Non-Elite Check-In Upgrade Over Plat 500-Milers
 

Booked 4 tix back in May (me, wife, 6 & 3 yr old) for tonight's AA361 DFW-DEN. Split my res out to submit for 500mi upgrades to give my wife...if it came through.

Checked the three of them in last night online and it offered immediate upgrades for $90/ea, so I did it leaving an open seat next to one of my boys for me. Went to check myself in and it did not offer the same, rather just allowed me to keep myself on upgrade standby list.

My logic was that AA offered my non-elite wife and boys upgrades for $90ea. AA currently values 500mi upgrades for purchase at $40ea. I, as Plat, requested the equivalent of $80 in my upgrade (DFW-DEN requires two). Given that, surely they would not keep me on the list while offering the seats up for non-elites. Surely my loyalty is worth more than that (on-paper) $10 difference. I was wrong.

Puzzled, I called Plat Desk this morning to find out what gives:

-- First, they explained that revenue management values that paid seat @ $90 over my 500-milers. I begrudgingly get it--still like my logic better :p.

-- Second, they said they were not able to force my upgrade to clear, even though they confirmed 3 seats left and I was the only one on the list. I get that too--as it's usually a gate agent thing.

-- Third, the agent said I could pay the $200+ fare difference to 1st but I declined that option.

-- Fourth, I asked if they could un-check me in so I could try it again to see if I was offered the $90 upgrade. Agent said the only way to do that was to cancel my trip and rebook it, and he said "And I am just not going to do that, no, not going to do that at all"

Bottom line, yes, I am the reason I am in this predicament after upgrading them, but it is still no less frustrating. The sting of screwing this up myself only stings more after what--to me, right or wrong--feels like a lack of customer service for an elite status member on AA. Allowing Ma and Pa Kettle a discounted seat up front before me is somewhat a slap in the face.

Oh well. Lesson learned. Things are likely to get interesting later tonight. IF I get upgraded, there will be the whole begging for seat-change volunteers. IF NOT, well, I will cross that bridge when I come to it. GA & FA will have their hands full. :D

What's your reason for assuming that you will -not- clear for the flight?

Looks like FCM is in full swing on your flight.

More copy&paste from DL....

Not assuming either way

The system is designed (and this is nothing new at all) to sell as many of those upgrades as it can _without_ depriving elites who are waitlisted for any particular flight of their elite upgrades, cleared at whatever time the system dictates.

Circumstances, can, of course, screw this up-- flight cancellations, unexpected last-minute purchases of F-seats, etc. But all indications are that it works as intended the vast majority of the time.

Again, has been this way since these upgrades were first introduced-- years.

Indeed. It seems the system worked exactly as designed.

No elites miss their upgrade (if F3 and 1 on the list), while AA gets some extra revenue in lieu of empty F seats going out. Since the computer is quite sure you will clear, it doesn't try to cheat you out of $90 to get something you are going to get for free.

So another thread title might have read, "AA prefers cash revenue to upgrade chits".

But they were nice enough to encourage you to not spend the money.
As to canceling and rebooking, I would be afraid of that as well.

That makes sense. Just seems odd they wouldn't just clear my upgrade by now if that is the case.

I don't agree that that would be any more accurate.

It's not like the person you got on the phone is able to make RM decisions (or influence them in such a case) and RM doesn't stress about the precise timing of an upgrade clearing, so, 2 -entirely- different "ends of the building" even if common sense might make one hope for a different result.

I think we can all agree that common sense is not normally a phrase used in connection with an airline, especially AA.

Exactly - I'm 100% with you here. But this is AA we're talking about. Did you clear? Short flight, but still would be fun to be with the whole fam in F.

Nope. Have not cleared yet, but flight is at 2200 so there is a lot of time left.

So does this imply that the cash upgrades are limited to # of F seats left minus the number of elites on the waitlist? So here, 6 F seats were available, 3 upgrades were purchased, 1 is on the upgrade waitlist, so only 2 more F seats would be available for cash upgrades?

2 at most, quite possibly zero. They'd probably want to leave a small buffer in case of IRROPS or if any F passengers want to standby.

Most accurate title for this thread would seem to be 'System working as intended'.