Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Airlines and Mileage Programs > American Airlines | AAdvantage
Reload this Page >

ARCHIVE: AA "instant upgrade" (-UP, YUP) fare discount First (master thd)

Old Jul 10, 2013, 4:13 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
SIZE="4"]AA "instant upgrade" (-UP) fare

Click here for the current thread.
[/SIZE]


These are often referred to as "instant upgrade" fares; they upgrade into the class of service P, A or I internationally with positive space; OSO / schedule disruptions mean unless the P, A, D, I etc. fare is offered on the new flight they "downgrade" to Coach on the next available flight. (One can wait for the next flight with P, A, D, I available, but this might require overnights etc. at one's expense.)

Purchasers should carefully read the Detailed Fare Rules, as many of these are, as essentially "instant upgrades", punitive in effect during IROPS / OSO", "change of gauge" aircraft substitutions, cancellations and missed connections because if the necessary fare inventory isn't available one is generally given the option to fly now, in Economy, or wait until such inventory becomes available (which may entail hours or days at the passenger's own expense).

The detailed fare codes for these flights might look like (international) GNE7C0Z1/CRUP or SNE7C0Z1/CRUP, Lxxxx, etc. Reaccommodation in Coach: these particular sample fates will be treated like an N class fare. As well: "The most restrictive set of fare rules applies to the entire itinerary. In addition other fare rules may apply."

In the detailed fare rules, instant upgrade fares may include something like this:

ECONOMY FARE WITH AN INSTANT ONE-CLASS UPGRADE AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE TO FIRST/BUSINESS. APPLICATION CLASS OF SERVICE THESE FARES APPLY FOR ECONOMY CLASS SERVICE. CAPACITY LIMITATIONS SEATS ARE LIMITED BOTH ECONOMY AND FIRST CLASS BOOKING INVENTORIES MUST BE AVAILABLE AT TIME OF BOOKING. THESE FARES PERMIT A ONE-CLASS UPGRADE AT THE TIME OF BOOKING.
E.G. During irregular operations or missed connections, one may continue in that class of service if A, P, D, I etc. as applicable is available, or the passenger can take a voluntary downgrade to the lower class of service / Y on an earlier flight. Some may do this if waiting for A, P or I requires one or more overnights.

Refunds may be limited to $0.50 per mile to a maximum of $50 per downgraded segment, and are limited to vouchers good for future travel on AA.

Link to compensation offered for an involuntary downgrade of "instant upgrade" fares:

Instant Upgrade tickets are booked in the Main Cabin. However, Instant upgrade ticketholders who travel in the Main Cabin due to an involuntary seat change, equipment change, routing change, flight cancellation, or missed connection as a result of a late incoming flight may request a travel voucher. The voucher value shall be equal to $0.10 per mile, or $50, whichever is greater, for each flight segment flown in the downgraded cabin. Refunds will be rounded to the nearest whole dollar amount, and can be requested at www.aa.com/refunds.
One explanatory post (15 Apr 2015) might be:

Originally Posted by FWAAA
...

Just moments ago, I priced out a trip from LAX to DFW, and two different discounted First Class ticket options were presented, the fare class of one was SA00ZNI1 (books into P) and the other was MA00ZRI1 (books into A).

At the bottom of the purchase summary screen, AA provides this warning:

■ First/Business Fares may be an Instant Upgrade and therefore subject to restrictions.
The fare rules for both tickets provide the following as the last entry:

Rule Application
and Other Conditions


NOTE THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS INFORMATIONAL AND NOT VALIDATED FOR AUTOPRICING. ECONOMY FARE WITH AN INSTANT ONECLASS UPGRADE AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE TO FIRST/BUSINESS. APPLICATION CLASS OF SERVICE THESE FARES APPLY FOR ECONOMY CLASS SERVICE. CAPACITY LIMITATIONS SEATS ARE LIMITED BOTH ECONOMY AND FIRST CLASS BOOKING INVENTORIES MUST BE AVAILABLE AT TIME OF BOOKING. THESE FARES PERMIT A ONECLASS UPGRADE AT THE TIME OF BOOKING.
Why does this matter? Because if I buy either of these tickets and then I decide that I want to fly an earlier or later flight, these fares will not permit me to walk up to the counter and claim a last-minute F seat if my capacity-controlled inventory is not available. For instance, if that last F seat is in F (not P or A), then I'd have to pay the fare difference in order to confirm a change to that seat.

We can (and have for years and years) argued around here that these fare practices are misleading - and I agree. Nevertheless, AA is most certainly still selling what it considers to be "instant upgrade" fares, and savvy travelers should read the fare rules* and plan accordingly.

*Or at least download them to your hard drive as a pdf at the time of reservation/purchase so that others might help decipher them when things go inverted. So often around here, people post questions where reading the fare rules is vital to an accurate answer, and they respond "who reads/saves those when buying a ticket?"

Back to the OP's question: How to find instant upgrade tickets? Nearly every domestic first class fare I've seen on aa.com is an instant upgrade ticket. Finding a domestic first class fare that isn't an instant upgrade fare is quite a chore. The OP can rest assured that if their fare books in P, A or F, they're going to earn their hoped-for tier points. As Microwave pointed out, the best/correct place for that discussion is in the British Airways forum where there are numerous BAEC members with experience in buying and flying on AA's instant upgrade F tickets.
Print Wikipost

ARCHIVE: AA "instant upgrade" (-UP, YUP) fare discount First (master thd)

Old May 2, 2011, 3:31 pm
  #61  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: TPA
Programs: AA PLT, Hilton diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 234
Originally Posted by jefftf1
Booking LAX-MEX and these two fares are confusing. Both get me in the front of the plane. Instant Upgrade is $100 less each way. Only difference I see on the fare chart is, surprisingly, that the Inst Up fare says 25-50% bonus, while Bus Spec is 25% bonus. So IU is cheaper and possibly gets more bonus miles than Bus Special.

Am I missing something here?
nothing that i can see. just more bonus miles maybe...
dopey! is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 3:38 pm
  #62  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
The only difference is that one is a KUP (coach fare with instant upgrade to J/F) and the other is a true I fare (discount business class fare). Both will show up as I inventory for the int'l segments and in this case A for the domestic segments (though on a KUP it's usually P). You should earn mileage and bonuses in accordance with purchasing a first class ticket on the domestic segment and a business class ticket on the international segment.

I think the reason you are seeing that difference is the fact that one is coach automatically upgraded to the next COS (so it would see the segments in J and F as being "different") while the other is a true business class fare, so the system thinks the entire thing is in business class.

The only other potential difference is that in the case of irregular ops, AA could argue that they aren't obligated to find you a seat in F/J because you technically have a coach ticket should you choose the instant upgrade fare. I doubt this would be an issue, but technically you have a coach ticket.

As an aside, there is little consistency with these fares, as sometimes the instant upgrade will price out as more expensive because it is combining non-combinable fares resulting in a price equivalent to two one-way tickets (and to add insult to injury, sometimes the more expensive of the two will be nonrefundable). Other times, I've seen the instant upgrade fares are actually DUP fares, booking into F. It's just a mixed bag, so you are wise to really dissect what you are getting.
JumboD is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 3:38 pm
  #63  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,731
An instant upgrade fare is technically an economy fare that is immediately upgraded. Therefore, in case of flight delay or cancellation, you may be rebooked in economy. In contrast, Business Special is a business fare and entitles you to everything that a business class ticket offers.

If you check the specific fare code, you should be able to look up the exact amount of bonus miles offered.
ckpeter is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 3:47 pm
  #64  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA EXP (2.2mm), SPG Plat, Accor Plat
Posts: 225
Originally Posted by ckpeter
An instant upgrade fare is technically an economy fare that is immediately upgraded. Therefore, in case of flight delay or cancellation, you may be rebooked in economy. In contrast, Business Special is a business fare and entitles you to everything that a business class ticket offers.

If you check the specific fare code, you should be able to look up the exact amount of bonus miles offered.
Please forgive my naivete, but is it possible to see the fare code when pricing out fares on aa.com, or do I have to learn to use expert flyer for that?

Thanks so much.
jefftf1 is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 3:52 pm
  #65  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: TPA
Programs: AA PLT, Hilton diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 234
Originally Posted by ckpeter
An instant upgrade fare is technically an economy fare that is immediately upgraded. Therefore, in case of flight delay or cancellation, you may be rebooked in economy. .
Not the case. I booked an IU fare back in december during the NYC blizzard and I was still rescheduled into first.
dopey! is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 3:54 pm
  #66  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: TPA
Programs: AA PLT, Hilton diamond, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 234
Originally Posted by jefftf1
Please forgive my naivete, but is it possible to see the fare code when pricing out fares on aa.com, or do I have to learn to use expert flyer for that?

Thanks so much.
You can see the fare codes on aa.com by selecting the "price and schedule" option when doing a flight search. the click flight details and it shows your classes and codes, etc
dopey! is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 4:16 pm
  #67  
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: 9,747
Originally Posted by dopey!
Not the case. I booked an IU fare back in december during the NYC blizzard and I was still rescheduled into first.
Sometimes people are reaccommodated in F, sometimes they are not. I've read reports from others indicating that they were indeed told that Instant Upgrade tickets can be reaccommodated in Y with no accompanying refund. So maybe "not the case for me" would have been a more factual way for you to state it.
Microwave is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 4:27 pm
  #68  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Originally Posted by Microwave
Sometimes people are reaccommodated in F, sometimes they are not. I've read reports from others indicating that they were indeed told that Instant Upgrade tickets can be reaccommodated in Y with no accompanying refund. So maybe "not the case for me" would have been a more factual way for you to state it.
This happened to me a number of years ago, I was on a YUP and I got a call that the ORD-DCA portion of my MKE-ORD-DCA had been cancelled and would be put on another flight. This was pre-FT and I didn't know what questions to ask, so I arrived at MKE and was handed a BP for coach on the two-class flight (guessing that A inventory wasn't available). I handed it back telling the TA that I'd booked and paid for first, and if AA couldn't accommodate me I was certain UA or NW could (my ticket was fully refundable). A minute of typing, and then a new BP with F inventory listed on it "magically" appeared.
JumboD is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 4:29 pm
  #69  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Originally Posted by dopey!
You can see the fare codes on aa.com by selecting the "price and schedule" option when doing a flight search. the click flight details and it shows your classes and codes, etc
That only shows you the single letter booking code that will appear on your BP/what inventory bucket must be available. To know the fare basis, you have to go through as though you are booking the ticket, then open the link to "fare rules" to see what's what. On the tickets the OP is looking at, the price and schedule finder will show both as the same inventory whereas they are based on different fares.
JumboD is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 5:35 pm
  #70  
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, UA Plat, Bonvoy Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,772
I travel on YUPs regularly and 100% of the time when there have been flight cancellations, I have been reaccommodated in Y with no refund provided. While you are theoretically at the head of the line for upgrades (or at least ahead of those awaiting sticker upgrades), in practice it is up to the gate agent and the prevailing opinion seems to be that these are coach fares, where upgrades are processed after all confirmed passengers are upgraded. If the $100 represents a small fraction of the fare, and you want to maximize the likelihood that you actually sit in business class, then I would pay it. It is very aggravating to pay a premium over a regular coach fare and then end up sitting back in coach when things go wrong.
MikeBOS is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 6:05 pm
  #71  
ts3
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Missouri
Programs: AA PLT 2MM, BAEC, SPG, UA, AF
Posts: 84
Originally Posted by Microwave
Sometimes people are reaccommodated in F, sometimes they are not. I've read reports from others indicating that they were indeed told that Instant Upgrade tickets can be reaccommodated in Y with no accompanying refund. So maybe "not the case for me" would have been a more factual way for you to state it.
When flying DFW-RDU last year on a YUP, my connection to DFW was delayed so I missed my DFW-RDU. (It was AA's mechanical, not weather related.) I went to the AC, and while the AAngels were extremely helpful, I had no choice but a Y seat as F was full. I was told by the AAngel that "you will automatically get a credit for the upgrade that you didn't get."

Uh, no. After repeated calls to CS and AAdvantage Gold desk, and even after talking to an EXP supervisor who said, "Yeah, you should get some sort of compensation," the official word from on high was "nope."

As a YUP was at least $500 more expensive than a deep discount Y fare that I could have purchased at the time of the reservation, I felt ripped off. So, I applied "squeaky wheel" strategy, and after several polite but insistent letters/emails to CS, I was given a $100 voucher and 10,000 miles.

It was an interesting result since all I was asking for was the upgrade I never received. I would have been happy with 15,000 miles to do a miles upgrade on a future flight, and stated thus in my letters/emails. I used the $500 cost difference to illustrate the point that offering a YUP but not GUARANTEEING the upgrade was a bit disingenuous on AA's part. In my mind, I BOUGHT the upgrade, and I think a reasonable interpreter (ie, small claims court) would agree.

So, I will NEVER buy a YUP again. Much better to buy 15,000 miles (or whatever for international) and do a miles upgrade if the seats are available. Or just use miles you accumulate. Or Business Special as the OP is considering. Because official AA policy per several letters I received is a YUP is NOT guaranteed.
ts3 is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 6:13 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Originally Posted by MikeBOS
I travel on YUPs regularly and 100% of the time when there have been flight cancellations, I have been reaccommodated in Y with no refund provided. While you are theoretically at the head of the line for upgrades (or at least ahead of those awaiting sticker upgrades), in practice it is up to the gate agent and the prevailing opinion seems to be that these are coach fares, where upgrades are processed after all confirmed passengers are upgraded. If the $100 represents a small fraction of the fare, and you want to maximize the likelihood that you actually sit in business class, then I would pay it. It is very aggravating to pay a premium over a regular coach fare and then end up sitting back in coach when things go wrong.
Aren't most YUP fares flexible (vs. KUP fares)? If they are, then as long as there is A inventory, you should be confirmed for a seat in F. In reality, in these situations I'd tell them they owe me the first F seat they have available (after equally displaced pax on higher priced tickets) and otherwise I'd take a full refund. As far as I'm concerned I purchased F and if AA isn't going to honor that and I have to fly Y, I'll make sure AA doesn't get a dime of the fare.
JumboD is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 6:15 pm
  #73  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Originally Posted by ts3
In my mind, I BOUGHT the upgrade, and I think a reasonable interpreter (ie, small claims court) would agree.
Not worth your time to go to court, but I'd certainly contest at least part of the charge on your credit card.
JumboD is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 7:02 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, UA Plat, Bonvoy Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,772
Originally Posted by JumboD
Aren't most YUP fares flexible (vs. KUP fares)? If they are, then as long as there is A inventory, you should be confirmed for a seat in F. In reality, in these situations I'd tell them they owe me the first F seat they have available (after equally displaced pax on higher priced tickets) and otherwise I'd take a full refund. As far as I'm concerned I purchased F and if AA isn't going to honor that and I have to fly Y, I'll make sure AA doesn't get a dime of the fare.
Some YUPs book into A, some into P. In irrops, there are usually weather issues so they often zero out all but F, and that's where the trouble arises. You also have problems if standing by, as I described, where more often than not in my experience you end up at the end of the upgrade queue, after all confirmed passengers have been upgraded.
MikeBOS is offline  
Old May 2, 2011, 7:10 pm
  #75  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
Originally Posted by MikeBOS
Some YUPs book into A, some into P. In irrops, there are usually weather issues so they often zero out all but F, and that's where the trouble arises. You also have problems if standing by, as I described, where more often than not in my experience you end up at the end of the upgrade queue, after all confirmed passengers have been upgraded.
Well, in cases such as this, I'd call reservations instead of dealing with the GA (assuming flight isn't under airport control), particularly at BOS!
JumboD is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.