AAExecPlatFlier

Ask your friend....what?????

eponymous_coward

It totally depends on the program, and the fare class booked, so tell your friend "more specifics, please, or you might as well be asking 'how high is up?'".

Dave Noble

I think that your friend will need to check the rules of the scheme to which he or she is crediting

On schemes I am aware of, where upgraded using miles/SWU , it will credit as per per the underlying booking class

Kreative03

Looking at AA flights, crediting to BAEC. My membership year just started, and I over qualified for EXP, but likely won't do another 40k...so looking to gain tier points. However 20 TP vs 140 (O vs C, for example) is a big jump. It says C earns based on original class(doesn't say if it's avios earnings or TP earnings) but not the same caveat for A.

Dave Noble

You will earn as per the original booking class

Upgrading from economy to business - credit as original economy booking class for TP and Avios
Upgrading from business to first - credit as original business booking class for TP and Avios

swimdude92

I'm wanting to start crediting my AA flights to Alaska as I've been status matched to MVPG 75k. I've been told multiple times by reservations, once I have started a trip (I'm in the middle of a long multi city trip) I cannot change my AAdvantage number to another program.

Anyone know if this is true, or experience otherwise?

G-CIVC

Just left AAdvantage in the 2nd half of a RTW. No problem changing FFP # at the airport

dmodemd

Can you change the FF# on AA.com AFTER check-in?

JDiver

People have been able to change FFN at the gate. Of course, this isn’t a sure thing if the gate is chaotic. On aa.com, it may not be possible.

In any case, changing the FFN and preserving perks that pertain to the original FFN may result in loss of those perks; it’s AA policy.

Older, but the answer to this is: Terrific way to get both accounts closed, lose status and miles.

DeltaFlyingProf

I really don't see what the issue is. What I am proposing is breaking no rule whatsoever. You buy a AA ticket and put your BA, CX or whichever account you want. Then you apply the SWU (which can be gifted and doesn't have to be used by the AAdvantage member) on your AA ticket? What rule is that breaking?

mvoight

I think a problem would be if you used your AA status to get priority in the SWU (or another) upgrade process or elite seating (preferred or MCE), and then removed your AA number from the booking.

DeltaFlyingProf

I could see that but usually I call to get a SWU applied only when I see C (or A for J->F) availability on EF. So no use of priority.

cplona

The key issue is if you have at any point used any benefit from you AA EXP / OWE status.

If you received a MCE seat assignment (which might not be used), or if used priority check in desk, or if you used your AA FF# to place yourself higher on the upgrade list. Any of those actions means you benefited from your AA status. To receive a benefit from AA without crediting to the AA program is the big no no.

I think if the original reservation is made with NO FF# no CX, no Ba, no QR, no AY number. etc. Reserve with no FF# then apply SWU as gift. That should be OK. Later, best if even after the flight is completed, you can contact your other program and ask for the flight credit.

But never try to game this

teemuflyer

I'm not sure what harm there would be in applying any other FF program # to the reservation before applying the SWU. Unless it is an AA FF#, it would have no impact as far as unwarranted benefits are concerned.

FlyingEgghead

This is a recurring question, but JonNYC laid down the law for me in these posts. Apparently, in spite of logic, it is just a rule that you cannot apply a SWU to yourself without crediting to AAdv, even if it doesn't benefit from status, and even though you can apply a SWU to someone else who isn't using their AAdv # (or doesn't even have one). Per JonNYC, it is not about whether you make use of waitlist priority (as people seem to think).

It's occurred to me that two people flying on AA, who both have SWUs, can upgrade each other (non-status-based) and credit to another program without violating anything. The fact that it's effectively allowed for two or more in combination, but not for one passenger at a time, is a indication of the illogic.

I haven't tried this, but I would suspect that if the agent sees that the name and DOB match and that you are upgrading yourself, your AAdv # would get added somehow.

But this:
sounds implausible to me. Unclear if JDiver was referring to the "friend" scenario or the "alter-ego" scenario. In the former (applying a SWU to someone else who's using a non-AA FF# and may not even be an AAdv member), I don't see any violation of even the strictest rules. Even in the latter (alter-ego), I could see AA rescinding the upgrade or refusing to credit to the other program -- but that AA would close one's account (when JonNYC said heavy enforcement is not the practice here), and that the other airline (whose FF# one tried to use) would know and care so much about a possible obscure violation of AA's rules that they would also close that account (JDiver said "get both accounts closed"), seems hyperbolic.