FXEpilot77

Usually at T-3 it goes to airport assignment, although I have seen cases where its happened earlier. At that point the original list is moot and the computer will not try to auto-upgrade anyone. However, prior to this, you want to be on both lists, and if you ask an agent to upgrade your reservation (on one in which you had no previous request) you'll likely only be put on the airport list, even if it hasn't gone to airport assignment yet. Its easy to check this--go on aa.com and look and see if your reservation has "Requested" or not. That page looks only at the original list, not the airport standby list.

Btw, for eVIPs, I think you have to re-request them when the airport standby list opens if they haven't cleared. This is my first year as EXP and I haven't used one yet, so I'm not 100% sure.

JY1024

Just to add a data point...

Was on a JFK-MAD flight recently. My eVIP upgrade cleared a month ago, but I was still trying to clear my non-status travel companion. Flight was F0 with all seats assigned on the seat map two weeks prior to flight departure. Even day of flight, ExpertFlyer was still showing F0, full seat-map. But at the JFK Flagship Lounge, I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw him on the standby list anyway. He was #1 of 2 on the list; even when we got to the gate, I went up to check with the gate agent. He confirmed that J was full and no one would be cleared off the upgrade list. I boarded the plane, started making myself comfortable, and noticed my friend boarding 2 min later with a big grin on his face. Apparently he had been paged up to the podium right after I boarded to get his new J boarding pass.

Just goes to show - never hurts to get on the list even though the odds seem next to nil.

(I also cleared his domestic flight from Y->F on a 762. This was his first domestic F experience and his first premium cabin experience for an intl flight. I had to burn a 2012 eVIP for him, but it was worth it to see how much he enjoyed it. ^)

dstan

Good catch - I've added a redundant statement in the Companions section.

The two slots part was also already in the FAQ entry on How does the upgrade waitlist work?, but needs to be updated to include the status part - is the following part about 'no-splits' correct as far as losing the status link? I think so, but could use confirmation.

wpj

In my experience talking to EXP desk (last time was 2 weeks ago about upgrades): they explained to me it goes to airport assignment @ T24, not T3, and the upgrade wait list is not transferred to airport so everything will start over upon check in process.

I asked if he can add me to airport list, he first said no, then said "yes, wait a minute", called someone and voilá, I was added to airport upgrade list as #1.

agent told me also I have to insist to be put in airport list, and not rely on the automated process. he recommended always to ask specifically to be put in airport upgrade list when I do the check in, specially if Im connecting, in the originating point.

I found out , the only way it works is being a pain in the butt, and ask many times, and insist with check in agents, AC agents, gate, phone, etc.

some will be very helpful and some will just tell you to go away without looking at the computer.

sellouts

Maybe this has changed in the past 18 months, but I was on a simple LAX-JFK-LAX mileage run and I found out about my JFK-LAX leg clearing via email while landing at JFK with 90 minutes or so until the return flight took off and I never requested being put on the airport list.

GregL

2011 started out badly on my part -- didn't get an upgrade on a Saturday afternoon STL-LAX flight.

21F (with 21E open) wasn't a bad compromise, especially with a free beverage thanks to EXP status.

The other three flights on my itinerary (LAX-LAS, LAS-DFW, DFW-STL) cleared very early in the 100 hour window.

Greg

kpc

I've tried to read through all the stickies, this thread etc and haven't quite found the answer to my Q.

I'm an AA nobody but a kind FTer has applied an eVIP for my international connecting to domestic flight next month. I'm waitlisted for a C upgrade award seat on the first sector with EF showing this: J7 D7 I6 C0, and waitlisted for an A award seat on the second domestic sector with EF showing F6 A0. I understand the waitlist process, the airport waitlist (and priority system), but my Q remains this:

If there are less pax on the waitlist than vacant seats in the particular cabin you are hoping to upgrade into, will everyone get the upgrade? eg if there are 7 seats in the J cabin open at departure, and there are 6 on the waitlist for the upgrade, will all 6 get upgraded? or will the plane depart with that particular cabin not full whilst there are some pax waitlisted for that cabin who don't get upgraded?

Thanks

qbrain

Everyone will be upgraded, but there are exceptions that may cause seats to go out empty with people waiting to upgrade. Your scenerios, most likely all 6 passengers would be upgraded.


First award class is Z, A is discount first, but you are correct an eVIP comes from A inventory for 2 class flights.

JY1024

I have four flights this weekend. 3 cleared quite early - earlier than I normally see. 1 cleared at the 105-hour mark, 1 cleared about 112-hour mark, and 1 cleared at about the 117-hour mark. (Yes, I double-checked my math...upgrades notification received ~noon Tuesday for Sunday morning flights.)

The fourth upgrade was interesting, too. The flight was at F2 for the last few days, so I figured it'd be a battlefield upgrade at the gate. Surprisingly, I received an EF alert about 4 hours before my flight, soon followed by an upgrade notification from AA. I went to check EF, and the flight was now F1 (and still is at F1, with 1 hour before departure). Frankly, I'm surprised to see that they bothered clearing me off the list with F2. Not that I'm complaining...

oklAAhoma

At 24 hours? Since when?

nologic

In my experience, they say whatever they want, with no consistent message. I was told by some telephone AAgents that the upgrade not clearing at the opening of the window on a wide open flight was due to: (i) backed up systems attributable to previous snowstorms (about a week prior); (ii) the need for the airline to make money and hold out seats for revenue passengers (we weren't talking about a few seats but something like 12/16 open seats on a quiet flight/day, with no pending storms in the area), and I suspect this was an over-zealous revenue manager and this was the purpose); to (iii) sympathetic and uncertain, except for advising that the uprgade was very likely to clear.

For what it's worth, my flight cleared somewhere at T-4.5 hours at around 3-4AM, and I was told that the upgrades it get assigned to the airport at T-4, and advised to go to the airport and check in early and then come home to get high on the list.

demkr

Well I think the AAgents need retraining, because #1 your spot on the list has nothing to do with when you check-in-it has to do with your status and when your original request was made.

I think sometimes the AAgents would do themselves a favor if they can root out inconsistencies and confusions on basic policy and upgrade priority matters. These are things that should be really easy for them to develop a coherent answer to.

Customers get more confused and more antsy when they are given conflicting data and its not good for the business.

As for that AAgent, if the airline is holding back seats they know it probably won't sell out of "Hope" that they *just might* make money off them-if thats true than the AApologist should probably stop crowing about AA's super advanced rev. management system.

nologic

I believe what we're seeing, hearing, and experiencing, is an example of revenue management run amuck, or revenue management creep. Seems to be too much Koolaid, if you ask me. The science is being turned into a hope and the aairline and its employees and systems are erring woefully on the side of conservatism.

What this revenue management process fails to do is measure or calculate the cost of customer dissatisfaction, which is especially high in the case of premium elite, high revenue passengers. So it's a very short-sighted, minimalist approach. They are also toying with their most educated consumers: people who have the ability and experience looking at flight loads by booking class and know the policies and practices of of AA and its competition.

The more people learn about these practices and experience these kind of situations, the more they will lose incremental business to competitors who are treating their revenue elite customers better.

At some point, the pendulum may swing back, and some brave soul may stand up within the aairline, in the face of those touting revenue savings by holding back seats, and note that they are not calculating lost revenues from customer dis-enfranchisement...but that's probably a ways to down the line.

Personally, I am quicker to fly DL, CO, or US, especially on 3-4 hour flights where the F&B quality differential is pretty minimal/irrelevant (ignoring the cost savings of free upgrades, which if translated into better/higher quality food purchased at the airport than is offered in on board, makes it a no-brainer).

Similarly, the AAdvantage program is getting less attractive as base price award seats are increasingly less available -- which further fuels this dynamic, making it a vicious dynamic.

vasantn

You must be flying a different AAirline than I am.

nologic

If it was just me and this experience, then I wouldn't have posted what I said above. This thread is full of similar experiences which indicate a policy shift/pattern and not an outlier/accident.