A chunk of my rolling EQD spend just passed the 1 year mark (2017 was very top heavy). Found myself #14 on the UG list from DFW-IAH on Sunday :eek:

most returns to ORD are, most outbounds are not.

NRT-MIA upgrade strategy
 

deleted

Anyone know the chances of an SWU clearing on 3/9 LAX - LHR on AA 108?

Not great. Showing J2 R1 D0 I0 currently.

Thanks for the prompt reply. That's what I was afraid of. Looks like the 6:55 (AA 136) might have slightly better availability.

Upgrade cleared yesterday morning for Mar 22 flight DFW to PEK. Still waiting on the March 26 return leg.

Potentially flying this exact route (roundtrip) in May or June. Does "not terribly hard" mean that a plain Gold AA member, on an inexpensive economy ticket, could get upgraded to Premium Economy or even Business class? Or is this highly unlikely? Asking for a friend...

Some of you might hate me for this, but my experience as a Gold on domestic flights to/from PHL hasn't been terrible. I'm batting probably 30%, which sounds like a better average than some other FT'ers on elite heavy routes. Thanks to EF, if I see my flight is pretty heavy in J a few days before the flight, then I lose any hope for the T minus 24 upgrade. If it's light, then I'll make sure there are enough E-certs in my account if I want the upgrade. Otherwise, if I see my flight is heavy in Y, then I will pay the fee to bump up to a guaranteed MCE seat and be totally content - especially in a month or two when MCE gets some additional perks. My trips are usually around 3 hours so I'm not even thinking about the transcons. I know those are a battlefield for even the ExP's. If I have the flexibility, I would probably just pay ahead for an MCE seat in those cases too.

Tell your "friend" that it's highly unlikely unless the plane is in an oversell situation where:

1.) There are more coach pax booked than there are seats
*AND*
2.) There are available PEY and J seats that haven't been booked so that *ELITE* coach passengers can be moved up, starting with the highest levels

In that scenario, the gate agent may start to roll elites forward to make room for the overbooked coach passengers. In the meantime, I suggest your friend find the best coach seat and expect to sit in it. Especially if he/she is a Gold....

For an international flight, does a SWU and a BXP3 award have the same priority on the upgrade list? or does a SWU come first?

SWU and BXP3 (also miles/copay) are weighed equally.

If your friend is just hoping for a free upgrade, then there's virtually no chance, as PHL mentioned above.

However, if your friend is willing to use miles/copay (25k + $350 each way) then the chances are decent. There are scattered dates from now through the summer with C space, so your friend could get upgraded immediately, no waitlist.

Thanks for the info, we've never had the opportunity to try for international upgrades.. From previous experience, the "best coach seat" would probably be on a different airline entirely, so despite the AA Gold status we will likely choose a different carrier..

Thank you for this info. I read the details on AA's web site and I'm still not 100%... would a paid upgrade from Economy land us in Premium Economy, or in Business class? I don't know if Premium Economy is considered its own "next cabin of service." Thanks.

On international longhauls the only way to "try" for an upgrade is with an SWU or miles and money request. There are no free upgrades (operational upgrades are so rare as to be completely irrelevant). There is currently no way to upgrade, as a gold, from Y to PEY (other than by buying up to the PEY fare).

On LAX/HKG AA's MCE coach seats are, IMO, likely to the best "hard product" regular coach seat available - unless you fly JAL and connect in Tokyo, which provide a better than average Y seat.