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)
Mar 8, 2019, 9:40 pm
#602
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,223
Does anyone know if AA charges the close in redemption fee for upgrades cleared less than 21 days before departure? Literally asking for a friend because I have status so I’ve never been charged the fee.
Mar 9, 2019, 5:44 am
#603
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,438
No, as long as the upgrade is requested outside of 21 days then the expedite fee isn't charged. Otherwise that would be an incredibly sneaky way for AA to collect an extra $75 on basically all miles/copay upgrades for non-elites, since we all know how rare it is to find upgrade space in advance.
Mar 17, 2019, 3:20 pm
#604
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Jamison, PA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 288
I have a Business/Club World ticket bought through AA on BA metal in I class. I am AA gold and want to use miles to upgrade to First. ON Ef, it shows A 7 available when i specify AA but when I specify BA it shows Z0.
Can anyone tell me which airline I should specify in EF and if this will work?
I’m going to call AA to check but thought they would still be busy with the Max 8 stuff.
Thanks!
Can anyone tell me which airline I should specify in EF and if this will work?
I’m going to call AA to check but thought they would still be busy with the Max 8 stuff.
Thanks!
Mar 17, 2019, 3:30 pm
#605
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
I have a Business/Club World ticket bought through AA on BA metal in I class. I am AA gold and want to use miles to upgrade to First. ON Ef, it shows A 7 available when i specify AA but when I specify BA it shows Z0.
Can anyone tell me which airline I should specify in EF and if this will work?
I’m going to call AA to check but thought they would still be busy with the Max 8 stuff.
Thanks!
Can anyone tell me which airline I should specify in EF and if this will work?
I’m going to call AA to check but thought they would still be busy with the Max 8 stuff.
Thanks!
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
Mar 17, 2019, 3:39 pm
#606
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: SE Wisconsin
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond for Life
Posts: 337
Just requested my first miles + copay upgrade for my outbound flight, ORD->LAX->SYD, in late April. I am PPro, with a decent rolling EQD, and my purchased itinerary is in premium economy, with the domestic leg in Y, and the international leg in P.
I undertstand from what I’ve read that there is a low chance of the LAX->SYD upgrade clearing, but I figured I would try anyway.
My question is more about the domestic leg. ORD->LAX is still a decent ride, and I’d like to be up front if I can. When I requested the upgraded, the agent said he would remove the complimentary upgrade request. He said this would prevent an error later. So, I understand that the upgrade instrument will put me higher on the list, but... if the international leg does not clear, does that mean I am automatically excluded from the domestic upgrade?
I undertstand from what I’ve read that there is a low chance of the LAX->SYD upgrade clearing, but I figured I would try anyway.
My question is more about the domestic leg. ORD->LAX is still a decent ride, and I’d like to be up front if I can. When I requested the upgraded, the agent said he would remove the complimentary upgrade request. He said this would prevent an error later. So, I understand that the upgrade instrument will put me higher on the list, but... if the international leg does not clear, does that mean I am automatically excluded from the domestic upgrade?
Mar 17, 2019, 4:12 pm
#607
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Jamison, PA
Programs: AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 288
I don't believe I fare is eligible for upgrade in this case, unless it's on AA metal.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...r-airlines.jsp
I wasn’t sure when I saw my fare class in the wiki at the top of the thread.
4. Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
Guess, I can always call to ask, just wanted to do some homework.
Thanks.
Mar 17, 2019, 4:26 pm
#608
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: DFW
Posts: 270
Just requested my first miles + copay upgrade for my outbound flight, ORD->LAX->SYD, in late April. I am PPro, with a decent rolling EQD, and my purchased itinerary is in premium economy, with the domestic leg in Y, and the international leg in P.
I undertstand from what I’ve read that there is a low chance of the LAX->SYD upgrade clearing, but I figured I would try anyway.
My question is more about the domestic leg. ORD->LAX is still a decent ride, and I’d like to be up front if I can. When I requested the upgraded, the agent said he would remove the complimentary upgrade request. He said this would prevent an error later. So, I understand that the upgrade instrument will put me higher on the list, but... if the international leg does not clear, does that mean I am automatically excluded from the domestic upgrade?
I undertstand from what I’ve read that there is a low chance of the LAX->SYD upgrade clearing, but I figured I would try anyway.
My question is more about the domestic leg. ORD->LAX is still a decent ride, and I’d like to be up front if I can. When I requested the upgraded, the agent said he would remove the complimentary upgrade request. He said this would prevent an error later. So, I understand that the upgrade instrument will put me higher on the list, but... if the international leg does not clear, does that mean I am automatically excluded from the domestic upgrade?
Not it worth it.
Mar 17, 2019, 4:50 pm
#609
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Gatwick, UK
Programs: UA *G, BA Silver
Posts: 1,672
The list in the wiki is upgradeable fare classes for AA flights (marketed and operated). For BA flights C, J, D and R are the only upgradeable business class fares.
Mar 17, 2019, 5:23 pm
#610
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: SE Wisconsin
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond for Life
Posts: 337
Mar 17, 2019, 5:33 pm
#611
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 53
Upgrading with miles
Ok, I’m asking for my parents. They have 280,000 AA advantage points. They want to visit Germany next year in April. Can they buy economy tickets and upgrade to Business? I don’t think they have enough to upgrade to first. They would probably fly out of SFO or LAX.
Thanks
Thanks
Mar 17, 2019, 5:43 pm
#613
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
"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."
The link from above post provides AA's policy on upgrading on BA and IB metal.
Mar 17, 2019, 5:54 pm
#614
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,031
Take a peek here: https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...with-miles.jsp
Mar 17, 2019, 6:08 pm
#615
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,661
1. Odds of clearing the upgrade waitlist are low and unpredictable, only rarely are mileage upgrades confirmable at booking anymore, search ExpertFlyer for C availability to check
2. AA doesn't offer first to Europe except to London
3. Better bet may be redeeming for award tickets rather than attempting to upgrade (but search availability to see)... even if there isn't saver availability on AA (there is nearly zero), you may find it on Iberia or Finnair... and 280k is more than enough for two saver roundtrips in business.
2. AA doesn't offer first to Europe except to London
3. Better bet may be redeeming for award tickets rather than attempting to upgrade (but search availability to see)... even if there isn't saver availability on AA (there is nearly zero), you may find it on Iberia or Finnair... and 280k is more than enough for two saver roundtrips in business.
