Jan 23, 2016, 6:13 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

Last edit by: Prospero

Companion upgrade issues
For general questions about 500 mile upgrades and upgrade protocols, please see this thread:Sticker / 500-mile Electronic Upgrades Protocols (as of 2009, consolidated)

For specific questions about the new upgrade priority and policy, see Upgrade Priority Changes to Status, Rolling 365 Day EQD Spend May 20 2017

Upgrade Priority Change to Status, Rolling 365 Day EQD Began 20 May 2017
Upgrade priority is now based on Status held first, then by rolling Elite Qualifying Dollar spend over the last 365 days within upgrade types; see below for new upgrade priority listing and companion policies.

As of May 20 2017 upgrade prioritization is:

Elite status

Concierge Key
Executive Platinum
Platinum Pro
Platinum
Gold

Upgrade type

Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
Business Extra and some other instruments
500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards)

Elite qualifying dollars in the past 12 months

Booking class
Time of request"
Through passengers no longer receive priority over originating passengers

No- or lower status companion and effect on upgrade position (Also read Linking and Plitting PNRs below)

WAIT LIST, SAME PNR: Prior to upgrade request going to airport list

500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status, but breaks at airport; must be re-established.
SWU, Miles & Copay, Business Extra: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status. (BX is unsure, stated as least of priorities, likely to up D-24 only)
Award travel (only available on 500 mile upgrade flights): lower status passenger "borrows" higher status

WAIT LIST, SEPARATE PNR: Prior to upgrade request going to airport list

500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
SWU, Miles & Copay, Business Extra: lower status passenger DOES NOT "borrow" higher status under any circumstance
Award travel (only available on 500 mile upgrade flights): lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"

AIRPORT LIST, SAME PNR:

500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
SWU, Miles & Copay, Business Extra: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status. (BX is unsure, but is least of priorities, likely to up D-24 only)
Award travel (only available on 500 mile upgrade flights): lower status passenger "borrows" higher status

AIRPORT LIST, SEPARATE PNR:

500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked" by edit
SWU, Miles & Copay, Business Extra: lower status passenger DOES NOT "borrow" higher status under any circumstance
Award travel (only available on 500 mile upgrade flights): lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"

NOTES:

Traveling companion 500 mile upgrades (even for those pax using UDU) "stickers" must pull from higher status passenger's account. 500 mile upgrades are not needed for those with AAdvantage status if the segment to be upgraded is under 500 miles in distance.
Lower status passenger previously "borrowing" higher status may require human processing at the airport to re-establish "borrowed status" linkage

Splitting and "Linking" of PNRs
Splitting PNRs: If two people on one PNR request an upgrade, they will not get upgraded (even if they hold higher priority than others on the upgrade list) unless two or more seats become available. Some choose to split their PNR at the airport so the first available single seat will go to one of them. But please note the Companion retains the "borrowed" status only on 500 mile upgrades and the newly split PNRs must be "linked".

Linking PNRs: PNRs can not be recombined nor actually strictly linked as we usually think of it. The "linking" is actually a "TCP note" ("To Complete Party" note) placed as an annotation in the OSI (Other Supplemental Information) field to each PNR. For the note to be useful, an agent must open the PNR and read it.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...solidated.html.

hillrider Googled and found some public info at http://hualin58.blogspot.com/2011/05...ay-delete.html

Quote:

Companions summary: ONE passenger traveling with you can “borrow” your status for upgrade purposes. They do not have to be on the same PNR. When this is done, you’ll not be upgraded unless sufficient upgrade seats become available to upgrade two (or more) people. This link often is broken when the flight control goes to the airport, and it can be reestablished there (e.g. at the gate). A good clue that the link has broken is if you’re #1 or 2 and your companion is significantly below that on the upgrade list, such as #11. Finally, because of IT flaws, the 500 mile upgrades for your traveling companion will by necessity come from your account, even if your companion has their own “stickers”.

Older posts relating to policies in effect prior to 20 May 2017 may be read here: ARCHIVE: Companion upgrade issues including "link" / split PNR, etc. (<20 May 2017)

Updated 9 June 2017 by JDiver

Companion upgrade issues including "link" / split PNR for status etc. (master thread)

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Feb 21, 2022, 1:21 pm

#121

dc10forlife

Join Date: Jun 2002

Posts: 553

I'm in need of some help here. I am EXP with a no-status companion on a separate PNR. I had the reservations linked. At t-100, I received an upgrade but my companion did not. I called AA to make sure my companion had been linked correctly and the rep. assured me that it was done right. I then asked why my companion had not been upgraded at the same time, and the rep. checked to see if upgrade space was available. She said there was space available, and that I would just have to wait for it to happen, which did not seem right to me. I also asked if the upgrade could be pushed through, and she said "no." Is this a HUCA situation? Any reason why my companion would not have been upgraded at t-100 as well if (1) space is available, and (2) the reservations were properly linked?

Edit: I have a sufficient number of 500-mile stickers in my account.

Feb 21, 2022, 2:37 pm

#122

ceebee100

Join Date: Sep 2009

Location: Midwest USA

Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 591

I see no plausible reason why your companion shouldn't have been upgraded along with you if everything is as you stated. I would say HUCA.

Feb 21, 2022, 4:18 pm

#123

vasantn

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jan 2001

Location: NYC

Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold

Posts: 35,399

Quote:

Originally Posted by ceebee100

I see no plausible reason why your companion shouldn't have been upgraded along with you if everything is as you stated. I would say HUCA.

Feb 21, 2022, 5:20 pm

#124

platbrownguy

Join Date: Jul 2004

Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE

Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold

Posts: 6,675

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc10forlife

Any reason why my companion would not have been upgraded at t-100 as well if (1) space is available, and (2) the reservations were properly linked?

One reason might have been that the agent who set it up did it as a "split" so that if only 1 seat was available, it would just do you.

But sounds odd. Personally I would send a DM on Twitter rather than calling. They are really good at setting up companion upgrades.

Apr 18, 2022, 2:15 pm

#125

ambush276

Join Date: Oct 2019

Programs: AA Exec Plat/UA 1K/Delta Platinum

Posts: 122

Upgrade Priority with companion

AA Exec platinum traveling on rev with a companion on the same PNR.

Will they have the same upgrade priority as me? If so it's just Concierge Key, then a dogfight to whomever has the most LPs? If somehow that is tied then it will go down the list by rev bucket, time booked etc.

Apr 18, 2022, 2:52 pm

#126

ceebee100

Join Date: Sep 2009

Location: Midwest USA

Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 591

You are correct. I had my No Status daughter with me on a flight 2 weeks ago and she inherited my upgrade priority. We were 1 & 2 on the list out of 15+ and we both cleared.

MasterPlanner and LowValueCustomer like this.

Apr 18, 2022, 6:58 pm

#127

hawkfan7314

Join Date: Jul 2016

Location: DC

Programs: AA PPRO, HH Diamond, National EE

Posts: 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambush276

Correct, only issue will be if there is only one open seat. If that's the case you will be skipped and it will go to the first "single" traveller.

Apr 18, 2022, 9:26 pm

#128

redtop43

Join Date: May 2008

Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)

Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!

Posts: 4,551

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfan7314

Correct, only issue will be if there is only one open seat. If that's the case you will be skipped and it will go to the first "single" traveller.

I am on a flight late next month with a non-status companion. I called AA last night about something unrelated and asked to be sure that we got the one seat if there was only one, and the AAgent made it sound like that was automatic.

I'm EXP but it's an award ticket which I think puts me below all other EXP's regardless of rolling 12-month whatever, but above any lower status.

Apr 18, 2022, 9:56 pm

#129

s0ssos

Join Date: Sep 2008

Posts: 7,875

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkfan7314

Correct, only issue will be if there is only one open seat. If that's the case you will be skipped and it will go to the first "single" traveller.

Apparently they split it so one person can get upgraded. Happened to me and companion, only 1 seat available, we were #1 and #2 and I got it.

Apr 19, 2022, 2:04 am

#130

hawkfan7314

Join Date: Jul 2016

Location: DC

Programs: AA PPRO, HH Diamond, National EE

Posts: 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by s0ssos

Apparently they split it so one person can get upgraded. Happened to me and companion, only 1 seat available, we were #1 and #2 and I got it.

Must be something new. In the past that wasn’t the case.

Apr 19, 2022, 3:00 am

#131

mvoight

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: May 2004

Location: DFW/DAL

Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond

Posts: 21,422

Interesting, so no status matches the status of the companion with status, but if both people are elites, they are ordered by status. (in my recent experiences, my wife, a gold, was well below me in the upgrade display) That doesn't make sense. For the record, this was DFW-FLL March 24, and PBI- DFW on April 3

Apr 19, 2022, 5:47 am

#132

JJeffrey

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Feb 2001

Location: RDU <|> MMX

Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS

Posts: 12,498

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvoight

That is correct and the way it has been for years, but agree it doesn't make sense.

When traveling with 2 elites you just have to call AA before and have the request set up such that the lower elite leverages the higher status on the airport waitlist (which requires all stickers come from the higher elite account, soon to be a moot point).

You can also do this at the airport although some "busy" GA's don't want to mess with it.

Apr 19, 2022, 7:08 am

#133

Kwanger

Join Date: Oct 2007

Programs: AA Platinum Pro, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 75

Quote:

Originally Posted by s0ssos

Apparently they split it so one person can get upgraded. Happened to me and companion, only 1 seat available, we were #1 and #2 and I got it.

Same here, in December while traveling with daughter was offered the one upgrade (I could pick who got it or refuse it...daughter was happy!)

Apr 19, 2022, 9:18 am

#134

ER-One

formerly DreAAmliner

Join Date: Feb 2020

Location: DFW

Programs: AA EXP

Posts: 419

Is below an accurate summary?
trying to wrap my head around the best way to deal with P2 (non-elite)

If booked same PNR:
Elite + non-elite = next to each other on UG list, but will get skipped if there is only one seat released
Elite + elite = respective locations on UG list and will upgrade one-by-one

Separate PNR:
Elite + non-elite = next to each other on UG list, but will upgrade one-by-one
Elite + elite = respective locations on UG list and will upgrade one-by-one

Apr 19, 2022, 9:55 am

#135

nole1

Join Date: Oct 2019

Location: BNA

Programs: AA Plat, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 54

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreAAmliner

Is below an accurate summary?
Separate PNR:
Elite + non-elite = next to each other on UG list, but will upgrade one-by-one
Elite + elite = respective locations on UG list and will upgrade one-by-one

I have this situation coming up next week. Flying with my brother who has no status. When I called and got our PNRs tied she asked if I wanted the UG listed as a split or non-split. I told her to list it as non-split since J is wide open currently (10/12 seats showing free) and EF is showing J7. I'm also not overly concerned if we don't get the UG as its about a 45 min flight on a 175 and beverages are back for MCE.