Question about 500-mile upgrades
 

I now have Gold status for the first time. Flights under 500 miles receive auto-requested upgrades 24 hours before the flight, correct?

If yes, does this apply for a connecting flight?

For example, my purchased ticket is from Boston to Los Angeles with a connection in New York. On the Boston-New York segment, will the auto-request kick in?

Does it matter that the total trip length is greater than 500 miles?

It'll auto request BOS-NYC, no problem. The only exception to auto-requested 500-mi segments would be if you're on a "through flight" (that is, where both BOS-NYC & NYC-LAX are on the same flight number, which I haven't seen on any route in a long time, see here for more info: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...ter-thd-8.html)

Is this agent wrong?
 

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e3c22b12ae.png
Background, I’m an EP and my wife is GLD. The system wanted to take the stickers out of her account when checking in and forced us to buy more stickers when I had enough to cover hers. The check in agent didn’t help and directed us to the kiosk to purchase. Now customer relations are saying it only comes out of the sponsoring account when it’s an award flight. Am I going crazy or is the agent incorrect?

This one is tricky as it depends on how the upgrade requests were set up, IME. I'm EXP, girlfriend PLT, so I've run into this a bunch. Also, AFAIK, the award vs. paid ticket thing is not correct or at least irrelevant here, so I would disregard that.

But, if you were on the same PNR, and you didn't call AA before to do anything "special" with the request (see below), and the upgrades cleared before arriving at at airport, then the stickers would be pulled from her account (and the agent was correct).

The system is set up such that when both pax have status it will pull stickers from each individual account, as it will also separate you out on the waitlist by status, even when you're on the same PNR.

I found on a few occasions traveling with PLT gf we would get to the airport and I'd be #1 and she'd be say #6, same PNR. This doesn't make sense as if it was a no-status companion they'd be #2 right behind me, but because she has PLT the computer sees that and pushes her back with PLTs. Just the way the system is.

In order to get around this you have to call AA, remove her AA#, re-request the upgrade as a no-status companion, then add back her AA#. The request is then set up so that she inherits my EXP status on the waitlist, and any stickers necessary will be pulled from my account, not hers.

Clear as mud?

Good stuff, I think that will help many more facing this issue. From a technicality standpoint, the stickers should be coming from my account right?

That's what I was saying, it depends how you set the upgrade up.

If you are traveling with a companion who has status, and you don't do anything before and both upgrades clear under the normal process, then the system will pull the companion upgrade stickers from the companion's account.

But, if you call AA before and specifically ask for your companion to inherit your status for upgrades, then they make the adjustments I mentioned above, and the companion upgrade stickers will then be pulled from your account.

• Executive Platinums do not earn, or need, 500 mile upgrades, but they can use them for one traveling companion.

Does this mean if I am traveling on an award ticket with my family (wife and 1 child), I cannot put everyone on the upgrade list?

1 traveling companion only.

So is a paid ticket+SWU the only way to upgrade multiple companions?

If you have 2 companions, you can use stickers for one. You can use SWU, mileage+copay, or a Business Extra award for the other.

Inconsistencies regarding companions
 

I am EXP and my companion is Gold. I have found great incinsitancies with regard to upgrading my companion on my record locator. Most AE flights seem to get it right, by pulling a sticker from her account, pulling her along into my upgrade- often at the 72 hour mark, and, otherwise placing her just below me on the upgrade list. The mainline flights, however, often have disparate results. I am either pulled down on the list, or, more often than not, she gets very separated on the upgrade list. I have tried loading stickers in my account and in hers, and found the latter more effective when the system is working right. In the end, after many consultations with numerous ticket counters, lounge personnel and ExP phone desk people, I have received very different instructions as to how to effectively make the policy that travel companions get equal upgrade status work.

See just above, I went through a detailed explanation of what happens when your companion also has status in post 404...

Thanks! I will try this.

Just a heads up, if you have more than 2 people including you on your PNR they will need to "split" the reservation to get you and you companion on the upgrade list. To my knowlege it is only for the departure or return. This means that you will need to put your other traveling companions in MCE before the split.

This is a great write up. In the situation with an EXP/PLT or really any other difference in status between the flyers, would it be easier to book the tickets without entering the lower status flyer's AA# into the record, then request the upgrade at or following the issuance of the ticket, and then put in the companion's AA#? Would that work?

Does this also mean you must have the correct # of stickers in your acct or else you must be separate on the waitlist?

Yes, I started doing exactly that. I would leave my GF's number off the reservation at the time of booking, and would add it sometime before the flight.

No different than any other request, if you want to leverage the higher status for both pax then all stickers must come from the higher status account, and thus that person must have enough stickers in their account before you can check in.

I don't understand. I have always been told they have to come out of each account if both are Elite. I had found this out after buy stickers to have enough to upgrade us both and putting them in my account, but had forgotten my wife had made Gold for the first time. I am LT PLT. Did something change recently? Your comment makes it sound like they would come out of the higher status account. Another odd thing is when my wife had no status, she go upgraded based on my status and I didn't. (Only 1 seat available at the gate)

Nothing has changed as far as I know, it all depends on how the upgrade is set up as to which account the stickers get pulled from. If you book a ticket with both of you on the same PNR and don't do anything, then the stickers will get pulled from each of your accounts. But if you call AA to have the upgrade set up such that the higher status is leveraged for both for upgrade priority, then all stickers would have to be pulled from the higher status pax's account.

Per the wiki there’s no way to see if automatic UG space is available correct? Even if it’s within my UG window and there is C space available they are mutually exclusive?

Correct, there's no search tool. Generally if there is C space available, then that's a good sign there will be sticker upgrades given--but not necessarily to you! Sticker upgrades might just not have processed yet. (I wouldn't call upgrade-C and upgrade-R availability "mutually exclusive"... just not coextensive).

Thanks for confirming, it’s been over 24 hours into my window, and the availability hasn’t moved. Granted I have a companion so I want to make sure that isn’t screwing up my processing order.

I'm an EXP that used the 15k miles + $75 to upgrade from coach to biz at time of booking on an A321T transcon, am I eligible for UDU from my current spot in biz to F or not?

No, you cannot double upgrade from Y to F via any instrument on AA. Additionally even if you were in paid business you cannot use stickers to upgrade to F on any of the 3 class transcons.

Use of stickers
 

I have 36 stickers in my account. I am EXP. I assume in general that if I drop as low as Plat I won't be able to use them to upgrade anyway, and as PP or EXP I don't need them. If I book with a companion as an EXP, and I get upgraded, are stickers required for them? If I book an award flight as an EXP with a companion, it is correct that I get upgraded for free but would need stickers for the companion? Is the answer any different for <500 mile segments?

correct. And it applies to all length agents.

EXP upgrade w/ others
 

I"m EXP flying with wife and son who have no status. I have applied for an upgrade for all, but don't have enough 500ml upgrades for us.

If there are 3 C seats, will they upgrade us all?

Is it possible for me to be separated and get a a single upgrade (which I typically give to me wife if they let me) with out them?

thanks in advance.

Are u using a mix of upgrade instruments because u say you have 2 companions yet when using a 500 miler you can only upgrade one other companion. Is your child possibly a an infant and doesn’t have their own seat? Don’t know how u have requested upgrades for a total of 3 people.

if you clear, you will not be able to checkin until you purchase the required number of stickers.

If you typically give the upgrade to your wife, then why are you asking if it can be done?
Additionally, how did you apply for upgrades for "all", if the other 2 have no status?

I’d like to see a flight that has 3 open F seats!

another question is where is the OP flying too? some upgrades are very hard to clear even as a EXP

is the upgrade fare class for complimentary upgrades the same as the SWU bucket? c class?

It's R.

Question: I have a flight upcoming that I have already applied the 500mi upgrades to, but I will lose status (as I obtained via Status Match/Accelerator) before the flight actually takes place. Will I still have a shot at clearing using the 500mi upgrades if they're already applied?

I’m confused. You’re saying you did a status match challenge that gave you gold or platinum status during the challenge and you somehow already had 500mi certs and you didn’t meet the requirements of the challenge within the window so you will lose your status right before the flight? If so you won’t clear the upgrade.

Yes. They automatically gave everyone who got targeted for the Status Match free status Accelerator 10 500mi upgrades. They are already applied to my flight, but I lose status (back to regular member) a week before the flight occurs. Either way, I think you're probably right. Oh well, at least I'm in a domestic Premium Econ seat already for free.

I would say the "premium economy" MCE seat is a win, those can cost over $100 each. Plus, your 500 mi upgrades never expire. You can't use them if you're not an elite gold or plat, but you keep them until you are someday.

I can confirm that. I have a couple dozen in my account that are, at present, useless to me.

Years ago status lost would stick to existing reservations (the opposite was true when gaining status too). If still true, you might get lucky but also don’t do anything after losing status that might force a sync (SDC, changing seats, etc)

that’s what I’m hoping for. Fingers crossed.