board? I can just wait if they aren't." She finally asked my name, looked at her screen, and said "just stand right there". After about 5 minutes she calls me over and prints the F BP. 23 others remained on the displayed list.

Now here's the weird part. When the doors close, the FAs remark that 6E is empty. I'm not 100% sure, but I think they got a deadheading pilot who would otherwise have been in a jump seat and had him sit there. He definitely had a pilot's uniform. To my untrained eye the GA had not bothered to fill the seat, despite there being plenty of folks on the list and also plenty of uncleared names on the coach standby list. I certainly would have been mad if I was #3 for the upgrade and saw the seat empty.

Exec_Plat

An FYI.

Bough biz end of June on AA50 this Monday, cleared SWU to F at time of purchase.

Flight looks slammed- F0, all seats taken.

Only 7 open J seats on the map, yet oddly still showing I4. Usually I space is gone when biz gets this full. MCE has zero open seats too.

carsnoceans

Brings up a question...

I believe Canada/Mexico and 50 states are eligible for EXP upgrades. But aren't there are select central america destinations under this umbrella as well?

grrizzli

You must be flying Podunk-Tulsa routes all the time.

If you want to know what an elite-heavy flight is fly BOS-LAX AA147. The F cabin is always full, I've never been upgraded there as an EXP even on Saturday afternoon despite buying a ticket 2-3 months in advance.

The last time I wasn't upgraded even on LAX-BOS AA1076 purchased 2 months before the departure. As usual, I was #1 on the upgrade list, little difference if you end up flying in Y.

metallo

Having the middle seat open would have been nice, but in my case, it was occupied by an annoying 20-something twit who removed and replaced his shoes several times throughout the flight, had his feet all over the center bulkhead magazine rack (fortunately just socks and no bare feet), and for good measure, shoved his hand down his sweatpants a few times to readjust. All the while, he was furiously studying Orthopedic Surgery review slides, which I know because his laptop was shoved in my direction several times to give him space to canoodle with his female companion in the window seat. A seat in F might not guarantee that you don't have an annoying seatmate, but at least it's a max of one and not two, and you have a bit more of a buffer zone.

metallo

Of course, when you end up #1 on the list anyway, it's not the Elite-heavy element of the route that's killing your upgrade percentage, it's the paid First crowd.

cmd320

This flight is horrible too. Six hours on an AA 737 in F? That's not something to look forward to at all. I'm booking VX 100% of the time on BOS-LAX.

Can't wait for B6 Mint to show up on this route.

Exec_Plat

AKA: First Place Loser

vhrum

If I'm not mistaken all North America (including Central America) is eligible for EXP and 500-mile upgrades. PTY will be eligible, but BOG will not. It would be nice if they included northern SA as eligible…

I'm a Plat on the 6 AM BNA-DFW on Saturday, connecting to LAX at 9:15. Both these flights just went from more than F7 to F2 last night/this morning. Concerned about my chances, though the next two flights to LAX (which still allow me enough time to connect in LAX) are F6 and F8 right now. I'm stressing out for sure. Any thoughts, consolations or warnings?

wwrjb

Hi

Does anyone have any input on my upgrade from JFK - MXP this Friday (AA 198) clearing from Economy to Business.

I'm EXP, requested points + pay upgrade however Business if FULL with 8 FREE seats in First at the moment.

Will paid J get upgraded to F allowing upgrades from Economy to Business?

Thanks