Perhaps there is going to be a down gauge equipment change, and AA inadvertantly forgot to inform OP. Perhaps the Bears are going to London for an exhibition game. Perhaps AA is just making OP squirm over the potential upgrade, because revenue management has nothing better to do. ....

+1 Upgrade window is about UPG domestic based on staus, not entitlement or perception for a TATL.

"Marketing with integrity?"

"Upgrades will be processes (sic) on the day of the flight for any unsold seats." Feel better?

I sincerely hope OP's upgrade clears, and understand OP's angst. Please let us know how it turns out. Many times MrsDallas49er and I have looked at virtually empty J at T-24 and less, with tickets bought 6-8 months in advance (to/from PVG, HKG, CDG, NRT, ICN, OKC (just kidding)), and cleared.

Sometimes it seems that explaining re-combant DNA or nuclear particle theory is easier than trying to figure out how upgrades clear, and when.

Good luck.

please delete

My SJU/CLT upgrade just cleared at T100. My hunch is that Revenue Management is probably under more stress and expectations than in previous years so for probably what is more show they aren't as generous on clearing upgrades at the maximum far out time.

Anecdotally, it does seem that Caribbean/Central America flights are clearing somewhat earlier. The only flights that I've had clear more than T-24 were flights to Costa Rica a few weeks ago.

yes these upgrades (2) cleared when they put up C7/U7 all at once the day before. And yes while technically this thread is about the domestic upgrade window, the concept is essentially the same. But here is why it causes the consternation. If I am traveling alone on business who cares. But when you are traveling with 4 it becomes a bigger deal, not only for the 2 that are upgraded, but you now need to rethink the seat assignments for the 2 passengers remaining in the main cabin without status. You want to be seated together if the upgrades don't clear, but if it does clear you leave them in an undesirable situation. This has always been resolved with a good outcome, but not without a great deal of manual work by an agent. If the upgrade clears too late, then you basically have almost no options for seating the upgraded or the main cabin passengers.

It's actually "recombinant DNA (rDNA)"...I've worked with that stuff for about a decade. ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombinant_DNA

I stand humbly and happily corrected! :D

I don't currently have status on AA so can't comment on upgrade windows, however on two recent domestic flights I was offered the coveted LFBU, so it would seem that there are still flights where all requested upgrades from EXPs and using "stickers" or miles for others are being fulfilled, which is something you'll almost never see on United. I'm wondering in these cases if AA actually clears ALL the requested upgrades at T-24 and THEN sells the LFBU space OR if they just "hold" the number of upgrades needed for complimentary upgrades while selling the LFBUs and then later (say T-4) clear the complimentary upgrades. The second scenario could, of course, result is someone losing out on an upgrade if another passenger buys F or switches flights between the time the LFBU is sold and the complimentary upgrades are cleared.

From casual observation I'd say AA is trying to train us all to just purchase F outright (as DL and UA have already done) so we don't have to sweat out the upgrades at the gate, or worse yet sit in the back.

At least it looks like AA isn't going down the path of UA-style TODs thankfully...talk about elite alienation

Totally my experience as well. I fly Central America routes every single week and my domestic upgrades have been lagging to T24 in the past few weeks as well, while international upgrades clear T100 almost without fail.

Haha...:)

Fwiw, my semgents today:

Segment 1: cleared at gate along with 3 others on list
Segment 2: cleared at T-30

There is an earlier thread (pre-merger) that discussed this very distinction. As I recall, #2 is what had been seen happening by some. AA only stated that that would only sell IF all elite requests could be accommodated - not that they HAD been accommodated. As I recall, there was not a definitive answer, but pretty convincing scenarios for #2.

I've noticed that AA is starting to get stingy with upgrades, and it's getting irritating.

Just my most recent experience:

7/8: MHT-PHL. Was A5 forever. Upgrade cleared 4 hours before departure.
7/9 Above flight was cancelled. Rebooked MHT-DCA, upgrade cleared a few hours after booking, but still within 24 hours. Still it cleared quickly.
7/11: BWI-CLT A4. Been that way for at least a week, and not no one upgraded at T-5.5.
7/11: CLT-SLC A5. T-8 and no one has been upgraded. Also been sitting at A5 for the last week.

I can understand AA wanting to try to sell seats and holding some back, but come on ...

Upgrade windows are pretty much meaningless at this point.

It is possible they are experimenting to see if there are higher last minute F sales or other situations. Or to see if they can motivate SWU use or even points/cash.

There are a few flights that I have not missed an upgrade since being PLT or higher and AA is still holding back under T-24 as many have indicated. It really is a meal selection/seating problem at this point, but I don't know how long AA will play this X inventory game change domestically.

Rasheed