2015 Chances of Upgrade Clearing and Upgrade Availability Discussion (consolidated)
Sep 28, 2015, 2:03 pm
#841
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
Missed SMF-DFW as EP/CK w/ request at 3 months out (!)
Also misconnected onto DFW-CLT due to the computer glitch, no upgrade. (My upgraded seat flew without me, they couldnt protect.)
Also no upgrade DFW-MTY. Something was hosed with the upgrade processing. record showed me requested 6/28, but was not on the list at the gate. PITA
4th this year
Also misconnected onto DFW-CLT due to the computer glitch, no upgrade. (My upgraded seat flew without me, they couldnt protect.)
Also no upgrade DFW-MTY. Something was hosed with the upgrade processing. record showed me requested 6/28, but was not on the list at the gate. PITA
4th this year
Sep 28, 2015, 3:33 pm
#842
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP, UA Premier Silver
Posts: 114
Planning to waitlist SWU Y->J from DFW to LHR (Friday) and LHR-LAX (Sunday) for next Feb on the 77W. What are the chances to clear as an EXP? I know Feb could be a battle field due to SWU expiration deadline. Are these days tight on upgrades on these routes ?MCE shows 2-3 seats taken
Sep 28, 2015, 3:56 pm
#843
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
My upgrade on Friday morning's AA 2337 ORD-DFW cleared at the window. Very pleasant surprise on a morning hub-to-hub flight!
Email came through at 04:42 for this 08:35 departure.
Email came through at 04:42 for this 08:35 departure.
Sep 29, 2015, 6:50 am
#844
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 47
9:20pm flight tomorrow...
22 seats available last night according to EF, went to 16 this overnight, but I noticed 6 opened up in MCE mini cabin, so I guess that was them. Still 36 hours out so I guess a tier cleared at 48 hours. Hopefully i'm the next to go over the next several hours.
22 seats available last night according to EF, went to 16 this overnight, but I noticed 6 opened up in MCE mini cabin, so I guess that was them. Still 36 hours out so I guess a tier cleared at 48 hours. Hopefully i'm the next to go over the next several hours.
Sep 29, 2015, 8:52 am
#845
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
Planning to waitlist SWU Y->J from DFW to LHR (Friday) and LHR-LAX (Sunday) for next Feb on the 77W. What are the chances to clear as an EXP? I know Feb could be a battle field due to SWU expiration deadline. Are these days tight on upgrades on these routes ?MCE shows 2-3 seats taken
Pretty good odds IMO. MCE is empty, which means you should be at the top. 4-5 months in advance as well. Fri and Sun are busy days, and business travel heavy. End of the work week and beginning of the work we respectively. But given 5 months lead Id go for it. Get on the waitlist ASAP!
Sep 29, 2015, 2:24 pm
#846
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
Programs: Wouldn't you like to know?!
Posts: 23,822
How's upgrading with eVIPs as an EXP these days? How is it on popular routes like LAX-LHR, LAX-NRT (used to be relatively easy), DFW-HKG, etc?
I heard AA no longer releases C on these routes until a couple of days before departure? Anyone has any success getting hidden Cs and clearing into J far in advance?
I heard AA no longer releases C on these routes until a couple of days before departure? Anyone has any success getting hidden Cs and clearing into J far in advance?
Sep 29, 2015, 5:09 pm
#847
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: STL/ORD/MCI/SAN
Programs: AA CK MM, AC SE100K, BA Gold, UA 1K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,989
Link to the original FlyerTalk wiki:
AA discontinues connection/through priority on upgrades 27 Mar 2015
Sep 29, 2015, 5:46 pm
#848
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 47
I'm in!
Kept hitting refresh at 7:20pm (flight tomorrow night at 9:20pm, so 26 hours exactly) and 7 C's showed up on EF at exactly 7:20pm. 16 vacant seats on display on the EF map.
I didn't wait for my wait list to clear and called AA immediately. Got a nice lady by 7:25pm who said nothing had opened up yet across the board, but she was very nice, held with me and made it happen for me over the phone in 10 minutes.
Bottom line, once you see the 7 pop up, you are nuts to wait for your named to be cleared. Call asap and get it done (edit for sometimes i guess)....
Oh, I still haven't received my alert from EF that C has opened on this flight.
Kept hitting refresh at 7:20pm (flight tomorrow night at 9:20pm, so 26 hours exactly) and 7 C's showed up on EF at exactly 7:20pm. 16 vacant seats on display on the EF map.
I didn't wait for my wait list to clear and called AA immediately. Got a nice lady by 7:25pm who said nothing had opened up yet across the board, but she was very nice, held with me and made it happen for me over the phone in 10 minutes.
Bottom line, once you see the 7 pop up, you are nuts to wait for your named to be cleared. Call asap and get it done (edit for sometimes i guess)....
Oh, I still haven't received my alert from EF that C has opened on this flight.
Last edited by tr561; Sep 29, 2015 at 7:54 pm
Sep 29, 2015, 7:45 pm
#849
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: BOS, LAX
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 804
When I saw C7 on EF I called the EXP desk right away, they said no upgrades were available. Check-in agents and Admirals Club agents couldn't clear my upgrade for several hours either -- I had the privilege of being delayed 7 hours in DFW.
Sep 29, 2015, 7:50 pm
#850
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 47
I'm not saying it works 100% of the time, but it's crazy not to pick up the phone when you see it finally open up rather than waiting for an email saying you cleared. I'm confident i would still be sitting here waiting, and probably at the gate too, had i not called and had a nice convo with the agent.
Sep 29, 2015, 8:24 pm
#851
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,399
This is actually not true. Quoting myself:
When I saw C7 on EF I called the EXP desk right away, they said no upgrades were available. Check-in agents and Admirals Club agents couldn't clear my upgrade for several hours either -- I had the privilege of being delayed 7 hours in DFW.
When I saw C7 on EF I called the EXP desk right away, they said no upgrades were available. Check-in agents and Admirals Club agents couldn't clear my upgrade for several hours either -- I had the privilege of being delayed 7 hours in DFW.
Sep 29, 2015, 10:57 pm
#852
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Austin, TX - AUS
Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott
Posts: 1,625
I'm not saying it works 100% of the time, but it's crazy not to pick up the phone when you see it finally open up rather than waiting for an email saying you cleared. I'm confident i would still be sitting here waiting, and probably at the gate too, had i not called and had a nice convo with the agent.
Sep 30, 2015, 5:57 pm
#853
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 122
Decreasing upgrade success
EXP here and have been experiencing a decrease in my success rate in clearing upgrades before day of flight... and a couple fails even then. Guess I should have stayed off the more popular routes.
Still running 90%+ for the year.
Still running 90%+ for the year.
Sep 30, 2015, 9:14 pm
#854
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
Sep 30, 2015, 10:39 pm
#855
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AUS
Programs: AA Exec Platinum/MM, DL Gold/MM, Hilton Diamond, Accor Platinum, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,978
Missed my first domestic AA upgrade in over a year, and first in nearly two years when not traveling with a companion. SNA-DFW late afternoon flight, booked that morning. I never had a chance. I was at the end of a waitlist of at least 13 EXPs with F booked full long before departure.
However, I had a nice consolation prize: 15A in the 738 exit row, with 15B ending up empty due to a no-show. Tasty and fresh Asian chicken salad from the BOB menu and red wine, both comped. No PDB or table linens but I was unlikely to get those in F either.
Interestingly when I booked there were still two F seats open and I was offered to guarantee my upgrade for ~$150. I declined, but I suspect that's how at least one of the open seats got filled.
However, I had a nice consolation prize: 15A in the 738 exit row, with 15B ending up empty due to a no-show. Tasty and fresh Asian chicken salad from the BOB menu and red wine, both comped. No PDB or table linens but I was unlikely to get those in F either.
Interestingly when I booked there were still two F seats open and I was offered to guarantee my upgrade for ~$150. I declined, but I suspect that's how at least one of the open seats got filled.