Originally Posted by dstan

Welcome nor4! Please take some time to review the first post of this FAQ. Not only does it provide the answer to your question, it also notes that this thread is reserved for discussion of the FAQ itself as opposed to individual questions. Thanks for your understanding.

FAQ: How do I book an upgradeable fare?

Originally Posted by nor4

Sorry for posting in the wrong place, it takes a while to learn all the rules of new forums.

I will try to find the spot to pose my question as your reference link and further downstram links did not answer the question.

Originally Posted by dstan

• How can I upgrade on AA?

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Systemwide Upgrades (SWU / eVIP)
EXP members receive 8 systemwide upgrades upon (re)qualifying for status each year and AAdvantage members reaching increments of ≥2 million miles also receive 4 systemwide upgrades. Systemwide upgrades are valid through the end of the following membership year (last day of Feb) and travel must be completed by that date. Systemwide upgrades can be requested for AA flights (no codeshares) at the time of booking and may clear at any time once appropriate upgrade inventory becomes available. Requests cannot be made online and must be made by phone with an AA Reservations agent. As of October 6, 2009, all published fares (including previously excluded I, O, and Q overseas) are eligible for upgrade. Up to three segments one-way can be upgraded using a single systemwide upgrade, and the upgrade will be charged if any of the segments clear. Systemwide upgrades are not valid on partner airlines or on AA codeshare flights operated by another airline. EXP members may use their systemwide upgrades to upgrade other passengers and do not need to be traveling with them; the passenger’s own status and time of upgrade request will govern their priority order

Passengers can determine which flights have upgrade inventory available prior to booking in order to choose flights that can be cleared immediately after the status changes from ‘Purchased’ to ‘Ticketed’. EXPs can also accomplish this simultaneously with the assistance of a phone agent and are exempt from phone booking fees. Upgrade inventory cannot be viewed on AA.com, but availability can be determined by calling AA Reservations (+1 800-433-7300) to inquire. Upgrades to First Class book into A inventory, which can also be viewed online with any public inventory tool, such as the KVS Availability Tool, a subscription service. Upgrades to Business Class book into C inventory, which is not publicly available but can be viewed online using ExpertFlyer, a subscription service that also offers a free 5-day trial. A tax differential charge will apply when upgrading a flight originating in France or any segment of an itinerary originating in the U.K.

The priority for granting systemwide upgrades is determined by the passenger’s status, then by time of upgrade request, assuming A or C inventory is available. Upgrade requests are dropped when the airport takes control of a flight and must be requested again at the airport. In this instance, upgrade priority depends on the passenger’s status and the time of checkin. N.B.: Contrary to what some have described at a few overseas stations, members with miles and co-pay upgrades do not officially have priority over systemwide upgrades.

Wiki: Upgrades: Systemwide Upgrades
AA.com: Systemwide Upgrades
FT: What is a SWU / eVIP? How does one work? How long do they last? (consolidated)
FT: AA now allows I, O and Q upgrade awards (some higher co-pays coming) (Oct 2009)
FT: How quickly do SWU / eVIP upgrades post?
FT: SWU / eVIP balance now available online (Jan 29, 2009)

Originally Posted by dstan

• Will I have lounge access on my itinerary?

One of the most frequently asked questions on FlyerTalk! There are number of ways to obtain lounge access during travel on AA and its oneworld partner airlines. These include purchasing an Admirals Club annual membership, 30-day membership, or day pass; holding an Amex Platinum card; or traveling internationally with PLT or EXP status or in F or J. The last is often the greatest source of confusion, despite lounge access rules being described clearly on AA.com.

Originally Posted by dstan

• Is it worth it to purchase Admirals Club membership or a daypass?

Admirals Club membership can be purchased annually for varying dollar or mileage amounts, depending on elite status, with renewals cheaper than new memberships. Recently, AA began offering 30-day memberships, which carry all of the privileges of annual membership and allow purchase of a new annual membership at the renewal rate during the 30-day period. One-day passes can also be purchased at any Admirals Club, self-service kiosk, or online, and are valid for the entire travel day at multiple airports. There are several other mechanisms for gaining access to Admirals Clubs, discussed in this entry.

Originally Posted by dstan

• Is it worth it to purchase Admirals Club membership or a daypass?

FT: Admirals Club One Day Pass & 30-Day Membership (May 2012-present)

Originally Posted by dstan

• What awards can I book using ‘old miles’ earned prior to July 1, 1989?

<snip>

In July 2012, AA announced that all non-expiring ‘old miles’ would convert to normal expiring miles with a 25% bonus as of November 1, 2012.

FT: Old (Pre-1989) AAdvantage Miles - Awards, Upgrades, etc. (consolidated) (historical and most recent information)
FT: Non-expiring miles to be converted to normal miles, with 25% bonus (as of Nov 2012)

Originally Posted by dstan

• What are Preferred seats?

Preferred seats (previously Express seats) are at or near the front of the coach cabin, including bulkhead rows, and are available for purchase at the time of booking through the check-in deadline for a flight. Available Preferred Plus seats are shaded in green on AA.com seat maps, although occupied Preferred seats are not designated. Pricing starts at $4 per flight one-way and is based on flight distance. As of August 25, 2011, Preferred seats are available free of charge to elite AAdvantage and oneworld members, AAirpass members, full fare/AAnytime award passengers (Y, B), active duty U.S. military, and their traveling companions on the same reservation. Preferred seats are available for purchase through AA.com, phone, or airport self-service kiosks between 24 hours and 50 minutes prior to departure, even after previously checking in online.

<snip>

AA.com: Seating Options | FAQ
FT: Express Seats - Paid premium seating in economy
FT: Express Seats rebranded as Preferred Seats (Aug 25, 2011)

Originally Posted by dstan

• Where can I find more information about a specific lounge?

<snip>

Master List of Lounge Threads
FT: LGA / New York LaGuardia Concourse D Admirals Club (consolidated)
FT: LGA / New York LaGuardia Concourse C Admirals Club Construction (2012)

Originally Posted by dstan

• How does the upgrade waitlist work?

500-Mile electronic / sticker upgrades may clear at any time between the opening of the relevant upgrade window (based on status) and the time the gate agent closes the aircraft door. Note that upgrades only clear when appropriate inventory is made available and elites do not necessarily clear at their upgrade window. Thus, passengers will often find themselves at the gate looking at the upgrade waitlist on the monitor. In the case of a connecting itinerary, the upgrade windows for the entire itinerary are based on the departure time of the originating flight, rather than each individual flight, so upgrades for connecting flights may clear prior to the opening of the upgrade window for that particular flight. If upgrades are not cleared prior to check-in by the automated upgrade system, passengers must request to be added to the airport upgrade waitlist at check-in, and must have sufficient 500-mile electronic upgrades in their account for the flight in question to be added to the airport list (see: How many 500-mile electronic upgrades / stickers do I need and when must I have them?).

Upgrade priority is based on:
Note that check-in time no longer affects 500-mile electronic / sticker upgrade priority, although it does still impact standby priority.

Elites requesting a companion upgrade will have their status applied to both passengers, but will, by default, only clear if both upgrades become available simultaneously, and may be passed over if only one upgrade inventory slot becomes available. This ‘no-split’ designation can be removed manually by calling AA Reservations, however, this also removes the linking of the elite member’s status to the companion. Note that this companion linking apparently does not always transfer properly from the automated upgrade system to the airport upgrade waitlist.

Award and systemwide upgrades come from distinct inventory compared to 500-mile electronic upgrades, and may clear at any time between the original request and the time when the gate agent closes the aircraft door. For award and systemwide upgrades, you must ask to be added to the upgrade waitlist manually at the airport and, at present, it is believed that check-in time, rather than time of request, does still impact waitlist priority for these upgrade instruments. There is no set priority amongst the different upgrade instruments, although some foreign stations have been reported to favor Award Upgrades over systemwide upgrades and domestic gate agents may favor 500-mile electronic upgrades over award and systemwide upgrades for expediency since the former does not require reticketing.

Wiki: Upgrade: Waitlists | PALL List | Inventory Classes
AA.com: 500-mile Electronic and EXP upgrades | EXP Upgrade Info | PLT Upgrade Info | GLD Upgrade Info
FT: 500-Mile electronic upgrade / sticker protocols (2009, consolidated)
FT: Companion upgrades - linking and splitting of elite status and PNRs (consolidated)
FT: Connecting passengers trump originating passengers on upgrade waitlist
FT: Impact of Y & B Fares on EXP and 500-mile electronic / sticker upgrade priority
FT: Upgrade waitlist info only available at airport, not by phone or web
FT: Can I upgrade from standby? (consolidated)

Originally Posted by dstan

• How many 500-mile electronic upgrades / stickers do I need and when must I have them?

Each increment of up to 500 miles for a given flight segment requires the use one 500-mile electronic upgrade. Thus, a 1100-mile flight requires three 500-mile electronic upgrades. AA does provide an unofficial ‘grace window’ of 51 miles on the total mileage, so a 1051-mile flight will only require two 500-mile electronic upgrades. EXP upgrades are complimentary and do not require 500-mile electronic upgrades.

Elites can request an upgrade for one companion traveling on the same flight (not necessarily the same itinerary or reservation). As of Jul 2009, if both passengers are elites, 500-mile electronic upgrades will be debited separately from each member’s account. (Previously, the default was to debit the upgrades from the requestor’s account, which could be overridden at the airport by asking an agent to remove the ADC code on the Passenger Item List after the upgrade had cleared.)

Passengers do not need to have any 500-mile electronic upgrades in their accounts to request an upgrade online, but do need to have enough stickers in their accounts at check-in if the upgrade has cleared in advance, or if they would like to add themselves to the airport upgrade waitlist if the upgrade has not cleared in advance. 500-Mile electronic upgrades are only debited once the flight is completed.

AA.com: 500-mile and EXP upgrades
FT: 500-Mile electronic upgrades / stickers pulled separately for elites traveling together
FT: 500-Mile electronic upgrades / stickers “51-mile Grace Window” (consolidated)

Originally Posted by dstan

• Will I have lounge access on my itinerary?

One of the most frequently asked questions on FlyerTalk! There are number of ways to obtain lounge access during travel on AA and its oneworld partner airlines. These include purchasing an Admirals Club annual membership, 30-day membership, or day pass; holding an Amex Express Centurion or certain Platinum cards; traveling on certain domestic transcon flights in F or J; or traveling internationally with PLT or EXP status or in F or J. The last is often the greatest source of confusion, despite lounge access rules being described clearly on AA.com.

<snip>

AA.com: Admirals Club | Locations and Access Policies | Transcon Access | Flagship and Arrivals Lounges | Access for Returning Soldiers

<snip>

FT: Lounge Access – Transcon class-of-service-based access – changing to JFK-SFO, JFK-LAX, MIA-LAX only, any first/business fare (as of Sep 1, 2012)

Originally Posted by dstan

• What awards can I book using ‘old miles’ earned prior to July 1, 1989?

In 1989, AA changed the rules of the AAdvantage program so that miles could expire. Any miles earned prior to July 1, 1989 do not expire and can still be used to redeem awards based on the 1989 award chart. These ‘old miles’ can be very valuable compared to current AAdvantage miles for certain awards. The old award chart was previously available on a website maintained by FlyerTalk member FewMiles. That website is now defunct as of July 2010, but the pages are still archived here.

In July 2012, AA announced that all non-expiring ‘old miles’ would convert to normal expiring miles with a 25% bonus as of November 1, 2012.

FT: Old (Pre-1989) AAdvantage Miles - Awards, Upgrades, etc. (consolidated) (historical and most recent information)
FT: Non-expiring miles to be converted to normal miles, with 25% bonus (as of Nov 2012)

Originally Posted by Shareholder

WHERE ON MY STATEMENT WILL I FIND MY EVIP COUNT?

I should have earned my eight last weekend but so far I cannot see them posted on my online statement. Assume they should appear as a separate line entry under where my 500s show (earned prior to achieving ExecPlat status). If not, where?

BTW I assume ExecPlats don't earn 500s.