May 16, 2017, 12:53 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
Elite qualifying dollars* in the past 12 months
- Elite status
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
- Upgrade type
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades, Business Extra? (SWU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards (including EXP complimentary UDU)
- BXP Business Extra upgrades
Elite qualifying dollars* in the past 12 months
- Booking class (in order, J, D, I, W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T)
Time of request
*Your 12-month Rolling EQD value is different from your Year-to-Date (YTD) EQDs, which is used to track your progress toward elite status. It includes your EQD earned from reaching qualifying spend thresholds on eligible AAdvantage® AviatorTM MasterCard® cards.
Link to EQD earning Help Desk thread on FlyerTalk.
No- or lower status companion and effect on upgrade position
WAIT LIST, SAME PNR: Prior to upgrade request going to airport list- 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)
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
- Award travel: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
WAIT LIST, SEPARATE PNR: Prior to upgrade request going to airport list- SWU, Miles & Copay: lower status passenger DOES NOT "borrow" higher status under any circumstance
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- Award travel: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
- Award travel: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
AIRPORT LIST, SAME PNR:- SWU, Miles & Copay: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status. (BX is unsure, but is least of priorities, likely to up D-24 only)
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- Award travel: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status
AIRPORT LIST, SEPARATE PNR:- SWU, Miles & Copay: lower status passenger DOES NOT "borrow" higher status under any circumstance
- 500 mile / UDU: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- Award travel: lower status passenger "borrows" higher status IF PNRs "linked"
- Business Extra upgrade instruments
- 500 mile / UDU: 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.
- Lower status passenger previously "borrowing" higher status may require human processing at the airport to re-establish "borrowed status" linkage
(Companion information thanks to DW)
- 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)
Upgrade Priority: Status, Upgrade Type, Rolling 12 Month EQD Spend
May 24, 2017, 10:02 am
#151
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA- EXP UA - Silver SPG- PLT Marriott- PLT
Posts: 755
Would be great to get some more data points here to try and determine what "average" looks like.
May 24, 2017, 1:01 pm
#152
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Mesa, AZ
Programs: AA Ex Plat, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Silver
Posts: 638
I'm at $14K using the "divide by 5" method and I must be bottom of the barrel. I'm usually well down on the list. I'm just under $7K for the year and my percentage of upgrades is abysmal. I'm "always" 5th on the list or worse when it was by timestamp, this week I was 6th on the list after the new way of determining the order. I feel less bad about siting in back so long as the guy up front gives more to the airline though for some reason. I hated the timestamp thing. But with the numbers getting thrown around on here, I'll never get another upgrade again 
. I don't know how people that are spending their own money and having this many EQD's do it. I'll keep sitting in the back, getting my snack and drink and hoping they don't take any more legroom from me.
. I don't know how people that are spending their own money and having this many EQD's do it. I'll keep sitting in the back, getting my snack and drink and hoping they don't take any more legroom from me.
May 24, 2017, 2:44 pm
#153
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: New York / Shanghai / Taipei
Posts: 119
They rolled the cabin and 5 cleared. they were all confirmed to be Exp.
However, maybe on a such an early flight - the Other Exp's ahead of me were also using Instruments to try and secure a Layflat
May 24, 2017, 6:41 pm
#154
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Jose, CA
Programs: CX Diamond, AA CK (quit 2018), Starwood Platinum, National EXC Elite
Posts: 283
Trail run
As a trail, I've booked a SJC-DFW for next Friday, to test the EQD impact theories. Since August 2016, to date, I'm at over $50k. Let's see when it clears. Could argue its close in, but hey it's a trail, and if doesn't clear in advance I'll cancel and put $ in travel bank.
May 24, 2017, 6:44 pm
#155
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: TUL
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; Marriott Titanium; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Explorist; Vistana 5* Elite; Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 6,177
As a trail, I've booked a SJC-DFW for next Friday, to test the EQD impact theories. Since August 2016, to date, I'm at over $50k. Let's see when it clears. Could argue its close in, but hey it's a trail, and if doesn't clear in advance I'll cancel and put $ in travel bank.
May 25, 2017, 6:05 am
#157
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Marriott Plat, AA Gold
Posts: 1,076
unless you are also calculating the EQD's of the other people on the list, you're still going to have to blindly trust their tally.
May 25, 2017, 9:57 am
#159
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,301
May 25, 2017, 11:23 am
#160
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AA(EXP)UA(1K/1MM) Marriott(PP,LifeTime Plat) Hertz(5*)
Posts: 449
I will say that I am happy to see this change on a whole.
I have never liked the time stamp for clearing upgrades. I know this is the biggest contention with people as the ones that but months in advance at a lesser fare are no longer a priority.
I myself am usually booking airfare 3-14 days out. Maybe I get to book an airfare 30+ days in advance but that happens 1-2 times a year in the middle of the year. Mostly for a work related job that deals with July 4th and my vacation trip that happens after.
As such I am usually lower on the list of exp to get an upgrade. But I am spending way more through the year for my tickets as they are mostly last minute higher fares.
My yearly spend ranges between 20-30k a year. Not the highest and not the lowest.
And I am ok with someone who spends more then I do being listed before me for a benefit. I am just glad that the main basis is a rolling 12 month tally and not just the last year amount.
I am also happy that AA doesn't look at the one timers who buy a full fare ticket as the most deserving of all the benefits that a consistent possibly lower fare customer gets.
I am looking forward to my next few flights and seeing where I land on the list. And seeing if my upgrade percentage goes up for the rest of the year.
May 25, 2017, 11:29 am
#161
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: NYC,MIA,XFL
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, DL PM
Posts: 863
I understand. I'm just torn on that particular issue.
I will say that I am happy to see this change on a whole.
I have never liked the time stamp for clearing upgrades. I know this is the biggest contention with people as the ones that but months in advance at a lesser fare are no longer a priority.
I myself am usually booking airfare 3-14 days out. Maybe I get to book an airfare 30+ days in advance but that happens 1-2 times a year in the middle of the year. Mostly for a work related job that deals with July 4th and my vacation trip that happens after.
As such I am usually lower on the list of exp to get an upgrade. But I am spending way more through the year for my tickets as they are mostly last minute higher fares.
My yearly spend ranges between 20-30k a year. Not the highest and not the lowest.
And I am ok with someone who spends more then I do being listed before me for a benefit. I am just glad that the main basis is a rolling 12 month tally and not just the last year amount.
I am also happy that AA doesn't look at the one timers who buy a full fare ticket as the most deserving of all the benefits that a consistent possibly lower fare customer gets.
I am looking forward to my next few flights and seeing where I land on the list. And seeing if my upgrade percentage goes up for the rest of the year.
I will say that I am happy to see this change on a whole.
I have never liked the time stamp for clearing upgrades. I know this is the biggest contention with people as the ones that but months in advance at a lesser fare are no longer a priority.
I myself am usually booking airfare 3-14 days out. Maybe I get to book an airfare 30+ days in advance but that happens 1-2 times a year in the middle of the year. Mostly for a work related job that deals with July 4th and my vacation trip that happens after.
As such I am usually lower on the list of exp to get an upgrade. But I am spending way more through the year for my tickets as they are mostly last minute higher fares.
My yearly spend ranges between 20-30k a year. Not the highest and not the lowest.
And I am ok with someone who spends more then I do being listed before me for a benefit. I am just glad that the main basis is a rolling 12 month tally and not just the last year amount.
I am also happy that AA doesn't look at the one timers who buy a full fare ticket as the most deserving of all the benefits that a consistent possibly lower fare customer gets.
I am looking forward to my next few flights and seeing where I land on the list. And seeing if my upgrade percentage goes up for the rest of the year.
May 25, 2017, 12:09 pm
#162
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Exp Plat / Marriott Titanium/ Hyatt Globalist/ Delta Diamond Medallion
Posts: 73
May 25, 2017, 1:06 pm
#163
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: NYC,MIA,XFL
Programs: AA EXP, B6 Mosaic, DL PM
Posts: 863
May 25, 2017, 1:08 pm
#164
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: TUL
Programs: AA EXP 2MM; Marriott Titanium; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Explorist; Vistana 5* Elite; Nat'l Exec Elite
Posts: 6,177
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...s-benefits.jsp
May 25, 2017, 1:08 pm
#165
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 65
That's what the EXP desk told me
