sdsearch

Keep in mind that what AA sends to EF is the same thing it sends to travel agencies.

But I don't think travel agencies have any means to act on C class.

So AA may "publishing" C capacity in a non-useful-to-us way. C2 may for example simply mean "2 C seats either are either available or are tied up in pending upgrades". For true availability "transparency", you would need a separate count of upgrades still available and a separate count of upgrades at pending status and a separate count of upgrades processed, but AA does not have enough letters (witness how they had to repurpose "B" about a year ago because they were out of letters), and so they cannot publish full details of the upgrade process through the flight availability bucket code letter method.

flyalways

Well this could explain what I experienced with a "false" alert for C space ! In future I will not get
very excited about getting a C space alert because it may not guarantee an upgrade !!

SeattleDavid

I don't believe this explanation, precisely because of this response. If C were being reported to EF even when it isn't actually accessible, then there would be many reports of erroneous data. My experience is that 99% of the time EF's reporting of C>0 availability is accurate - the fact that I quoted an example of it being wrong is to show that it can indeed be wrong, but it doesn't change my basic trust in EF.

noobalert

Am I doing something wrong or are those C upgrades for USA to Asia/Australia/NewZealand extremely rare? I searched from 1-6 months out from today and only found maybe 5 total (except Seoul had more), so I wanted to check that I am not doing the search wrong and that they are truly that rare.

For this sort Do most people just roll the dice and hope it upgrades at some point after booking?

deeruck

Nope, that's the situation. You'll have to waitlist for the upgrade and hope for the best.

noobalert

Thanks. That's lame. now I feel bamboozled by AA

1) Whereas it seems most EF subscribers have only a small window to look at, my schedule is very flexible (although I can't travel less than 3 weeks out) so that's months of possible flights and therefore hundreds of alerts to make on EF... is there a better way to do this search for these rare C spots at booking?

2) Alternatively, is there a way to know which days are the most likely to clear? I'd guess Tue or Wed departures offhand but I'm a noob. DFW/ORD to NRT/HKG seem to be the most common longhaul segments for my route.

C17PSGR

Nothing to feel bamboozled about. I used six SWU's in 2018 and all six cleared on long haul international routes.

I tend to book at last minute to see what they have. If you're booking far out, you should read the threads on FT for specific routes that have more information. It's obviously easier to read the loads on flights closer in.

SWU's are hard to clear to SYD and AKL. Lots of demand on those flights for paid business. But, my SWU's cleared both ways on a SYD trip. DFW-HKG is a tough route. LAX-HKG is way better. LAX to LHR is tough but I've cleared on that. DFW/ORD to LHR are better.

And ... welcome to FT!

noobalert

Any insight into ORD vs DFW to NRT vs HKG

bse118

Ditto - I have never missed a SWU request during my several years as EXP. Was 9/9 last year and just today cleared for a DFW-ICN flight tomorrow. I just book the flights I need or want to be on, and let the SWUs fall out where they may. I don't bother with EF.

OP: SWU trends is a guessing game. DFW-HKG is generally believed to be one of the toughest routes in the system. DFW-NRT might be slightly better than ORD-NRT, if only because there are more seats DFW-NRT (2x AA, 1x JL) than ORD (1x JL, non-daily AA). Your rolling EQD total is a key factor here.

C17PSGR

Rolling EQD is definitely a factor. I had $35K in 2018 so I think that has me generally at the top of the upgrade list.

Unless you're a higher spend EXP, DFW-HKG is a long shot. Much better to go LAX-HKG. There are definitely threads here on different routes and its worth reading through FT for ideas and info.

millionmiler

Its completely reasonable to want and expect upgrades to clear far enough in advance to make a purchase choice based on the inventory. That used to be the way it worked. In fact, long ago the upgrades were not even capacity controlled.

Its not like AA makes that transparent. If anything they lead new customers to believe the opposite. From your comment above I read that their scheme worked. They got you to be a loyal customer without having to deliver what you thought was going to be valuable in exchange. They get what they want before you even realize that you will not get what you want. That is very definition of the Aadvantage program these days.

shaddie

C17PSGR

The economy is strong and there is lots of corporate travel. I was on an evening flight into LAX on an E175 ... with the exception of me, everyone in F was catching a flight on AA to Sydney, Hong Kong, and Narita for business travel. So, I expect AA to maximize their revenue by holding back C inventory.

But ... all my trips are clearing, just close in. I did have a couple in 2017 that didn't clear. But ...going from the US to Europe in the summer ....

enpremiere

This is not new and barring a major shift at AA, will not likely be changing anytime soon.

Even advanced confirmation SWUs domestically can be a challenge depending on the route.

beachfan