fanger

Connecting through DFW on 6/2- heavy IRROPS due to storms. The situation:
My wife (Platinum) and I on separate PNRs. I had called to link our PNRs for EXP upgrade priority 2-3 weeks ago, and received notification of upgrade on segment 2 right about 100 hrs.
My wife informed me that she had been upgraded on segment 2 when she checked in ~t-20 hrs using iOS app, but unfortunateIy I did not check previously if she had been upgraded at the same time as me. At this time she received and stored mobile boarding passes for both segments, and was seated next to me in first class on segment 2.
On boarding of segment 2 (~5.5 hrs late), her BP triggered an error and she was asked to step aside. The GA typed a bit and found someone else had been assigned to that seat. The GA was unable to assign her another seat, much less restore her first class seat, and had to call a supervisor to assist.
Only the supervisor was able to assign her an economy class seat. I noticed the following other points about the situation:
1. The GA initially seemed unclear on my wife’s identity, and it took a while for her to figure out she needed to call a supervisor. The GA said something like “I’m not the only one with my fingers in the pie.”
2. One person cleared off the gate upgrade list.
3. When the supervisor arrived, there was some discussion between him and the GA, and I heard the term “positive space” mentioned by the GA.
4. At least 16 people had been cleared off the standby list
What happened here? I feel clearly someone made a mistake. Either 1) someone deliberately reversed her upgrade, perhaps for a legitimate reason, but then failed to assign her an economy seat, or 2) somehow she was off-loaded by accident, resulting in the subsequent events. I’ll add here that the GA and supervisor suggested that she had not “checked in” for this flight.

Note: Please forgive me if I can't respond on a timely basis to this posting.

Centurion

1st. You can not link PNRs and you should know this no matter what anyone ever tells you. The only link is a note to look at the other PNR. That is why a lot of people do not split the PNRs and even pass on free upgrades in case of IROPs as the computer does not see the note and could send both of you to the same destination different ways.
2nd. You heard the term "Positive Space". Positive Space a airline term often for workers that have positive space on a flight. Most likely a pilot/crew who by employment contract had the right to positively have a space on that flight. The contracts are negotiated by union and often dictate First Class for pilots.

Lastly there are not enough details unless someone on this board could look at her PNR which would be against rules but you would have to give details for that to happen.

fanger

1. Thanks. I do understand about no "linked PNRs" rather I was referring to the companion upgrade priority for some on another PNR, which is much discussed here and people claim that they do it all the time. I don't have experience with it as I rarely travel with my wife but on separate PNRs; we had professional reasons to do so on this trip. I don't think it worked, in any case.

2. So does positive space imply that the person was an employee, or can it apply in other situations?

3. I did not want to post more specific info in the clear on a message board.

Thanks for your reply.

Centurion

The employees wanted to help you and knew the best thing for American was to put your wife in First but the GA was scared because of what the Union contracts demand. That would explain the "finger in the pie" and "positive space" remarks. Someone might claim this was a FAM but I doubt it for reasons I will not post.

SpinOn2

Positive space employees, all of them as far as I know booked in Y (which is a large majority of the time), are only placed on the upgrade list, and it's after pretty much any other upgrade. It appears on the PALL list ast UPGE. Even pilots are not guaranteed F as far as I know, no matter mainline or not.

It is possible however that the pilot was booked in positive space first class, thus differently and the same as anyone who books F essentially. This does happen at times.

Just shedding a bit of light on it, cannot say for sure whether this happened or not.

What is the flight #, seat # in question and date for this flight? I could ask my roommate to take a look and maybe see how things were cleared, but that is solely up to if you feel ok sharing this or not.

fanger

Thanks, I've PMed you some additional details.

I don't think the person who got the seat was an employee or crew, but I couldn't say for sure.

TWA884

Deadheading AA pilots are contractually guaranteed F seats.

canadiancow

I'm not an AA expert by any means, but on AC, a same day change requires positive space (fare class is irrelevant).

I deal with "positive space" on a regular basis, and I'm not an employee.

JonNYC

Respectfully-- and definitely a subject you'd know more about than I-- but I don't think you are correct.

There are positive space people that can book F, but talking more senior levels of management, not deadheading pilots. My impression is on -some- long haul flights deadheading pilots are given J (not exactly sure when that kicks in.)

That's what I'm told anyway.

ijgordon

I doubt that's completely true. IME it's stronger than that; every time I call AA about my PNR, my companion's (separate) record is apparently already on their screen.

jordyn

Regardless of whether this is true or not, you can definitely have an upgrade companion on a separate PNR, which is the only reason why the linking is relevant here.

SeattleDavid

Probably just an IT glitch - I had this happen to me quite recently when i boarded (into 2D) and the beep went off and the GA said something was wrong. Strangely almost right behind me in the boarding line was a person who also had 2D and had just been upgraded (I had been upgraded 2 days perviously). The agent did some digging - holding up the whole line - and told me that my seat assignment had been made, but not finalized and so 2D was on my BP, but the seat showed open to her (and hence she had upgraded the other person). He was very gracious about it, but could easily have felt that some shenanigans had gone on to give a favored person the upgrade - fortunately the GA seemed to be able to explain the unfortunate circumstance quite clearly.

And as it happened someone else failed to show up and so he ended up in F anyway.

I do often think we're quick to assume shenanigans when IT glitch is much more likely!

jordyn

Seems like the solution would not have been just to explain the glitch to you, but to fix it by downgrading the person now in 2D and giving you your upgrade back. I realize it worked out in the end, but the person upgraded two days in advance should have priority over the person accidentally upgraded at the gate.

Herb687

The above is incorrect for D48 flights.

Right you are. There are some executives who get confirmed NRPS travel in F (even for personal travel). Managing Director and above used to be the buy-in to get confirmed F.

Deadheading pilots only get confirmed J (F only if J doesn't exist) for Alaska/Hawaii, long-haul South America, and Transpac/Transatlantic.

FlyingEgghead

Perhaps I misunderstood, but I thought this was exactly what SeattleDavid said happened. "He [the last-minute upgradee] was very gracious about it [possibly losing his upgrade]"