Mar 5, 2015, 10:12 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
A321T / 321T / Transcontinental JFK to/from LAX & SFO: Upgrade Success & Assistance
American flies the transcontinental A321T with three classes including solo First and Business pairs that fully recline horizontally. (Note the "32B" designation applies to all Airbus A321-100 and -200 - aircraft with "Sharklets" blended winglets in accord with ICAO standards, including two and three class A321s used by AA.)
It appears demand in J is high, supply less so, making this a tricky upgrade from coach to business. First sometimes looks like there’s good availability until close to departure, and it’s common that this cabin is filled deadheading.
Upgrading is challenging, and Y to J SWU or miles + copay always trumps 500 mile or DODU / courtesy upgrades within an elite tier. (500 mile and courtesy upgrades from Business to First is not allowed).
Remember, upgrade priority for these flights is:
*Y to C/J only; C to F not allowed
Cabins will generally not be “rolled” forward (e.g. J to F) to accommodate upgrades.
Those confirmed in Flagship First on these (between JFK and LAX or SFO) can access Flagship Lounges as well as Flagship First Dining at JFK or LAX, or the Admirals Club at SFO (or the LAX TBIT Qantas First lounge).
Related threads:
Aircraft guide: Which Airbus A321? (including “321”, “32B”, A321neo)
A321 Transcon / A321T / "32B" 3 class began service Jan 2014 (consolidated)
Best Business / First seat on AA transcon Airbus A321 / A321T / "32B" (consolidated)
Best Economy / MCE seat on AA transcon Airbus A321 / A321T / 32B (consolidated)
Posts from 2014 through 2016 have been archived, and may be read here.
Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost; wiki contents may be printed by using the
(lower right wiki corner)
American flies the transcontinental A321T with three classes including solo First and Business pairs that fully recline horizontally. (Note the "32B" designation applies to all Airbus A321-100 and -200 - aircraft with "Sharklets" blended winglets in accord with ICAO standards, including two and three class A321s used by AA.)
It appears demand in J is high, supply less so, making this a tricky upgrade from coach to business. First sometimes looks like there’s good availability until close to departure, and it’s common that this cabin is filled deadheading.
Upgrading is challenging, and Y to J SWU or miles + copay always trumps 500 mile or DODU / courtesy upgrades within an elite tier. (500 mile and courtesy upgrades from Business to First is not allowed).
Remember, upgrade priority for these flights is:
- Elite status tier
- SWU & miles and copay
- Business Extra and “special corporate agency upgrade certificates”
- 500 mile (“stickers”) and complimentary / DODU upgrades*
- Award upgrades (CK, EXP, PRO)*
- Last 12 months’ rolling EQD spend
- Etc.
*Y to C/J only; C to F not allowed
Cabins will generally not be “rolled” forward (e.g. J to F) to accommodate upgrades.
Those confirmed in Flagship First on these (between JFK and LAX or SFO) can access Flagship Lounges as well as Flagship First Dining at JFK or LAX, or the Admirals Club at SFO (or the LAX TBIT Qantas First lounge).
Related threads:
Aircraft guide: Which Airbus A321? (including “321”, “32B”, A321neo)
A321 Transcon / A321T / "32B" 3 class began service Jan 2014 (consolidated)
Best Business / First seat on AA transcon Airbus A321 / A321T / "32B" (consolidated)
Best Economy / MCE seat on AA transcon Airbus A321 / A321T / 32B (consolidated)
Posts from 2014 through 2016 have been archived, and may be read here.
Signed in members with 90 days / 90 posts can edit this Wikipost; wiki contents may be printed by using the
(lower right wiki corner)
Airbus A321T / 321T “32B” Transcon JFK <--> LAX / SFO Upgrade Success / Help
Jan 17, 2017, 4:10 pm
#17
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Jan 17, 2017, 6:44 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,913
Agreed. For what it's worth, I've never not cleared a complimentary upgrade on the 10pm/10:15pm JFK-LAX flight (of course, you're arriving at 2am, so you need to weigh that into your decision). Midweek, I've also found the 6am JFK-LAX flight to be fairly easy.
-FlyerBeek
-FlyerBeek
Jan 17, 2017, 6:57 pm
#19
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SFO, SJC
Programs: AA - EXP 2MM+, Marriott PLT, UA, National Exec
Posts: 495
I'm booked on JFK to LAX roundtrip on a D fare this weekend and would like to upgrade to first on at least one leg just to try the product. I called to upgrade with miles, and I was put on the waitlist. ExpertFlyer says there is no "A" availability on my flights, but there are currently open seats. Does American add A inventory to these flights as they get closer, or are I out of luck? There are F seats available for purchase on these flights.
) or for crew mates dead heading...Cheers.
Jan 17, 2017, 10:01 pm
#20
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: Marriott Titanium (Lifetime Platinum), AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 310
I don't think crew gets priority though for upgrades... They only get seated in J/F if all UPGs have been processed... Then military UPGs are processed after crew / employees...
Jan 17, 2017, 10:03 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: Marriott Titanium (Lifetime Platinum), AA Platinum Pro
Posts: 310
Jan 18, 2017, 5:08 am
#22
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 60
Agreed. For what it's worth, I've never not cleared a complimentary upgrade on the 10pm/10:15pm JFK-LAX flight (of course, you're arriving at 2am, so you need to weigh that into your decision). Midweek, I've also found the 6am JFK-LAX flight to be fairly easy.
-FlyerBeek
-FlyerBeek
Jan 19, 2017, 9:51 am
#23
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: ALB;NYC
Programs: AA EXP; Hilton Gold; SPG/Marriott Gold; IHG Spire Ambassador
Posts: 58
I am thinking of booking 10pm LAX-JFK redeye on a Friday. As an EXP booking at 7weeks out any experience with upgrades on this flight? My other options are the 4:30 or the 9pm still leaving on that Friday.
My inkling is I'll probably be sitting in back on all of those flights leaving at the end of the week. :/
My inkling is I'll probably be sitting in back on all of those flights leaving at the end of the week. :/
Jan 19, 2017, 12:45 pm
#24
Suspended
Join Date: May 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond, AAdvantage EXP, Hyatt Explorist, HHonors Diamond, Avis First
Posts: 7,344
Jan 19, 2017, 2:31 pm
#25
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,895
The 2:30 PM flight looks less crowded, and I may try to SDC or standby on that flight if I am done with my stuff by then
Jan 19, 2017, 3:43 pm
#26
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond, AAdvantage EXP, Hyatt Explorist, HHonors Diamond, Avis First
Posts: 7,344
Yea last time I tried this flight it was totally sold out but like 12 people cleared the upgrade on the 1130am earlier in the day.
Jan 19, 2017, 4:10 pm
#27
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA (PPro/3MM/Admirals Club), AS, UA, Marriott (Gold), HHonors (Gold), Accor (Plat)
Posts: 2,602
Actually, those points are related. When a corporate traveler calls the travel agent to change the flight because s/he's running early or late, they'll often just change the reservation and not put through a seat assignment.
And then there are just those situations where there's no good reason why the seat map seems so off. I was flying JFK-LHR the day after Xmas, and flight was completely sold out (per EF) at least a week in advance. Yet there were probably dozens of unassigned (non-premium/non-MCE) seats in Y (and ~10 in J). I believe Y was oversold, and there were op-ups to J, but I could never figure out why all those people couldn't assign seats in Y.
And then there are just those situations where there's no good reason why the seat map seems so off. I was flying JFK-LHR the day after Xmas, and flight was completely sold out (per EF) at least a week in advance. Yet there were probably dozens of unassigned (non-premium/non-MCE) seats in Y (and ~10 in J). I believe Y was oversold, and there were op-ups to J, but I could never figure out why all those people couldn't assign seats in Y.
Another situation is that when there have been IRROPs on a larger scale, they may zero out fare classes proactively to avoid selling seats they need to clear out the passenger backlog. This is another time you may see open seats but nothing for sale.
In other words, there are lots of reasons that seats are open on the map when the reservation system won't sell any tickets in the cabin.
Jan 19, 2017, 4:13 pm
#28
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA (PPro/3MM/Admirals Club), AS, UA, Marriott (Gold), HHonors (Gold), Accor (Plat)
Posts: 2,602
This is my first post, but wanted to contribute since I've learned a lot from this forum the past year. I flew AA flight #118 this past Sunday (7AM), LAX to JFK. I made EXP this past October, and this was my first transcon A321T flight with AA.
I dont have EF, but when I checked the AA website for open J seats, there seemed to be 4 open, and another 4 open in F. I was #1 out of 16 on the upgrade list, up until 1 minute before boarding, and then got bumped down to #2. Unfortunately, only 2 people were upgraded (the person that bumped me from the top, as well as #16). Obviously I was not happy with the results, but I'm not sure how the last person on the upgrade list got upgraded (perhaps SWU?).
I dont have EF, but when I checked the AA website for open J seats, there seemed to be 4 open, and another 4 open in F. I was #1 out of 16 on the upgrade list, up until 1 minute before boarding, and then got bumped down to #2. Unfortunately, only 2 people were upgraded (the person that bumped me from the top, as well as #16). Obviously I was not happy with the results, but I'm not sure how the last person on the upgrade list got upgraded (perhaps SWU?).
Jan 19, 2017, 4:16 pm
#29
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA (PPro/3MM/Admirals Club), AS, UA, Marriott (Gold), HHonors (Gold), Accor (Plat)
Posts: 2,602
I am thinking of booking 10pm LAX-JFK redeye on a Friday. As an EXP booking at 7weeks out any experience with upgrades on this flight? My other options are the 4:30 or the 9pm still leaving on that Friday.
My inkling is I'll probably be sitting in back on all of those flights leaving at the end of the week. :/
My inkling is I'll probably be sitting in back on all of those flights leaving at the end of the week. :/
Jan 21, 2017, 7:57 pm
#30
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Plat, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat
Posts: 902
I'm taking 0028 leaves 10:45 pm Wednesday May 24. I booked myself through AMEX plat as it saved $150 vs AA and is refundable. Business. I booked wife with miles, 57.5k so don't feel too bad about that, given its saver and we gain a lot on red eye vs next day as FINAL destination is YUL. Business trip for me and will need the MQMs to maintain status.
Do options exist to upgrade to first on points for both of us? I'm just Gold so I'd need to purchase how many certs to upgrade? She has no status so Probably makes no sense to go that way. Sorry, my flights are normally in western half of nation, newbie to this flight.
Do options exist to upgrade to first on points for both of us? I'm just Gold so I'd need to purchase how many certs to upgrade? She has no status so Probably makes no sense to go that way. Sorry, my flights are normally in western half of nation, newbie to this flight.