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 17, 2019, 7:31 pm
#616
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: TX
Programs: AA: EXP MR: Ti
Posts: 495
Agree with poster above. While there is a mechanism in place with quoted mileage amounts for them to upgrade, the reality is that these are based on availability of specifically designated upgrade space, which is incredibly difficult to come by.
Mar 17, 2019, 8:21 pm
#617
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,017
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
LAX or SFO will require a transit some where. Be wary of BA flights.
AA from SFO has no non stop Eu destinations
AA flys from LAX to LHR only
AA flys to MUC from CLT, DFW & PHL
AA flys to FRA from CLT & DFW
AA flys to TXL from PHL
Some flights are seasonable. PHL MUC ends 30 March 2019.
Somewhere else in Eu and train ride may have the same objective.
FAQ: Miles + Copay Upgrade / Upgrades (master thread)
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...er-thread.html
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Mar 17, 2019 at 9:55 pm
Mar 17, 2019, 11:48 pm
#619
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: AA PPR
Posts: 28
If you book a seat in business there is nothing to clear. That is a ticketed and confirmed seat.
Mar 18, 2019, 12:35 am
#620
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,017
Flying a BA aircraft on an AA award will have a hefty award carrier $$ surcharge. Better to fly an AA flight if you can (no award surcharge)
BA IB----> Help avoid YQ Surcharge: AA award on BA / British (& Iberia) (master thread)
Mar 18, 2019, 1:40 am
#621
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 53
Awards & upgrades are always a gamble. With an award the seat is locked in.
Flying a BA aircraft on an AA award will have a hefty award carrier $$ surcharge. Better to fly an AA flight if you can (no award surcharge).
OK, I’m kind of confused because I thought the whole point to fly with one airline and be loyal was because of miles and a chance to fly using those miles. However, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but after doing a search I see a lot of BA flights and AA flights that include BA flights. That award carrier surcharge for business class is like buying a PE ticket. I would think that I could get a ticket from LAX to JFK and then JFK to Berlin and not have to pay a surcharge. My point being is I wondering why stay loyal if I think the customer is getting the short end of the stick.
BA IB----> Help avoid YQ Surcharge: AA award on BA / British (& Iberia) (master thread)
Flying a BA aircraft on an AA award will have a hefty award carrier $$ surcharge. Better to fly an AA flight if you can (no award surcharge).
OK, I’m kind of confused because I thought the whole point to fly with one airline and be loyal was because of miles and a chance to fly using those miles. However, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but after doing a search I see a lot of BA flights and AA flights that include BA flights. That award carrier surcharge for business class is like buying a PE ticket. I would think that I could get a ticket from LAX to JFK and then JFK to Berlin and not have to pay a surcharge. My point being is I wondering why stay loyal if I think the customer is getting the short end of the stick.
BA IB----> Help avoid YQ Surcharge: AA award on BA / British (& Iberia) (master thread)
Mar 18, 2019, 1:53 am
#623
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,017
OK, I’m kind of confused because I thought the whole point to fly with one airline and be loyal was because of miles and a chance to fly using those miles. However, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but after doing a search I see a lot of BA flights and AA flights that include BA flights. That award carrier surcharge for business class is like buying a PE ticket. I would think that I could get a ticket from LAX to JFK and then JFK to Berlin and not have to pay a surcharge. My point being is I wondering why stay loyal if I think the customer is getting the short end of the stick.
If you select an Eu airport BA flys to from UK and AA does not fly to from USA AA IT will almost always push you to BA
AA does not fly to Berlin from JFK (as post above with AA Eu destinations)
AA now has married logic with awards, that preference smaller airports.
AA thread -->More award availability restricted by married segments / connections
That's just the way it is with AA awards
It is not easy
Mar 18, 2019, 5:45 am
#624
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
If there were to upgrade to first they would have to buy business seats and unless Heathrow is part of their travels, it wouldn't be worth it to route through there just for an upgrade from a premium cabin to a marginally more premium cabin.
Mar 18, 2019, 5:47 am
#625
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
AA now has married logic with awards, that preference smaller airports.
AA thread -->More award availability restricted by married segments / connections
AA thread -->More award availability restricted by married segments / connections
Mar 18, 2019, 7:01 am
#626
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 53
Ok, I have to tell you but after doing some research I don’t understand why someone would want to stay loyal to AA because to redeem the miles seeems a little bit like a gimmick. Because if you route it through LhR, which is were it connects it is 45k awards and over a thousand dollars for transfer fees. If you route it through the US, making the connection in Philadelphia they want over 200k award points. If you want to upgrade using points, someone mentioned my parents upgrade chances would be slim. Hmmm sounds like this award miles is a little gimmicky.
Mar 18, 2019, 7:57 am
#627
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Ok, I have to tell you but after doing some research I don’t understand why someone would want to stay loyal to AA because to redeem the miles seeems a little bit like a gimmick. Because if you route it through LhR, which is were it connects it is 45k awards and over a thousand dollars for transfer fees. If you route it through the US, making the connection in Philadelphia they want over 200k award points. If you want to upgrade using points, someone mentioned my parents upgrade chances would be slim. Hmmm sounds like this award miles is a little gimmicky.
It took me under a minute to find SFO-LAX-LHR-FRA, (all in business, first for SFO-LAX), or SFO-JFK-LHR-FRA (all in business) for 57.5k miles + $105.20 in fees. AA until LHR, then BA (admittedly, fake business product) LHR-FRA. If you don't like that, you can route through CLT and fly AA all the way (eg, SFO-PHL-CLT-FRA, avoiding BA fake business class)
Availability seem pretty wide open, even for 2 passengers, at least at the beginning of April. I didn't look at other times.
It's not "gimmicky" but you do need to put in some work to find dates and routings that you like. Flexible dates help A LOT. This is true with pretty much any mileage program; it has nothing to do with AA. If you don't want to do that, there are people/companies who will arrange award travel for you for a fee.
Mar 18, 2019, 7:59 am
#628
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,928
The awards that require a lot of points will buy the last seat on the plane so are the equivalent of full fare. The cheaper awards are tightly controlled and are snapped up on a popular routes almost a year ahead when they are released. After that it is a matter of luck. I had an award for MSN-PHL-MAN last year that I had to cancel, I was able to apply it this month to flights in July and then to change to September. That was surprising but I suspect it is a route that AA is trying to fill! Note that changes are free if you keep the same start and end so you can pick a bad routing if one is available and hope to be able to change.
Mar 18, 2019, 8:11 am
#629
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 53
Ok, well first I they want to fly to Berlin. Second yes Gimmicky because AA doesn’t make it easy for that reason most most people are not knowledgeable about awards flights and having to to do the search. Not everyone is a flying warrior.