DMPHL

Yes, it will be a $200 change fee plus the difference in fare, unless you are on a fully-flexible ticket.

jav5499

I'll address the various points of your question below:

1) So far as I know there are 3 LHR-DFW NS, all flown on the 77W. That aircraft already HAS premium economy but it's not being as such yet (it's still "MCE"). They are rows 16-19 and you'll notice the 2-4-2 arrangement instead of the 3-4-3. I'd go grab those now, if available

2) Yes, you can change your flight and ask for the upgrade. It should clear right then provided there is still C space available and you have SWUs of course

3) The change WILL have the cost. It will be the difference in fare and the change fee.(up to $750 depending on fare purchased). Probably not worth it.

4) If you are an EXP, you can always do a same-day confirmed change into business, provided there is C space and change availability onto the flight you want to take

Hope that helps!

wlbellows

Thanks. I already have the MCE seat, but on the phone now. $275 change fee + approx $90-100 in departure tax from Heathrow. They are refunding the MCE from the previous flight.

They are letting me go ahead and get the confirmed upgrade if I move to the earlier flight. I have no status with AA, so I figure my upgrade chance is pretty slim to none if I stayed where I was I would imagine? Let me know if thoughts are different.

This is for business travel though. Only thing I really have to pay out of my pocket is the $275 change fee (which $75 is getting eaten by my Chase Sapphire Reserve), my company is paying the $350 co-pay for my upgrade & and the departure taxes are expensed since I'm going straight 100% econ on my flights all the way to DFW-HEL with no way to change it given the way our travel agent booked my flights.

daslax

wlbellows

I asked them for that. They said I am outside of the 24 hour window.... basically outside of it by 1 hour but supervisor is unwilling to move. Guess that is why they refunded my MCE instead?

jav5499

This is obviously up to you, but if your net cost is $200, then I'd go ahead and make the change. The 77W business class is actually nice and LHR-DFW is a long enough flight to enjoy it.

As you guessed, without status, your chances of clearing the wait list on LHR-DFW are slim to none.

DeepUnderground

Hi All, I waitlisted for a J to F miles+copay HKG-LAX in July. Do things like that ever clear or am I wasting my time?

I usually fly CX, so have never had the chance to try this.

solewalker

J --> F is generally not hard to clear, and this is not a bad route to clear. But YMMV.

Berlin_traveler

I will have to start doing AMS - IAH monthly. Fortunately, the client is flexible on the days I can fly out. My first flight is next Wednesday, May 09th. I assume middle of the week is better, but normally I'm taking the FRA - SFO and know that route like the back of my hand. My question is, what are people's experiences with AMS - IAH, i.e. for upgrade chances on specific days?

DMPHL

If you're talking about a nonstop, I think you might need to go over to the United forum...Unless you're talking about IAH-DFW-AMS, or IAH-PHL-AMS.

Availability varies, of course, and you likely won't clear an upgrade until closer to the date of departure. Next Wednesday, 9 May, DFW-AMS is showing C1, PHL-AMS C0. Same with the Wednesday after, so there is confirmable space NOW for two Wednesdays out of DFW. You're right that mid-week is your best bet.

andersonCooper

Well this is a long story.

Booked an open jaw TATL, A - B and C - D; A - B is in N (discounted Y) while C - D is in W (full fare premium econ). No EF used this time.
Called EXP, A - B waitlisted for SWU, but C - D, I specifically asked for miles and copay upgrade (which for W, has no copay requirement; Returning city "C" is not in the UK so no tax implications here)

1st EXP Agent: "Sir you need $350 copay." Told him about W copay rules, he went back and said my miles upgrade has been requested;
2nd EXP Agent: "Sir you need $350 copay." Told her about W copay rules, she went back and said my miles upgrade has been requested;

Today, T - 17 days, online booking showed "your trip details can't be displayed". I suspected one of the upgrade might be cleared, so I called EXP desk and played dumb ("what's going on here?")

3rd EXP Agent: "Sir your SWU has been cleared on the inbound leg". Me: "...." Going through the same W copay rules, this EXP agent obviously knew what I was talking about and spent about 15 mins to re-ticket. Gave her an above and beyond ticket at the end of the call.

Lessons:
1. EXP agents vary - especially with new concept like PEY;
2. Never take EXP agents too seriously...
3. T - 17 days, I guess I can't complain huh?

Next step:
AA posts the wrong EQM for the PEY leg, I call back for a 4th EXP Agent and spend another 30 minutes figuring EQM out.

potus18

EXP agents cannot help you with this. You need the AAdvantage CS line -- they'll resolve it over the phone. See AA: wrong EQM after upgrade from Premium Economy

andersonCooper

lol thanks for the heads up. That post was why I thought AA would mess up with EQM.

thedeeg

The last 2 weeks have been a game of 2 halves. The first week, cleared 3 for 3 on CRJ9’s as GLD. Including a flight I had to cancel. Cleared at t-0.5, t-20 and t-8.

Second week, not a hope. 2 regionals on CRJ9’s, and I was 7th and 10th on the list.

JBG89

Do all international flights require an SWU for an upgrade? New EXP Here