Everyone seems to miss the point and gravitate towards the usual "entitlement" outcome we usually see on UG threads. We all get it!!!! "If you want to fly F buy F". How many times do we have to endure that line?

The conversation is about one simple premise: Did AA modify the AA upgrade processing to ignore the AAdvantage UG windows? The REASONS as to why are speculative but the premise remains: Are the UG windows being ignored?

From the comments gathered it seems they are being ignored and the speculation as to why is abundant. The whole point of this thread is to know if yet another one of the advertised AA program benefits evaporated. Does the marketing match the program? That's it. No more and no less.

If you can point to where the "marketing" guarantees upgrades at the exact moment the windows open, you might have a better case.

I'd be very curious to see that as well.

Did somebody say it was a guarantee? If so, they're wrong bc it's not a guarantee.

But for many the AA product isn't as strong when the 100 hour window benefit is published as an attribute, but in practice means next to nothing these days.

Is it a straw that breaks the camels back for some? Yes, probably. Is it meaningless or close to that for others? Yes too.

I had an interesting upgrade experience yesterday on an AE flight STL-LGA.

I'm exp and bought about 10 days prior to departure.

At 100 hours flight was at F5 A4 Y7 in Expert flyer. Seatmap had 5 open seats.

At about 30 hours still at F5 A4 Y7 in Expert flyer. Seatmap had 5 open seats.

At about 24 hours the flight went to F2 A1 Y7 in Expert flyer. Seatmap still had 5 open seats.

At about 15 hours the flight went to F1 A1 Y7 in Expert flyer. Seatmap still had 5 open seats.

At 4 hours and 10 minutes or so my upgrade cleared. Seatmap including my seat assignment went to 4 open seats. It appeared I was the only one to clear.

At the gate 4 upgrades cleared.

The point of all of this is that something weird went on - it appears they dropped F artificially down to lower sales of those seats even though they were not 'encumbered' by passengers.

I will add coach (and F) went out full according to the FA.

This is sort of a weird 'lesson' where the 'for sale' inventory is less reliable than the unassigned seats - which we all know generally not to look at.

Any thoughts?

Your flight was yesterday. 24 hours before that, the East Coast was experiencing widespread, severe thunderstorms with many cancellations and delays, meaning there were probably passengers being shuffled onto and off your flight as the situation evolved. Moreover, these storms had been anticipated several days beforehand, so it makes sense that they'd hold back upgrades and potentially even F sales.

I will repeat the message one more time. I hope it gets through. :confused:

This is my case only, YMMV and hence why I came here asking to see if others were experiencing the same changes in the behavior of the UG windows.

For me, the UG elite window program was working "as advertised" up until a few weeks ago. You can decide what "as advertised" means to you. I take it to mean what it states in its benefit offerings with the knowledge that there are no guarantees, only the expectation of "fairness" on applying the benefits offered. I think we all can agree on that. We appreciate the airline being fair and transparent on the application of benefits.

I began to experience changes in the pattern in which the UG program behaves as it relates to the UG windows. I have over 60 RT flights between PHL-MCO the last 18 months, all clearing within the 100Hr window in what I considered following the programs's line of benefits. UGs would show up between the window opening and a day before departure. That meant I always had the UG in hand by the time I checked in.

That's it. No more or no less. UGs where clearing between the window opening but before check-in.

Starting a few weeks back the pattern changed and UGs now clear inside 24 hours, well after I am checked in. The net effect has not changed. I am still getting the UG on a very soft elite route. What has changed is the timing and the UGs arriving ony after the check in window opens. Thankfully, no BF UGs to deal with.

My case with 60RT's over 18 months on the sames days is a good indicator that the pattern has changed. Whether temporary or not is not important. My intention posting y experience was to cross-check my experiences with others, NOT to argue over AA or upset the usual suspects.

I hope that makes it clear. I did not post to "complain" about AA not honoring a "guarantee". We all know there are no "guarantees" when it comes to UGs and they are all up to the airlines discretion.

I posted to share my case and learn form others if they were experiencing the same changes in the UG patterns.

But all said and done I know exactly what the response will be. They are always the same when it comes to UG threads. It's like the North and the South, or "R" vs. "D". Things always get ugly. :rolleyes:

If the pattern from the last 5 weeks continues I will be issued an UG sometime tomorrow around 5:20PM for my 7 AM flight on Monday, well after I am checked in. EF shows 10 open seats in F.

With all due respect, it seems like you're determined to play the victim no matter what anyone here actually says.

Threads on this topic go back more than a decade. Sometimes AA upgrades people at the windows, sometimes they hold back. Right now they may be holding back more than they were 6 months ago, but there's nothing whatsoever in their marketing or T&C suggesting they won't.

Or just repetitive and pointless.

You guys are soooooooooooooooo predictable.

I've always believed that when there is smoke there is usually fire and in this instance there seems to be enough anecdotal evidence for me to conclude that things are changing. I think the point made above is that although the terms and conditions of the program remain the same in practice that is not what is occurring. To me the question is whether it will be a formal "enhancement" or just the way they choose to run the program.

I booked a trip at around T-100 and got the upgrade email immediatly. (JAX-DCA monday morning)

I think that knowing your upgrade cleared before T-24 is mainly a "security blanket" thing, but having them clear in some staggered manner, as the upgrade window was meant to do, has the benefit of giving higher tiered elites a better chance to get a seat that they want. I've recently had several instances where flts were F7 and had 10+ seats open according to the seat map, and then all but 1 or 2 seats are filled en masse right around T-4.

And having upgrades clear only at the gate has numerous problems...little opportunity for seat selection and inability to alter pre-flight food/beverage/work patterns based on where you'll be seated. And at some stations, e.g. DCA (at least in my experience), they often won't clear upgrades until boarding is well under way, creating situations where you have no room for your bags (or at least no convenient room) even if the upgrade clears. I've had multiple flts at DCA where i've had to gate check my bag b/c they cleared the upgrades so late and the FAs didn't keep space open in first. And to answer the question of why I didn't board and stow my bags while waiting for the upgrade, I've been told flat out (both at DCA and other stations) that they wouldn't come on to the plane to upgrade pax.

And yes, I know that all of these problems are easily solved by purchasing a ticket in FC :)

It occurs to me that one perverse benefit of delaying upgrade clearing to the gate is for EXP pax with lower level elite or non-elite companions. I'm flying with my wife in a few days (she's plat) and requesting upgrades for her using my 500 milers. Based on recent experiences with upgrade clearance timings it's looking like there's no way any upgrades will clear until we reach the gate. In my scenario that should work out OK so long as I inform the GA that we're willing to split the PNR if only one upgrade will clear.

Wow. I guess the GA's can do whatever they want as long as they get the flight out on time, but that seems to go against the spirit of the upgrade list and bothers me much more than AA holding back upgrades. How mich time do they actually save by refusing to walk down the jetbridge and then having to deal with elites having to gate check bags or waste time finding space on the plane--or are they just being lazy? Are these other stations you mention LUS stations?