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Old May 16, 2017, 12:53 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Prospero
As of May 20, 2017 upgrade prioritization is:
  1. Elite status
    1. Concierge Key
    2. Executive Platinum
    3. Platinum Pro
    4. Platinum
    5. Gold
  2. Upgrade type
    1. Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades, Business Extra? (SWU)
    2. 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets (including EXP complimentary UDU)
    3. 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards (including EXP complimentary UDU)
    4. 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



    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"




    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



    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"



    NOTES:
    1. 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)
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Upgrade Priority: Status, Upgrade Type, Rolling 12 Month EQD Spend

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Old Jan 30, 2018, 5:02 am
  #376  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: INT/GSO/CLT/RDU
Programs: AA EXP 1MM; HH Gold; Bonvoy Gold; Wynd Diamond
Posts: 228
Originally Posted by zpaul
No. For those of us that track it, we use Excel or some other tool that we maintain on our own.
Is the spend credited as of the booking date, the ticketing date, or the date of service (flight date)?
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Old Jan 30, 2018, 9:50 am
  #377  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: Double OWE (AA EXP, QF Plat), FI Gold
Posts: 1,887
Originally Posted by ptsailor
Is the spend credited as of the booking date, the ticketing date, or the date of service (flight date)?
I'm 99.9% sure it's flight date, as that is when the EQDs are credited to your account, along with the EQMs, etc.
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Old Feb 1, 2018, 8:08 am
  #378  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 2
Again EXP w/ 21.2K EQDs in 2017....

Jan 23rd PHL-LAS flight 2528 No upgrade pre airport. 1st on list (of 20) at airport - NO UPGRADE

Jan 26th LAS-PHL flight 813 No Upgrade pre airport. 3rd on list (of 32) at airport - NO UPGRADE. Appears only 1st on list cleared.
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Old Feb 1, 2018, 8:10 am
  #379  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,148
Originally Posted by Tim19320
Again EXP w/ 21.2K EQDs in 2017....

Jan 23rd PHL-LAS flight 2528 No upgrade pre airport. 1st on list (of 20) at airport - NO UPGRADE

Jan 26th LAS-PHL flight 813 No Upgrade pre airport. 3rd on list (of 32) at airport - NO UPGRADE. Appears only 1st on list cleared.
I have about the same EQD as you. Interesting.

In general, I find it's really gotten difficult to score a complimentary upgrade on the more dense routes from hubs (e.g. PHL-LAS, DFW-PHX, etc.) AA is offering F for sale so competitively on these routes, that those 16 seats fill up quickly with paid pax.
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Old Feb 4, 2018, 9:56 am
  #380  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: AA, WN, UA, Bonvoy, Hertz
Posts: 2,491
For me, it is those 12F planes where I felt I would have been upgraded if it was 16F.

What really happened is while the 319s and 320s were being retroitted, my routes were getting the 737s. Alas, that is over.

Rasheed
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Old Feb 4, 2018, 6:41 pm
  #381  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
Of course, there is always the UPG at time of booking/ticketing that I'm wondering about. Had my HKG-LAX-HKG segments for Aug and Sept trip UPG at ticketing, though I do have apx 19k rolling EQD's and have been replacing EQD's as they expire. And, my LAX-HKG segment of another HKG-LAX-HKG for March UPG'd months ago which I ticketed last June. Not complaining of course, just like to know what's going on. I always look for the immediate UPG segments and have the ability to fly midweek.
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Old Feb 4, 2018, 6:47 pm
  #382  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
Originally Posted by rbAA
Of course, there is always the UPG at time of booking/ticketing that I'm wondering about. Had my HKG-LAX-HKG segments for Aug and Sept trip UPG at ticketing, though I do have apx 19k rolling EQD's and have been replacing EQD's as they expire. And, my LAX-HKG segment of another HKG-LAX-HKG for March UPG'd months ago which I ticketed last June. Not complaining of course, just like to know what's going on. I always look for the immediate UPG segments and have the ability to fly midweek.
What's your question?

If the upgrade is available at ticketing - it's available at ticketing. There's no waiting list and EQD rank doesn't come into the equation.
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Old Feb 4, 2018, 9:37 pm
  #383  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
Originally Posted by bse118
What's your question?

If the upgrade is available at ticketing - it's available at ticketing. There's no waiting list and EQD rank doesn't come into the equation.
See, you knew what the question was, if there was one. No question mark so probably no question, other than something like a hypothetical. More of a musing out loud, if you subvocalize the words when you read. Just saying, I plan way ahead, travel midweek and can usually find immediate UPG's to avoid this entire scheme. At least as much as possible. Thanks for answering my "question."
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 9:49 am
  #384  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
How do PY fares rank in terms of upgrade priority?
I am in a situation where I can change my DFW-HKG ticket from discount Y (booking code V) to discount PY (booking code P) for just a few hundred dollars. One big consideration as to whether or not I spring for this is where code P will fall in the prioritization for Y -> J upgrades. I am assuming I will be below full-fare PY and Y fares, but above just about everything else in coach. Is this correct? Also, would upgrading from code P to biz with miles still require a copay?
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 9:54 am
  #385  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by mcrw00
I am in a situation where I can change my DFW-HKG ticket from discount Y (booking code V) to discount PY (booking code P) for just a few hundred dollars. One big consideration as to whether or not I spring for this is where code P will fall in the prioritization for Y -> J upgrades. I am assuming I will be below full-fare PY and Y fares, but above just about everything else in coach. Is this correct? Also, would upgrading from code P to biz with miles still require a copay?
Premium Economy is currently treated like Economy for most purposes, including AFAIK upgrades, until the following upgrade priority criteria are satisfied: for upgrade purposes, it’s still status first, followed y type of upgrade requested, then by rolling 12 month EQD spend. If there’s still a “tie”, fare class, followed by time of request, would (rarely) come into the equation.

Regardless, you’ll get a significantly more comfortable seat than Main Cabin anything.
Last edited by JDiver; Jun 3, 2018 at 10:11 am
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 10:04 am
  #386  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
Originally Posted by JDiver
Premium Economy is currently treated like Economy for most purposes, including AFAIK upgrades. For upgrade purposes, it’s still status first, followed by rolling 12 month EQD spend.

Regardless, you’ll get a significantly more comfortable seat than Main Cabin anything.
Thank you for the clarification. I had been under the misunderstanding that booking code still trumped EQD spend, but I stand corrected.

FWIW, when going on the AA website to double check the prioritization rules, I was able to find the PY/Y prioritization for booking codes in the rare case of a tie in EQD spend:
  • From Main Cabin to the next class: W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T
Interestingly, although discounted PY seems to trump full-fare Y, my understanding of the miles+copay rules are that currently only W and Y qualify for the reduced mileage cost/waived copay...
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 10:13 am
  #387  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by mcrw00


Thank you for the clarification. I had been under the misunderstanding that booking code still trumped EQD spend, but I stand corrected.

FWIW, when going on the AA website to double check the prioritization rules, I was able to find the PY/Y prioritization for booking codes in the rare case of a tie in EQD spend:
  • From Main Cabin to the next class: W, P, Y, H, K, M, L, V, G, S, N, Q, O, T
Interestingly, although discounted PY seems to trump full-fare Y, my understanding of the miles+copay rules are that currently only W and Y qualify for the reduced mileage cost/waived copay...
Thanks! I’ve corrected my post to reflect 1) status, 2) type of upgrade, 3) EQD spend. (If there’s still a tie, then 4) fare class would be used, and if still tied 5) time of request. I’m cleaning up the Wikipost, adding your information as well. Assuming my internet connection doesn’t drop yet again .
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Last edited by JDiver; Jun 3, 2018 at 10:34 am
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 10:39 am
  #388  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
I presume an SWU would trump a complimentary upgrade (if one were to use an SWU on a domestic flight...)?
Should comp upgrade be #4 on the list below?

Upgrade type
  1. Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
  2. 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
  3. 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards)
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Old Jun 3, 2018, 10:45 am
  #389  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Originally Posted by dmodemd
I presume an SWU would trump a complimentary upgrade (if one were to use an SWU on a domestic flight...)?
Should comp upgrade be #4 on the list below?

Upgrade type
  1. Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
  2. 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
  3. 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards)
EXP UDU uses the same policy as the 500 mile upgrade. I’ll add that. Thank you.
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Old Jun 9, 2018, 1:55 am
  #390  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
One comment, one question.

I sponsored a nonstatus friend on another PNR using my SWU at the airport and my friend inherited my status. I didn't even ask them to do it as I was curious what would happen without saying anything. If I'm reading the guide right I think it suggests they should not have inherited my status.

Do SWU, Miles and Copay, and BusinessExtra upgrades all share the same priority and thus order is determined by EQD within the same status tier? Same answer before airport control and after?
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