ARCHIVE: Sticker / 500-mile Electronic Upgrades Protocols / Questions (2009-2014)
#151
Join Date: Mar 2008
Programs: AA EXP 2.5MM National EE
Posts: 298
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (webOS/1.4.5; U; en-US) AppleWebKit/532.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/1.0 Safari/532.2 Pre/1.0)
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!
Originally Posted by miamigrad
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.
#152
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: SEATTLE, WA USA
Programs: UAL, AA, AS, CX
Posts: 1,972
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.
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.
#153
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
I was upgraded (with a companion) yesterday at precisely T-72 without sufficient stickers. I then bought the stickers I needed.
#154
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 324
Tell us what's really going on.
#155
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: IAH
Programs: AA EXP, CO PLAT, SPG Gold
Posts: 205
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.
#156
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 10,966
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.
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.
#157
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, AA EXP
Posts: 2,692
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.
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.
#158
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: AA EXP, 1 MM, AC, HH Diamond, Marriott Silver, Hertz 5*
Posts: 4,010
How many 500-mile upgrades / stickers do I need?
#159
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA PLT, AA 1MM, Marriott GLD
Posts: 473
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.
#160
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,409
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.
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.
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.
#161
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA PLT, AA 1MM, Marriott GLD
Posts: 473
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.
#162
Senior Moderator and Moderator: American AAdvantage & TravelBuzz
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 10,409
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...
#163
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Texas
Programs: AA PLT, AA 1MM, Marriott GLD
Posts: 473
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.
#164
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Dallas
Programs: AAdvantage, United, Delta, Eva.
Posts: 8
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.
#165
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: los angeles, calif.
Programs: Alaska Airlines Gold MVP
Posts: 7,170
AA absolutely offers something. Call AA and ask to transfer those stickers into miles. 120 stickers will be converted to 60,000 RDMs.