Nov 25, 2016, 10:22 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Buying Higher Class of Service Than Ticketed
"Effective December 19, 2012, AA will waive the ticket change charge if customer purchases into a higher cabin (business or first), regardless of booking inventory, on the same routing/same day*. For example, no changes to origin/destination except the change to cabin/flight time is allowed with no ticket change charge. Customer would be responsible for paying the difference in fares. The non-refundable portion of the ticket remains non-refundable and would be handled internally by Refunds when necessary."
- AA Revenue Tickets, Ticket Change
Unlike an upgrade, earnings in EQM etc. should be for the new fare.
*This includes co-terminals as allowed in the detailed fare rules or elsewhere.
"Effective December 19, 2012, AA will waive the ticket change charge if customer purchases into a higher cabin (business or first), regardless of booking inventory, on the same routing/same day*. For example, no changes to origin/destination except the change to cabin/flight time is allowed with no ticket change charge. Customer would be responsible for paying the difference in fares. The non-refundable portion of the ticket remains non-refundable and would be handled internally by Refunds when necessary."
- AA Revenue Tickets, Ticket Change
Unlike an upgrade, earnings in EQM etc. should be for the new fare.
*This includes co-terminals as allowed in the detailed fare rules or elsewhere.
Upgrading AA Fare Code or Class of Service - Upfare / Upfaring (master thd)
Sep 2, 2013, 6:48 pm
#91
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
However, you forgot "M" (domestically it fits between "K" and "L"), and, on long-hauls, "R" (fits between "J" and "D").
See https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/e...s/american.jsp
Sep 2, 2013, 6:50 pm
#92
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, AA EXP
Posts: 2,704
You forgot "M" (domestically it fits between "K" and "L"), and, on long-hauls, "R" (fits between "J" and "D").
See https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/e...s/american.jsp
See https://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/e...s/american.jsp
Thanks!
Sep 2, 2013, 10:22 pm
#95
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,342
Put the fare on hold and call AA.com to upfare. You'll still be able to purchase the ticket online.
But if you want to find the lowest fare yourself, another option is to use the ITA matrix to search out itineraries:
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
Let's say you are looking for SFO-JFK and back and want to avoid G, Q, N, O, S. Here is what you enter:
SFO :: aa+ /f bc=Y|bc=B|bc=H|bc=K|bc=M|bc=L|bc=W|bc=V|bc=F|bc=A| bc=P|bc=J|bc=D|bc=I
JFK :: aa+ /f bc=Y|bc=B|bc=H|bc=K|bc=M|bc=L|bc=W|bc=V|bc=F|bc=A| bc=P|bc=J|bc=D|bc=I
Go to AA.com and match the flight times. After you put the itinerary old hold call AA up to upfare.
Clunky? Yes, but it gets the job done.
But if you want to find the lowest fare yourself, another option is to use the ITA matrix to search out itineraries:
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
Let's say you are looking for SFO-JFK and back and want to avoid G, Q, N, O, S. Here is what you enter:
SFO :: aa+ /f bc=Y|bc=B|bc=H|bc=K|bc=M|bc=L|bc=W|bc=V|bc=F|bc=A| bc=P|bc=J|bc=D|bc=I
JFK :: aa+ /f bc=Y|bc=B|bc=H|bc=K|bc=M|bc=L|bc=W|bc=V|bc=F|bc=A| bc=P|bc=J|bc=D|bc=I
Go to AA.com and match the flight times. After you put the itinerary old hold call AA up to upfare.
Clunky? Yes, but it gets the job done.
Sep 2, 2013, 10:40 pm
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
Yes, but it's not really necessary to search all of those fares. AA.com will show you the lowest coach, business, and first fares available. If OP is seeing deep discounted coach offered, all higher coach fares will also be available. So OP really only has to search for the minimum fare required for whatever he or she wants to do.
Sep 2, 2013, 11:41 pm
#97
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,342
Yes, but I mean of the fares that earn 1.0 EQP for example, V class is the lowest. If that's good enough, there's no need to search for ALL of AA's fares above that.
Sep 3, 2013, 12:23 am
#98
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: 대한민국 (South Korea) - ex-PVG (上海)
Programs: UA MM / LT Gold (LT UC), DL SM, AA PLT (AC), OZ, KE; GE and Korean SES (like GE); Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,995
Yes, but I mean of the fares that earn 1.0 EQP for example, V class is the lowest. If that's good enough, there's no need to search for ALL of AA's fares above that.
Sep 3, 2013, 1:13 am
#99
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
Does anyone know how to avoid the dreaded deep discount booking codes in coach on AA.com? Even all those "Choice Plus" and "Choice Essential" options still appear to book in the same booking code as "Choice"
In other words, is there any other way to book a coach fare without the deep discount code?
In other words, is there any other way to book a coach fare without the deep discount code?
~Moderator
Sep 3, 2013, 8:50 am
#100
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, AA EXP
Posts: 2,704
Yes, but it's not really necessary to search all of those fares. AA.com will show you the lowest coach, business, and first fares available. If OP is seeing deep discounted coach offered, all higher coach fares will also be available. So OP really only has to search for the minimum fare required for whatever he or she wants to do.
This is to help ensure that the OP gets the lowest 1.0 earning fare possible.
Sep 4, 2013, 7:29 pm
#101
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Programs: AA EXP & 3MM, SPG GLD
Posts: 1,215
Thanks for the responses and assistance. I tried searching but was not aware of the term "upfaring" 
For those who were curious as to why I inquired ... I still have several tickets to buy this year and I'm tying to figure out the best way to cross over 100,000 Q points again since I'm just returning from an AOWE4.
Specifically one ticket MKE-MIA the weekend of Sept 27th the "Choice" fares are running $500-$600 per ticket while the first class fares are running $1300-$1400 RT. Normally choice fares run $300-$600 RT with first class fares running $600-$800 for this route.
Unfortunately it seems AA is resigned completely eliminate the 757s from ORD and thus a plethora of 738s on this route with 150 seats in total and only 16 F seats - at least until they start adding widebodies back for the Winter. I can't bring myself to pay $1400 per F seat to MIA in October (maybe around the holidays, but not in Oct.) so if I'm going to be paying $500-$600 per ticket I don't want to be getting 0.5 Q points when I could have paid a bit more for a full 1.0 Q point.
I probably would have not had a problem getting to EXP without a mileage run or doing this extra work investigating the rest of my tickets if I had realized the new AA.com seems to default to those fare codes no matter the price earlier. The price of falling off the FT Wagon for a while ... LOL.
Thanks again!
For those who were curious as to why I inquired ... I still have several tickets to buy this year and I'm tying to figure out the best way to cross over 100,000 Q points again since I'm just returning from an AOWE4.
Specifically one ticket MKE-MIA the weekend of Sept 27th the "Choice" fares are running $500-$600 per ticket while the first class fares are running $1300-$1400 RT. Normally choice fares run $300-$600 RT with first class fares running $600-$800 for this route.
Unfortunately it seems AA is resigned completely eliminate the 757s from ORD and thus a plethora of 738s on this route with 150 seats in total and only 16 F seats - at least until they start adding widebodies back for the Winter. I can't bring myself to pay $1400 per F seat to MIA in October (maybe around the holidays, but not in Oct.) so if I'm going to be paying $500-$600 per ticket I don't want to be getting 0.5 Q points when I could have paid a bit more for a full 1.0 Q point.
I probably would have not had a problem getting to EXP without a mileage run or doing this extra work investigating the rest of my tickets if I had realized the new AA.com seems to default to those fare codes no matter the price earlier. The price of falling off the FT Wagon for a while ... LOL.
Thanks again!
Sep 4, 2013, 8:40 pm
#102
Join Date: May 2009
Location: IND || CMI
Programs: AA EXP 1M, Marriott LT Platinum, Hyatt Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz President Circle
Posts: 631
I just got off the phone with a really awesome platinum line person (wonder if it was an EXP pickup), who basically explained if you keep the exact same flight details, you can ask the agent to upgrade your fare class "i.e. upfaring". By using, EF you can figure out the cost difference before you even execute it.
E.g. I had a flight from CMI-ORD-EWR (and back) where the fare class was G/G/G/G, and to up it to G/P/P/G (ORD-EWR is a CR7) the cost went from $420 to $1220. No change fee (even though the G fare is pretty restrictive pair).
The agent stated the key thing that needs to be said is that you don't want to change your flight details just need to upgrade the fare class and if you know the classes tell them.
+-ADT
E.g. I had a flight from CMI-ORD-EWR (and back) where the fare class was G/G/G/G, and to up it to G/P/P/G (ORD-EWR is a CR7) the cost went from $420 to $1220. No change fee (even though the G fare is pretty restrictive pair).
The agent stated the key thing that needs to be said is that you don't want to change your flight details just need to upgrade the fare class and if you know the classes tell them.
+-ADT
Sep 16, 2013, 12:44 am
#103
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BUR
Programs: AA, DL Platinum, AS, AF/KL, UA, VS, HA, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 1,788
For domestic routes, I'm finding "V" fares (or anything earning 1.0 Q miles) are typically twice as much as, say, "O" fares ( or anything earning 0.5 Q miles). Is this typical?
Sep 16, 2013, 12:50 am
#104
Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: London, England
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus
Posts: 9,765
All AA marketed flights earn 1 elite qualifying mile per mile flown (plus elite minimums if applicable). So V and O are identical in that respect. If you're needing points, that's a different matter. I'm not accustomed to V being double O though; having examples would be most useful.
Sep 16, 2013, 1:06 am
#105
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: BUR
Programs: AA, DL Platinum, AS, AF/KL, UA, VS, HA, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 1,788
All AA marketed flights earn 1 elite qualifying mile per mile flown (plus elite minimums if applicable). So V and O are identical in that respect. If you're needing points, that's a different matter. I'm not accustomed to V being double O though; having examples would be most useful.
Lowest fare at aa.com is an O one at $338.
Using ITA Matrix, the lowest 1.0 EQP fare is a V one at $854.
That's pretty tough.
Last edited by Oakshadow; Sep 16, 2013 at 1:12 am Reason: EQM-EQP