Jul 28, 2015, 12:06 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
Mileage and copayment upgrades on American Airlines
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
Enjoy a higher cabin of service Link.
Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle for yourself or anyone you designate.
Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service* and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:
*E.g. Economy to Business, Business to three class First. At this time Premium Economy is treated as Economy for upgrade purposes.
See the chart here for cost in miles and dollars.
NOTE: The most expensive fare classes, full fare Economy Y, full fare Premium Economy W, and full fare Business J, may be upgraded without copay and at a lower cost in miles. See here.
Taxes and carrier-imposed fees:
Co-payment is non-refundable and inclusive of U.S. excise tax where applicable.
Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin (includes higher U.K. Air Passenger Duty If Flight originates in the UK or is a connecting flight with a connection time of 24:00 or more)..)
NOTE:
Miles and copay upgrades are to the next available cabin of service, are based on inventory being available, usable on AA marketed and operated flights (not codeshares operated by other airlines, not on other airlines' prime flights - BA and IB allow miles upgrades with AA miles but are very different and therefore not treated here).
See AA Participating Airline Upgrade Award - BA, IB, including codeshares (master thd), and note “one class of service” means Y to PE, PE to J, J to F where available on BA.
If the required inventory exists, they can be booked positively (i.e. upgraded immediately); if not, the request is wait listed. Wait list clearance is by status (EXP highest, no status lowest), and within status priority is by rolling 12 month EQD spend. Elites can have one traveling companion on the same PNR "borrow" their status for upgrade wait list purposes, until the request goes to the airport list, where you may want to assure your travel companion continues to hold your “borrowed” status for upgrade purposes.
Copays are waived for CK on all flights.
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ:
Q. It says the upgrade fees are nonrefundable. Do I lose my miles and money if I'm not upgraded?
If your upgrade request does not go through, miles and copay are in fact refunded.
Q. If I am waitlisted, in what priority order are upgrades processed?
Upgrades are processed first by AAdvantage status tier, secondarily by type of upgrade, thirdly by the previous rolling 12 month EQD spend.
Q. Which has higher priority if all other preceding factors are the same? An upgraded with miles + copay, or an upgraded with SWU?
They have equal priority. A few reports state copay + upgrade have been given priority at some overseas stations.
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. What happens to my booked seat whilst I'm waitlisted? If my upgrade doesn't come through, do I lose my reserved seat?
You normally retain your booked seat until (if) your upgrade comes through.
Q. How many flights can I upgrade with a single miles plus copay upgrade?
You may (assuming available inventory) upgrade up to three segments on the same ticketed itinerary (e.g. LHR-ORD-MIA-EZE, as long as they are on the same PNR).
Q. Can I look at AAnytime or MileSAAver award space to determine upgrade availability?
No. MileSAAver availability may be a good indication upgrade space may become available, but SAAver and upgrade inventories are separate.
Q. What fare inventory do I need to upgrade?
You need available "C" inventory to upgrade to two class domestic First and three class Business, "A" to three class First. These are not shown on aa.com, but some services (e.g. ExpertFlyer) do show them. The only way to reliably search for upgrade space on Expertflyer or other services is segment by segment. The reason for this is that by rule if C is available on the stand alone segment then the upgrade is allowed.
Q. I'm Executive Platinum. If I purchase an upgrade for someone without status, will they "borrow" my status for upgrade purposes?
They will if they are flying as your single traveling companion on the same flights. Otherwise, their status will determine their position on the upgrade wait list. This "borrowed" status was previously lost once the flight has gone to airport control; it doesn’t now, but it pays to check and see if it has been mismanaged by software - it can be restored when it has passed to airport control.
Q. Which miles earning and fare conditions will apply to my upgraded flights?
You will earn miles (award miles -- RDM -- and EQM) and EQ Dollars credit as determined by your originally purchased fare, and the applicable fare rules will also be determined by your originally purchased fare.
Older posts can be read in ARCHIVE: FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (consolidated)
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
- Elite status
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
- Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Executive Platinum
- Upgrade type
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- Elite qualifying dollars* in the past 12 months
- Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
- Time of request
- Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- Concierge Key
Enjoy a higher cabin of service Link.
Use your AAdvantage miles to upgrade on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle for yourself or anyone you designate.
Upgrades are valid to the next cabin of service* and are valid for a single one-way trip with a maximum of three segments. Upgrades are subject to capacity controls. Excluding award tickets, the following eligible fare types can be upgraded:
- Discount Economy with published fares booked in H,K,M,L,W,V,G,Q,N,O,S and
- Military or Government fares booked in Y
- Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y
- Discount Premium Economy with published fares booked in P
- Full-Fare Premium Economy with published fares booked in W
- Discount Business with published fares booked in I
- Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R
- Basic Economy fares booked in B are not upgradable
- Full-Fare Business with published fares booked in J, D or R
- Discount Business with published fares booked in I
- Full-Fare Premium Economy with published fares booked in W
- Discount Premium Economy with published fares booked in P
- Full-Fare Economy with published fares booked in Y
- Military or Government fares booked in Y
*E.g. Economy to Business, Business to three class First. At this time Premium Economy is treated as Economy for upgrade purposes.
See the chart here for cost in miles and dollars.
NOTE: The most expensive fare classes, full fare Economy Y, full fare Premium Economy W, and full fare Business J, may be upgraded without copay and at a lower cost in miles. See here.
Taxes and carrier-imposed fees:
Co-payment is non-refundable and inclusive of U.S. excise tax where applicable.
Mileage upgrade award tickets are subject to applicable taxes and security fees and may incur additional taxes as a result of upgrading to a higher class cabin (includes higher U.K. Air Passenger Duty If Flight originates in the UK or is a connecting flight with a connection time of 24:00 or more)..)
- Upgrading from Economy Class to Business Class or First Class may result in additional premium cabin taxes and carrier-imposed fees, including but not limited to flights originating in Great Britain and France.
- If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.
- Please contact American Airlines Reservations to obtain applicable taxes and carrier-imposed fees for specific itineraries.
- If the ticket is priced in USD, the additional taxes and carrier-imposed fees will be converted to USD at the time of ticketing.
NOTE:
Miles and copay upgrades are to the next available cabin of service, are based on inventory being available, usable on AA marketed and operated flights (not codeshares operated by other airlines, not on other airlines' prime flights - BA and IB allow miles upgrades with AA miles but are very different and therefore not treated here).
See AA Participating Airline Upgrade Award - BA, IB, including codeshares (master thd), and note “one class of service” means Y to PE, PE to J, J to F where available on BA.
If the required inventory exists, they can be booked positively (i.e. upgraded immediately); if not, the request is wait listed. Wait list clearance is by status (EXP highest, no status lowest), and within status priority is by rolling 12 month EQD spend. Elites can have one traveling companion on the same PNR "borrow" their status for upgrade wait list purposes, until the request goes to the airport list, where you may want to assure your travel companion continues to hold your “borrowed” status for upgrade purposes.
Copays are waived for CK on all flights.
Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ:
Q. It says the upgrade fees are nonrefundable. Do I lose my miles and money if I'm not upgraded?
If your upgrade request does not go through, miles and copay are in fact refunded.
Q. If I am waitlisted, in what priority order are upgrades processed?
Upgrades are processed first by AAdvantage status tier, secondarily by type of upgrade, thirdly by the previous rolling 12 month EQD spend.
Q. Which has higher priority if all other preceding factors are the same? An upgraded with miles + copay, or an upgraded with SWU?
They have equal priority. A few reports state copay + upgrade have been given priority at some overseas stations.
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. How soon will I know if my upgrade came through?
It can happen anytime inventory opens, from the time you book until the time you board. (Your request, including date and time of request, should carry over automatically to the airport list.)
Q. What happens to my booked seat whilst I'm waitlisted? If my upgrade doesn't come through, do I lose my reserved seat?
You normally retain your booked seat until (if) your upgrade comes through.
Q. How many flights can I upgrade with a single miles plus copay upgrade?
You may (assuming available inventory) upgrade up to three segments on the same ticketed itinerary (e.g. LHR-ORD-MIA-EZE, as long as they are on the same PNR).
Q. Can I look at AAnytime or MileSAAver award space to determine upgrade availability?
No. MileSAAver availability may be a good indication upgrade space may become available, but SAAver and upgrade inventories are separate.
Q. What fare inventory do I need to upgrade?
You need available "C" inventory to upgrade to two class domestic First and three class Business, "A" to three class First. These are not shown on aa.com, but some services (e.g. ExpertFlyer) do show them. The only way to reliably search for upgrade space on Expertflyer or other services is segment by segment. The reason for this is that by rule if C is available on the stand alone segment then the upgrade is allowed.
Q. I'm Executive Platinum. If I purchase an upgrade for someone without status, will they "borrow" my status for upgrade purposes?
They will if they are flying as your single traveling companion on the same flights. Otherwise, their status will determine their position on the upgrade wait list. This "borrowed" status was previously lost once the flight has gone to airport control; it doesn’t now, but it pays to check and see if it has been mismanaged by software - it can be restored when it has passed to airport control.
Q. Which miles earning and fare conditions will apply to my upgraded flights?
You will earn miles (award miles -- RDM -- and EQM) and EQ Dollars credit as determined by your originally purchased fare, and the applicable fare rules will also be determined by your originally purchased fare.
Older posts can be read in ARCHIVE: FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (consolidated)
FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (master thread)
Aug 25, 2016, 3:47 pm
#76
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: New York
Programs: BAEC Silver, &c.
Posts: 446
In the case of using miles & co-pay to upgrade an international flight, if the upgrade goes through in advance (and I understand that's a big if!), are you then treated as a confirmed business class passenger in the case of IRROPs and rebooking?
I tried searching, so my apologies if I've missed something obvious, but everything I found seemed to be on domestic sticker upgrades.
I tried searching, so my apologies if I've missed something obvious, but everything I found seemed to be on domestic sticker upgrades.
Aug 25, 2016, 3:53 pm
#77
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: AA PLT, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,405
Yes (well you should be, anyway, but we all know how #great AA is during irrops).
Sep 16, 2016, 11:05 am
#79
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: AA Platinum SPG Gold
Posts: 7
Upgrading With Miles (to merge)
Hey Folks,
I've checked the forums and haven't found a concrete answer here. Sorry if it's been discussed already.
Anyway, I'm flying to LHR tomorrow and requested to be upgraded with miles and copay. Apparently there was no inventory at the time of the request and I'm now on the waitlist.
I'm T-34 right now and looking at the seating, it looks like there are plenty of seats available, http://screencast.com/t/QEYDZ9PCy. Granted, going through AA's site, the only seats they are selling are refundable.
This is the first time that I've tried upgrading with miles so not sure of the overall process here.
With 15 available seats right now, are the odds even remotely decent that I clear? Is that an at the airport type of clearance?
I'm platinum (earned, not during a challenge) if that makes any difference.
Any help is appreciated...
Thanks!
I've checked the forums and haven't found a concrete answer here. Sorry if it's been discussed already.
Anyway, I'm flying to LHR tomorrow and requested to be upgraded with miles and copay. Apparently there was no inventory at the time of the request and I'm now on the waitlist.
I'm T-34 right now and looking at the seating, it looks like there are plenty of seats available, http://screencast.com/t/QEYDZ9PCy. Granted, going through AA's site, the only seats they are selling are refundable.
This is the first time that I've tried upgrading with miles so not sure of the overall process here.
With 15 available seats right now, are the odds even remotely decent that I clear? Is that an at the airport type of clearance?
I'm platinum (earned, not during a challenge) if that makes any difference.
Any help is appreciated...
Thanks!
Sep 16, 2016, 1:22 pm
#81
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: AA Platinum SPG Gold
Posts: 7
Yes, expertflyer shows nothing and hasn't for about a month.
The question was more along the lines of whether any of that inventory opens up closer to wheels up or would they prefer fly with those seats empty and not get the miles off their books + copay.
I understand that's not a question easily answered. More interested to get other people's experiences in general if they have it.
The question was more along the lines of whether any of that inventory opens up closer to wheels up or would they prefer fly with those seats empty and not get the miles off their books + copay.
I understand that's not a question easily answered. More interested to get other people's experiences in general if they have it.
Sep 16, 2016, 6:35 pm
#84
Join Date: Dec 2015
Programs: AA Platinum SPG Gold
Posts: 7
Thanks all.
Went into expert flyer this afternoon and saw 1 seat available and grabbed it.
It was a pain when I called in. Had to go through 3 different agents. Apparently the first 2 times the agent said she could see the availability but for some reason it couldn't clear. She assured me she would keep checking throughout her shift and call me back with an update by the end (yeah right).
Called and spoke to agent 2 and she thought she was able to clear it after a while. Luckily I checked my account again and noticed that not only did it not clear, but she had deleted my booking entirely.
Called a 3rd time, spoke to someone competent and got everything squared away.
It was a process but I got it!
Thanks for the help!
Went into expert flyer this afternoon and saw 1 seat available and grabbed it.
It was a pain when I called in. Had to go through 3 different agents. Apparently the first 2 times the agent said she could see the availability but for some reason it couldn't clear. She assured me she would keep checking throughout her shift and call me back with an update by the end (yeah right).
Called and spoke to agent 2 and she thought she was able to clear it after a while. Luckily I checked my account again and noticed that not only did it not clear, but she had deleted my booking entirely.
Called a 3rd time, spoke to someone competent and got everything squared away.
It was a process but I got it!
Thanks for the help!
Sep 16, 2016, 7:30 pm
#86
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: BNA and FLL
Programs: National Executive Elite, IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Gold, SW A List, Marriott Gold
Posts: 964
I would like to hear others experiences too. Why wouldn't they clear the wait listed people at like T-24 if there are seats. It's not like they are going to sell them at that point.
Sep 16, 2016, 7:35 pm
#87
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CUR
Posts: 2,170
What makes you say that? I've booked flights less than 24 in advance and I am certainly not the only one. And then there are misconnects and ful fare passengers changing their flights. Plenty of seats can be taken up in the last 24 hours.
Sep 16, 2016, 9:04 pm
#88
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: BNA and FLL
Programs: National Executive Elite, IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Gold, SW A List, Marriott Gold
Posts: 964
I'm talking international biz or F. You aren't going to see a flood of people buying them 24 hours out. But your other scenarios make sense.
Sep 16, 2016, 9:34 pm
#89
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: JFK/LGA
Programs: AA EXP/5 MM, BA Blue Bayou, HH LT Diamond
Posts: 5,828
The reference to EF was not just about checking C availability but also discount paid biz eg I and D under the premise that availability of lower fares begets lower demand begets excess supply.
Sep 18, 2016, 1:24 pm
#90
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 18
Internatl Upgrade - Miles + Pay: Call AA?
Lowly Gold with a question.
I am flying LAX to AKL in Nov. Hoping to upgrade using miles + Pay. I have an alert set with Expert Flyer for C fare availability.
In the meantime, is there any value to me calling AA to get on a waitlist for the upgrade? I've tried to research this on my own but cannot seem to get a clear and final answer. Thanks.
I am flying LAX to AKL in Nov. Hoping to upgrade using miles + Pay. I have an alert set with Expert Flyer for C fare availability.
In the meantime, is there any value to me calling AA to get on a waitlist for the upgrade? I've tried to research this on my own but cannot seem to get a clear and final answer. Thanks.