Unofficial: Complimentary CK/EXP Premium Economy Upgrades?
Jan 17, 2017, 8:54 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,913
Unofficial: Complimentary CK/EXP Premium Economy Upgrades?
Finally some good news on the AA front...
HT: JonNYC and OMAAT (http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...my-upgrades-2/).
- Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs) will still be valid for upgrades to the business class cabin, even on aircraft with premium economy
- CKs and EXPs will receive complimentary day of departure upgrades from economy to premium economy
-FlyerBeek
HT: JonNYC and OMAAT (http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...my-upgrades-2/).
- Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs) will still be valid for upgrades to the business class cabin, even on aircraft with premium economy
- CKs and EXPs will receive complimentary day of departure upgrades from economy to premium economy
-FlyerBeek
Jan 17, 2017, 9:00 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
This give me a glimmer of hope for AAdvantage. Also this:
is truly Going for Great™ in a completely non-sarcastic way.
Also, I wonder if the same is true for Miles & Copay upgrades?
But it gets better than that for American flyers. American will also offer complimentary day of departure upgrades from economy to premium economy for Concierge Key and Executive Platinum members. What’s not yet official is how these will be processed (i.e., whether you can pick any available premium economy seat 24 hours out, if there will be a waitlist cleared at the gate, etc.). As far as I know, this will make American the first airline to offer complimentary upgrades to international premium economy.
Also, I wonder if the same is true for Miles & Copay upgrades?
Jan 17, 2017, 10:05 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
Any chance lower elites will be able to use 500 mile upgrades to get into premium economy? That actually seems reasonable to me; a US east coast-Europe trip would require about eight upgrades, cash value of $320, which strikes me as fair for a space-available upgrade to a cabin that sells for a ~$500 premium.
Jan 17, 2017, 11:41 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
Any chance lower elites will be able to use 500 mile upgrades to get into premium economy? That actually seems reasonable to me; a US east coast-Europe trip would require about eight upgrades, cash value of $320, which strikes me as fair for a space-available upgrade to a cabin that sells for a ~$500 premium.
Jan 18, 2017, 1:55 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Perhaps. And my bet is that whenever the complimentary EXP upgrades to Premium Economy end on say international TPAC flights, this benefit's demise won't be too far removed (in one direction or another) from another SWU devaluation. But this could be years off and probably depends on what DL and UA end up doing.
Jan 18, 2017, 1:56 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Jan 18, 2017, 1:56 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: CUR
Posts: 2,170
Jan 18, 2017, 2:08 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Using 500 mile stickers on say international TPAC and TATL flights ? I doubt it. I expect it to turn out to be either complimentary for an EXP companion or discounted but requiring additional money (or miles or other instrument) for a companion or companions; and of those, I expect the complimentary to be far less likely to be around longer term if at all. But time will tell where this all goes.
Jan 18, 2017, 4:41 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,951
1. (Any) W -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
2. (Any) Y -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
I presume that W -> J will require fewer miles (or no copay) than Y -> J? But either way it will be one SWU? And of course W upgraded to J would earn 1.5 EQMs while Y upgraded to J would earn 1.0 EQMs. So these policies would still give an incentive to purchase W even if you're upgrading. (Whether it's worth it will of course depend on the details.)
Jan 18, 2017, 6:12 am
#14
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DCA
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 947
This is a relief, for sure.
Still, it makes the SWU calculus a bit more complicated: As a leisure EXP (I'll probably requalify for 2018 on manufactured EQD), when I waitlist for a Y>J SWU, I'd now be behind all CK's, all EXP's with more EQD, all EXP's ticketed in W, and (possibly, depending on how they structure this) PP's, Plats, and Golds ticketed in W.
Of course, that still might not be very many people, given the small size of the W cabin, the fact that nobody of lower status will have SWU's, and the overall number of SWU's will be about half what it was last year.
Thanks to JonNYC and OMAAT for the (relatively) good news!
Still, it makes the SWU calculus a bit more complicated: As a leisure EXP (I'll probably requalify for 2018 on manufactured EQD), when I waitlist for a Y>J SWU, I'd now be behind all CK's, all EXP's with more EQD, all EXP's ticketed in W, and (possibly, depending on how they structure this) PP's, Plats, and Golds ticketed in W.
Of course, that still might not be very many people, given the small size of the W cabin, the fact that nobody of lower status will have SWU's, and the overall number of SWU's will be about half what it was last year.
Thanks to JonNYC and OMAAT for the (relatively) good news!
Jan 18, 2017, 7:47 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: QDF
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), Marriott Tit
Posts: 1,038
I think that would be ver fair. To my eye, a fair upgrade priority would be
1. (Any) W -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
2. (Any) Y -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
I presume that W -> J will require fewer miles (or no copay) than Y -> J? But either way it will be one SWU? And of course W upgraded to J would earn 1.5 EQMs while Y upgraded to J would earn 1.0 EQMs. So these policies would still give an incentive to purchase W even if you're upgrading. (Whether it's worth it will of course depend on the details.)
1. (Any) W -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
2. (Any) Y -> J (C), CK, EXP, PPRO, PLAT, Gold, no-status
I presume that W -> J will require fewer miles (or no copay) than Y -> J? But either way it will be one SWU? And of course W upgraded to J would earn 1.5 EQMs while Y upgraded to J would earn 1.0 EQMs. So these policies would still give an incentive to purchase W even if you're upgrading. (Whether it's worth it will of course depend on the details.)
