Gandhi90s

500.

Yes, if the segment has a different flight no.

flying chef

Called AA, used the special phrases as per your advice, and the missing miles were posted within 24 hrs, no questions asked...now that's service!

On a different note, how long does it take for the AA Platinum package ( card, etc.) to be sent out?

JDiver

It usually goes more easily when we make their job easier. Almost as quick as saying "Gerry sent me."

I think they use an outside vendor, and it seems folks are reporting 3 - 6 weeks. If you are flying in the meantime, be sure 1) you have your status changed on your current bookings (those made before you earned status,) and 2) if planning to use any services available to Platinum members, a printout of status may be handy (AC can tell, BA lounges want to see the shiny card, but a printout showing your status may help.)

Stripy

I'm still very new to the whole AA FF prog. and to upgrading in general so please be gentle if this appears dumb

I will be AA plat by the end of the year and want to make sure I'm making the most of my new found 'status' for future travel so understanding the upgrades would seem crucial. From what I can see there are 3 main ways to upgrade, co-pay & miles, 500-mile e-upgrades and eVIPS (if you're lucky enough to have them)...have I at least got that bit right?

So, when I'm at the gate and I see the list of pax on the upgrade waitlist on the screen are these pax waiting for the 500 mile e-upgrades to clear or is this something else?

Also, if you request an upgrade using miles & co-pay but the inventory isn't available, will you go on this list I've seen at the gate? If you do, what priority level do you go on the list at?

Thanks for all the help and if anyone has any other gems of information as to how to get upgrades I would be very grateful for the info

bdemaria

Yes, those are the basic options (there are also some mileage upgrades that do not require copays)

It depends on the flight, if you are on a domestic flight, then yes, the waitlist would most likley be for 500 mile (aka "sticker" upgrades). There could also be some mileage, eVIPs etc.. but the majority will likely be 500 miles upgrades. However, for int'l destinations - then the waitlist would be for mileage or eVIP upgrades.


Theoretically if your mileage upgrade hasn't cleared prior to departure time you would be on the airport list according to your status and the based on time of request against others of the same status. In other words, if a PLT requests an upgrade 300 days before flight time s/he may well be #1 of the PLT group but an EXP who makes the request 5 days before flight time will still be ahead of the EXP.

Stripy

Thanks for the great reply ^

Really helpful....I'm off to make sure my upgrade for next April has definitely been waitlisted

bluedevil23

Question for you all, I believe my boss has been misled regarding a Platinum challenge. He obtained Platinum status through a challenge in the second half of 2005. After getting promoted he started flying less and didn't requalify in 2006 so he was dropped to Gold in 2007. Last year he flew even less and didn't even hit 25,000 for Gold, so now he has zero status with AA. He is going to China next week on a fare that would give him 10k points and called to do a challenge and was told by the rep that since he previously did a challenge and never re-qualified for Platinum by flying 50k miles that he is not allowed to do another challenge. This seems to contradict everything that I have read regarding the challenge. I advised him to call back and try another agent, but he doesn't feel like messing with it. I'm just curious if anyone else has heard this rule before or if he just got a bum agent.

cat22

Hi,

Once you do the challenge, you cannot challenge again until you have legitimately qualified by flying 25K for Gold, or 50K for Platinum. Also, miles must be earned between Jan 1 thru Dec 31 (calendar year) even though status does not expire until the end of February.

cat22

c_stanley

Not doubting you, but do you have a source or link for that? I haven't seen it said that definitively anywhere.

My understanding is that repeat challenges have been a hit or miss proposition but I haven't seen anything saying that it's a well-enforced rule that you can't repeat a challenge, nor that qualifying subsequent to a challenge guarantees that you can do one again a few years later.

brp

That's not true...at least from the many reports I've read here. The only restriction is that you can't challenge to reattain status you just lost. But you can challenge in later years, even if you've never qualified the "real" way. Unless they've changed something very recently.

Cheers.

NASATimp

That has been my experience, certainly. I challenged for PLT in 2006 and then again in 2008 (after dropping to GLD for the intervening year).

mvoight

I think some of us wish it were true. After all, the OP's boss had over 1 year and 2 months (or up to 1 year and 7 months or so) of status for completing the challenge. Then he got another year of Gold. There is noi indication he ever flew enough to earn Gold.
What's the AA benefit of letting him do the same thing again? Giving someone double miles, plus other PLT perks for over a year for simply making a roundtrip of 10K miles (possibly for a few hundred bucks), is something that shouldn't be done more than once without at least qualifying once the normal way.

Nick C

Sorry to hijack the thread with another question.

Do AA codeshares still count towards the challenge?

nrr

How long do they keep records on challenges? If it is say only two or three years, OP's boss could wait it out and then try again.

wobbly wings

Yes the do - see the sticky and the wiki.