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ARCHIVE: Sticker / 500-mile Electronic Upgrades Protocols / Questions (2009-2014)

Old Feb 18, 2015, 8:16 pm
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ARCHIVE: Sticker / 500-mile Electronic Upgrades Protocols / Questions (2009-2014)

 
Old Dec 13, 2010, 4:55 pm
  #151  
 
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Originally Posted by miamigrad
Originally Posted by johndeere19
Is there a protocol for canceling a requested sticker upgrade before it's processed/confirmed? I read that after it's applied, you can reject the upgrade at the gate and be moved back to Y, but you may lose your seat and there needs to be space.
Whenever I wanted to cancel an upgrade request, I always called the elite number (PLT at the time) to handle the request.

As you noted, if you wait until it's confirmed, you may get an undesirable seat (or worse, the flight could be completely full with no seat to give to you) if you decline the upgrade. My recommendation would be to get things squared away asap if you no longer want the upgrade.
That happened to my son a few weeks back. My VIP cleared for him on a transcon on a scheduled 762. But when they switched it out for 757 I tried to downgrade him to the back but Y was sold out! Lucky kid!
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 1:56 pm
  #152  
 
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True? No Stickers No Upgrade?

My personal experience or I should say perception is that if you DON'T have stickers sitting in your account that somehow the UpGrAAde never takes place - would that be true?

I'm 24 hours away from my flight - 9 F seats show open on the seat map not a great indicator but ok looks like I have a chance - at 18 hours or so 6 out of the 9 get filled by what looks to be upgrades as several coach seats opened up. Yes I know they could be EXP's but usually on this flight I get upgraded by now...

Again my perception is if stickers are sitting waiting to be used upgrades come thru if not then I wait and wait until the very end and 9 out 10 times no upgrade. Am I crazy? For me lately I don't want to leave stickers just sitting there as they represent cash I could be leaving in my bank - I'll get stickers in the account soon as I know I'm upgraded.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:05 pm
  #153  
 
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I was upgraded (with a companion) yesterday at precisely T-72 without sufficient stickers. I then bought the stickers I needed.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:05 pm
  #154  
 
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Originally Posted by JHIN
For me lately I don't want to leave stickers just sitting there as they represent cash I could be leaving in my bank - I'll get stickers in the account soon as I know I'm upgraded.
Er..., interest rates are around 1% these days, and that's being generous. Buying and hoarding 5 stickers in your account for an entire year would cost you $1.50 in lost interest.

Tell us what's really going on.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:05 pm
  #155  
 
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I don't think that's the case. I believe you can be upgraded without the stickers in your account, but you cannot check in and print the upgraded itinerary without them and could not be added to an airport upgrade standby list without them.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:06 pm
  #156  
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The presence or lack of e-upgrades in your account has absolutely NO bearing on whether your upgrade will or will not clear prior to airport control. None whatsoever. The automated e-upgrade system is completely independent of everything else, and it has no idea how many upgrades are in your account. (Too, remember that EXPs never burn upgrades for themselves.)


Now, if your upgrade clears and then you try to check in (via OLCI, kiosk, TA, GA, AAngel, etc.) and you do not have enough upgrade credits and are sub-EXP, then the system will stop you and force you to buy upgrades or give up the upgrade. But until the moment of check in, the system doesn't care whether you have enough upgrades or not.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:07 pm
  #157  
 
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If you are upgraded before it goes to airport control and you do not have enough stickers, you will need to bye the stickers in order to check in. You can call in to move back to economy, but if there is no seats, you forfeit your ticket.

If you are not upgraded before it goes to airport control, you need to have enough stickers in order to be placed on the airport upgrade list.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:08 pm
  #158  
 
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Originally Posted by JHIN
My personal experience or I should say perception is that if you DON'T have stickers sitting in your account that somehow the UpGrAAde never takes place - would that be true?
There's a good explanation in the FAQ sticky at the top of the page, where it says, "Please check here first!"

How many 500-mile upgrades / stickers do I need?
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:30 pm
  #159  
 
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Originally Posted by ESpen36
Now, if your upgrade clears and then you try to check in (via OLCI, kiosk, TA, GA, AAngel, etc.) and you do not have enough upgrade credits and are sub-EXP, then the system will stop you and force you to buy upgrades or give up the upgrade. But until the moment of check in, the system doesn't care whether you have enough upgrades or not.
Or, the system will stop you and force you to buy upgrades, period. Giving up the upgrade may not be an option; I learned this the hard way when I had an upgrade clear which I had requested weeks before, and in the meantime had run out of stickers. I had to buy stickers before being allowed to check in. Not ideal, but I considered it a valuable lesson learned for $60 and then sat back and enjoyed my wine.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:41 pm
  #160  
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Originally Posted by thedoorchick
Or, the system will stop you and force you to buy upgrades, period. Giving up the upgrade may not be an option; I learned this the hard way when I had an upgrade clear which I had requested weeks before, and in the meantime had run out of stickers. I had to buy stickers before being allowed to check in. Not ideal, but I considered it a valuable lesson learned for $60 and then sat back and enjoyed my wine.
I've never had the occasion to "un-upgrade" myself, but a few posts up-thread, someone did give some advice to a query on that topic:


Originally Posted by johndeere19
Is there a protocol for canceling a requested sticker upgrade before it's processed/confirmed? I read that after it's applied, you can reject the upgrade at the gate and be moved back to Y, but you may lose your seat and there needs to be space.
Originally Posted by miamigrad
Whenever I wanted to cancel an upgrade request, I always called the elite number (PLT at the time) to handle the request.

As you noted, if you wait until it's confirmed, you may get an undesirable seat (or worse, the flight could be completely full with no seat to give to you) if you decline the upgrade. My recommendation would be to get things squared away asap if you no longer want the upgrade.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:44 pm
  #161  
 
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I believe the issue is that there may be no more seats available in your original fare class; at least that's the way it was explained to me at the time by FTers more in the know than I.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 2:59 pm
  #162  
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Originally Posted by thedoorchick
I believe the issue is that there may be no more seats available in your original fare class; at least that's the way it was explained to me at the time by FTers more in the know than I.
That explanation certainly make sense. If the AAgents/computer system already upgraded you from Y->F and Y is now completely full, then the "un-upgrade" wouldn't be possible...
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 3:34 pm
  #163  
 
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Originally Posted by JY1024
That explanation certainly make sense. If the AAgents/computer system already upgraded you from Y->F and Y is now completely full, then the "un-upgrade" wouldn't be possible...
Not so much the cabin being full as the fare class originally purchased being unavailable to return to. I suppose one could always pay the fare difference to full Y, but that would almost certainly cost more than the stickers to say in F. Seems a no brainer.

In the case of the flight I was on, the Y cabin was in fact not full, but nevertheless I was not allowed to downgrade.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 6:18 pm
  #164  
 
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I have 120 of the upgrade stickers that I can never use due to always flying international. I really hope that AA would offer AAdvantage members like myself a way to use the stickers. Right now they are only good for a warm fuzzy when I look at my personal account.
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Old Dec 21, 2010, 7:08 pm
  #165  
 
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Originally Posted by cjpark
I have 120 of the upgrade stickers that I can never use due to always flying international. I really hope that AA would offer AAdvantage members like myself a way to use the stickers. Right now they are only good for a warm fuzzy when I look at my personal account.
AA absolutely offers something. Call AA and ask to transfer those stickers into miles. 120 stickers will be converted to 60,000 RDMs.
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