Mar 5, 2015, 10:12 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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:

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)

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Airbus A321T / 321T “32B” Transcon JFK <--> LAX / SFO Upgrade Success / Help

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Jun 6, 2017, 8:43 am

#91

TheRealLJah

Join Date: Dec 2016

Location: NYC

Programs: AA Concierge Key, Marriott Platinum Elite, HH Gold

Posts: 11

Hi, all -- Sorry if this question is in the wrong spot (I'm only an occasional FT poster). Has anyone out there noticed a difference in your respective upgrade priority on the JFK-LAX/SFO premium transcons now that EQDs going back to 8/1/16 is the determining factor after status and ticket type? I know it's only been a few weeks since that change kicked in, but data points would be helpful. Thanks!

Last edited by TheRealLJah; Jun 6, 2017 at 8:44 am Reason: Adding specificity re: route; corrected MQD to EQD

Jun 22, 2017, 8:36 am

#92

DLinYUL

Join Date: Oct 2007

Location: LGA/EWR/JFK

Programs: AA EXP, Amex Plat, A3 Gold

Posts: 311

JFK-SFO June 24, 7am. Y->J complementary upgrade cleared 45hrs out.

Funny thing is I was also waitlisted using a BXP1, hoping AA would release C class space. Won't complain about getting it for free!

Jul 15, 2017, 1:00 pm

#93

Adelphos

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

I'm flying transcon J from LAX to JFK on the Monday 2:30 PM flight in mid August on a business trip. My significant other is joining me. I'd like to get her in business class too. I called to check if there was confirmable mileage upgrade space from Y to J, and there isn't right now. What is my best option?

1) Buy her a J ticket outright for ~$1,060 now
2) Buy a Y ticket got about $350, request a 15,000 miles + copay upgrade and hope for the best
3) Wait got saver award availability on the flight

Jul 17, 2017, 12:13 pm

#94

ijgordon

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Apr 2001

Location: NYC

Posts: 27,234

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adelphos

#1 is clearly the "best" option as it's the only option to guarantee her in F.
#2 and #3 cost less, but are less likely (in that order) to work and are subject to a number of factors beyond your control. The fact that she's not apparently an elite member will be a big strike against her with regard to option #2 .

Jul 17, 2017, 8:39 pm

#95

dkc192

Join Date: May 2007

Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 5,459

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adelphos

Echo the poster above saying that (1) costs most but guarantees that your SO ends up in J, likely sitting next to you. A Monday 2:30pm eastbound is unlikely to be the busiest of flights as far as demand for paid J or elite volumes in Y go (the key determinants in the success of (2)), but it is far from the lightest either--broadly speaking, those tend to be afternoons and redeyes midweek and Saturdays. I'd say your chances with (2) are slim at best, given your SO's apparent lack of status; even if he/she does clear, odds are you will be sitting apart. The odds of (3) being successful are practically zero. Again, on the most off-peak flights, you may have a prayer, but Monday mid-afternoon is far from that.

Jul 17, 2017, 10:44 pm

#96

hiima

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

Saver F comes out pretty frequently now and saver F of any time of the day can usually be changed to your fight of choice at the airport. I say this as exp though.

Jul 18, 2017, 4:14 pm

#97

ralphs

Join Date: Sep 2011

Location: SNA

Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, National EE

Posts: 1,204

Saver F or Saver J?

Jul 18, 2017, 7:45 pm

#98

hiima

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralphs

Saver F or Saver J?

F close in. I know OP wants saver J, but is throw my SO in F, while I'm in.J.

Jul 26, 2017, 3:28 pm

#99

Finsup72

Join Date: Dec 2016

Programs: AA EXP

Posts: 214

JFK --> SFO on Monday July 24 at 7am had an upgrade list of 26 people from Y --> J. Gate agent came on board to upgrade #1 on the list but many EPs stuck in coach

Jul 26, 2017, 5:39 pm

#100

Adelphos

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finsup72

JFK --> SFO on Monday July 24 at 7am had an upgrade list of 26 people from Y --> J. Gate agent came on board to upgrade #1 on the list but many EPs stuck in coach

At that time, a lot of people would be flying paid J on corporate contracts. For next Monday, my corporate rate is about $1,300 lower than the AA.com rate

Jul 26, 2017, 5:48 pm

#101

ralphs

Join Date: Sep 2011

Location: SNA

Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, National EE

Posts: 1,204

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adelphos

At that time, a lot of people would be flying paid J on corporate contracts. For next Monday, my corporate rate is about $1,300 lower than the AA.com rate

Oh wow. Is it cheaper than Jetblue Mint?

Jul 26, 2017, 6:31 pm

#102

tphuang

Join Date: Dec 2016

Posts: 1,485

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adelphos

At that time, a lot of people would be flying paid J on corporate contracts. For next Monday, my corporate rate is about $1,300 lower than the AA.com rate

wow, I do wonder about this. How do the corporate rates between the airlines compare to each other?

Jul 26, 2017, 6:50 pm

#103

Adelphos

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralphs

Oh wow. Is it cheaper than Jetblue Mint?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tphuang

wow, I do wonder about this. How do the corporate rates between the airlines compare to each other?

The AA.com rate is currently inflated as it is close in, but corporate contracts are often singificantly cheaper than the public rate. Rates vary by company, but my company generally has cheaper rates on AA for this route than Mint (it may not be true with every company). Obviously when buying a normal rate online, the play is to buy J directly two or three months out if you can as all the carriers price match.

EDIT - After checking, the Mint price is basically the same as the AA price for this particular flight

Last edited by Adelphos; Jul 26, 2017 at 6:57 pm

Jul 27, 2017, 1:41 pm

#104

ijgordon

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Apr 2001

Location: NYC

Posts: 27,234

Quote:

Originally Posted by tphuang

wow, I do wonder about this. How do the corporate rates between the airlines compare to each other?

The bigger the company (well, specifically, the more employees they fly), the bigger the discount. Really big companies can negotiate discounts on multiple airlines, although the discount is not always just a function of absolute volume/$ spent, they may also consider the % of spend allocated to that airline. But of course companies may not want to put all their eggs in one basket, especially if, say, they have a big office in both Dallas and Salt Lake City.

Also, generally, the higher the fare, the bigger the % discount. 50% discounts or more would not be that uncommon on refundable international/transcon business class tickets.

Jul 27, 2017, 3:15 pm

#105

as219

Join Date: Jul 2005

Location: SAN

Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond

Posts: 6,832

Does anyone have recent experience with J->F buy-ups?

We're booked in paid J (an I fare) but would be interested in trying F one way. We have no status. What kind of buy-up offers are people getting these days ex-JFK?