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
Jul 17, 2019, 7:14 am
#437
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA ExPlat, Delta GM, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Titanium Elite, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 140
I find the Business Extra upgrades useful for confirming an upgrade on flights where I (even as an ExPlat with around $20K rolling spend) would have no chance of getting a complimentary upgrade (looking at you, ORD-DFW). So...less utility if you have complimentary status, but definitely still there.
I also use them to upgrade my wife when she travels solo (since she has no status). Again, jumping on C inventory is key.
I also use them to upgrade my wife when she travels solo (since she has no status). Again, jumping on C inventory is key.
Jul 17, 2019, 8:03 am
#439
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA ExPlat, Delta GM, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Titanium Elite, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 140
In general? To accept I'll be sitting in the cabin I purchased. I will admit my use of BE upgrades is opportunistic - if I see C inventory (or the golden "Systemwide Upgrades" link) when I book on a flight where I know I won't clear or my wife is flying without me, I'll use the upgrade. Otherwise, I won't.
Jul 17, 2019, 8:04 am
#440
Join Date: Jan 2006
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 313
I had a similar experience this week where I verified with my own eyes that an instrument supported BXP upgrade fell behind a complimentary upgrade on the PALL of passengers with the same status. That is not supposed to happened if I understand the rules correctly and think it is possible something has changed recently.
Jul 17, 2019, 8:36 am
#441
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 599
In general? To accept I'll be sitting in the cabin I purchased. I will admit my use of BE upgrades is opportunistic - if I see C inventory (or the golden "Systemwide Upgrades" link) when I book on a flight where I know I won't clear or my wife is flying without me, I'll use the upgrade. Otherwise, I won't.
Jul 17, 2019, 10:35 pm
#442
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
wow, wonder why they changed the rules assuming it was intentional and not an IT issue. Kinda crazy a BXP upgrade falls lower than a complimentary one.
Jul 19, 2019, 6:17 pm
#443
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Syracuse, NY
Programs: 1k UA, UA MM, AA EXPlat
Posts: 639
I spoke with Business Extra support today. I was told: BE Upgrades are processed AFTER complimentary upgrades. It is not possible to have both status upgrades and BE on the same ticket.
Thus, in my case, my EXP status is not active when I have a BE upgrade. The support person stated that they have tried to let the marketing department know this. What a crock!
Thus, in my case, my EXP status is not active when I have a BE upgrade. The support person stated that they have tried to let the marketing department know this. What a crock!
Jul 21, 2019, 1:12 pm
#444
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 228
I’m so frustrated with the partner upgrade priority not matching the booking persons status.
i’m up to 4 missed upgrades due to a mixture of bad systems, gate agent incompetence or gate agent sheer refusal to do what needs to be done to get the upgrade list to reflect as it should.
I emailed after the latest example on Friday, which resulted in them splitting the reservation, so i’m Expecting tomorrow morning to be a grind dealing with a gate agent to try and get it to reflect properly.
i’m up to 4 missed upgrades due to a mixture of bad systems, gate agent incompetence or gate agent sheer refusal to do what needs to be done to get the upgrade list to reflect as it should.
I emailed after the latest example on Friday, which resulted in them splitting the reservation, so i’m Expecting tomorrow morning to be a grind dealing with a gate agent to try and get it to reflect properly.
Jul 22, 2019, 10:33 pm
#445
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Has something changed or is due to change regarding free elite upgrades for flights under 500 miles?
I am booking a EZE-MIA-MCO in February and it shows "500-mile upgrades
1 per person 192 miles" - Previously when I booked short flights I don't remember it saying this.
I am booking a EZE-MIA-MCO in February and it shows "500-mile upgrades
1 per person 192 miles" - Previously when I booked short flights I don't remember it saying this.
Jul 23, 2019, 8:58 am
#446
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,304
I spoke with Business Extra support today. I was told: BE Upgrades are processed AFTER complimentary upgrades. It is not possible to have both status upgrades and BE on the same ticket.
Thus, in my case, my EXP status is not active when I have a BE upgrade. The support person stated that they have tried to let the marketing department know this. What a crock!
Thus, in my case, my EXP status is not active when I have a BE upgrade. The support person stated that they have tried to let the marketing department know this. What a crock!
Then a month ago, I got a complimentary upgrade before my miles/copay cleared. So something changed in terms of one blocking the other. But I didn’t think it would happen at the gate
Has anyone tried pulling a BE upgrade day of departure? When I did pull a miles/copay day of departure, it put me so far down the list it seemed punitive (I.e. not where I would have been in the list otherwise).
has anyone else experienced something adverse if pulling an upgrade instrument day of departure (or at any time).?
Jul 24, 2019, 11:43 pm
#448
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
are you traveling with a companion? That message may be because you need a sticker to upgrade your companion?
Jul 24, 2019, 11:48 pm
#449
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: Alaska Gold 75K, AA EXP, United 1K
Posts: 472
it used to be that the system would not allow a complimentary upgrade if you had miles/copay requested - you couldn’t request both.
Then a month ago, I got a complimentary upgrade before my miles/copay cleared. So something changed in terms of one blocking the other. But I didn’t think it would happen at the gate
Has anyone tried pulling a BE upgrade day of departure? When I did pull a miles/copay day of departure, it put me so far down the list it seemed punitive (I.e. not where I would have been in the list otherwise).
has anyone else experienced something adverse if pulling an upgrade instrument day of departure (or at any time).?
Jul 25, 2019, 10:28 am
#450
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,304
weird they made this change but communicated it nowhere. Makes me wonder how intentional this was and if so why. Seems to really devalue business extra upgrades which now for elites are only valuable ahead of the upgrade window when C is avail which is so hard to come by. And of course for non-elites they’re unlikely to clear on any popular route because they come behind all elite upgrades. Who should we complain to?