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 25, 2017, 2:43 pm
#166
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: 6,663
May 26, 2017, 12:12 pm
#167
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SF + PHX
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1k, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, X Elite+
Posts: 262
I thought along with this change, companions were supposed to inherit PALL status (and be able to use their own upgrades).
Today, among many other typical upgrade list fiascos, my status companion was only listed next to me after the AAngel requested the upgrades from my account. If this is still the case, I'm going to need to buy more stickers soon...these companion upgrades are wiping me out!
Today, among many other typical upgrade list fiascos, my status companion was only listed next to me after the AAngel requested the upgrades from my account. If this is still the case, I'm going to need to buy more stickers soon...these companion upgrades are wiping me out!
May 26, 2017, 3:38 pm
#169
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 624
I am 0/1 on the new system. Ended up 3/10 on LAX-HNL - 1 and 2 cleared. Blah. ~15.5k in 12 month trailing EQD. I had never failed to clear on this route as EXP before too
May 26, 2017, 3:41 pm
#170
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA- EXP UA - Silver SPG- PLT Marriott- PLT
Posts: 755
May 27, 2017, 3:59 am
#171
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
No. On 500 milers ur companion will inherit ur upgrade priority but it may require agent keystrokes at the airport. But it also assume that a companion using ur status would use ur stickers -- not theirs. But this is many times overloood at the gate. SWUs. No. They are on their own.
I thought along with this change, companions were supposed to inherit PALL status (and be able to use their own upgrades).
Today, among many other typical upgrade list fiascos, my status companion was only listed next to me after the AAngel requested the upgrades from my account. If this is still the case, I'm going to need to buy more stickers soon...these companion upgrades are wiping me out!
Today, among many other typical upgrade list fiascos, my status companion was only listed next to me after the AAngel requested the upgrades from my account. If this is still the case, I'm going to need to buy more stickers soon...these companion upgrades are wiping me out!
May 27, 2017, 10:39 am
#172
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DCA | DEN
Programs: AA EXP/2.9mm | Marriott LT Titanium 1.6k nights | NEXUS
Posts: 981
Oblique question but I'm on a trip with just an iPhone /iPad so all I get with account access on the app are the basics. I'm probably close to your 12-month spend, as I'm at $8.8k ytd. Does the full site have the 12-month data or did you add 2016 info on your own. TIA.
May 27, 2017, 2:33 pm
#173
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Gold, UA Silver
Posts: 624
I did my own math - took 8/1 and on and divided base miles by 5. I am not sure if the people upgraded were CKs but they did not have great seats - I watched them get walked up by the GA after boarding
May 27, 2017, 3:26 pm
#174
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
Was it published somewhere for the 'base miles by 5' calculation, rather than a 'what-if' EQD that corresponds to the charts/published ones for 2017 onwards?
May 27, 2017, 6:44 pm
#175
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AA(EXP)UA(1K/1MM) Marriott(PP,LifeTime Plat) Hertz(5*)
Posts: 449
So to know what your EQD was from 8/1-12/31 take all base miles and divide by 5.
May 28, 2017, 6:37 am
#176
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: AA - Plat, HHonors - Diamond, IHG - Plat, Marriott - Gold, National - Exec, Amtrak - Select, NEXUS
Posts: 1,075
This PLT has ~$11.2k EQD in the past 12 months. I wonder how many PLTs have EXP-level spend but less than Plat Pro travel? (Right now I'm at 5500 EQD/28k EQM/27 EQS for 2017.)
I'll find out if the new system benefits me better than time of request, since the majority of my tickets are bought <2 weeks out. Mostly I'm too far down the list that they aren't going to upgrade any PLTs anyway, but two weeks back I was 3rd on the list on a Friday afternoon DFW-PHL and 1 & 2 were gate upgraded as they boarded with Group 3 (so PLT or PPRO). That may have been an opportunity for EQD to put me to the head of the line (assuming that 1 and 2 weren't Plat Pro, I understand).
I'll find out if the new system benefits me better than time of request, since the majority of my tickets are bought <2 weeks out. Mostly I'm too far down the list that they aren't going to upgrade any PLTs anyway, but two weeks back I was 3rd on the list on a Friday afternoon DFW-PHL and 1 & 2 were gate upgraded as they boarded with Group 3 (so PLT or PPRO). That may have been an opportunity for EQD to put me to the head of the line (assuming that 1 and 2 weren't Plat Pro, I understand).
May 30, 2017, 12:35 am
#178
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SF + PHX
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1k, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, X Elite+
Posts: 262
Today's flight I was 6/16. 1-3 cleared. There was only one CK on the flight as they were individually paged to the podium for an intro to their CK rep and an apology for the delay.
This is really going to be a roll of the dice every flight as EQD piles on and falls off for each of us. And to all of you who have corporate paid J....I hate you just a little bit more ��.
This is really going to be a roll of the dice every flight as EQD piles on and falls off for each of us. And to all of you who have corporate paid J....I hate you just a little bit more ��.
May 30, 2017, 9:03 am
#179
Join Date: May 2016
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP, UA Gold
Posts: 98
To clarify the prioritization, does booking a premium economy ticket give any upside to upgrade priority? I see that the fourth category is booking class, but wasn't clear if that's only within a given cabin (i.e. Y > G) or would also be the point at which W would come into play vs. Y fare classes
Just trying to understand if there's any benefit to booking PE vs. Y besides the higher EQM, seat, etc. (assuming no complimentary upgrade from Y to PE)
Just trying to understand if there's any benefit to booking PE vs. Y besides the higher EQM, seat, etc. (assuming no complimentary upgrade from Y to PE)
May 30, 2017, 11:33 am
#180
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,644
To clarify the prioritization, does booking a premium economy ticket give any upside to upgrade priority? I see that the fourth category is booking class, but wasn't clear if that's only within a given cabin (i.e. Y > G) or would also be the point at which W would come into play vs. Y fare classes
Just trying to understand if there's any benefit to booking PE vs. Y besides the higher EQM, seat, etc. (assuming no complimentary upgrade from Y to PE)
Just trying to understand if there's any benefit to booking PE vs. Y besides the higher EQM, seat, etc. (assuming no complimentary upgrade from Y to PE)
I wonder exactly the same thing.