Dec 17, 2017, 12:15 pm
Last edit by: aztimm
Chances of Upgrade Request Clearing
NOTE: Be aware of recent (20 May 2017) upgrade priority changes."New Upgrade Priority as of 20 May 2017
(Upgrades were prioritized by elite status and then time of request until 20 May 2017)
- Elite status
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
- Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Executive Platinum
- Upgrade type
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
- 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards)
- 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
- Elite qualifying dollars in the past 12 months
- Booking class
- Time of request"
- Booking class
- Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
- Concierge Key
See Upgrade Priority Changes to Status, Rolling 365 Day EQD Spend May 20 2017
Link to Gary Leff, View From the Wing 16 May 2017
Updated 17 Dec 2017 by aztimm
Chances of Upgrade Clearing and Availability (2018 master thread)
Jun 20, 2018 | 12:36 pm
#331
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage Plat Pro, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 2,000
As a Plat Pro with low EQDs you would clear ahead of any Plat members but behind all other Plat Pros. There isn't a zero chance, depending on things at the airport you could clear. I wouldn't hold your breath on the DFW-BOS leg though because of so many Ex Plats out of DFW.
Jun 22, 2018 | 12:10 pm
#332
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage Plat Pro, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 2,000
I did a same day flight change to an earlier dfw-bos flight today to arrive earlier.
Anyways, 26 people on upgrade list, I was 7 as a plat pro with about 2500 rolling eqds, and nobody on this list cleared. Sitting next to a few exec plats in MCE.
Anyways, 26 people on upgrade list, I was 7 as a plat pro with about 2500 rolling eqds, and nobody on this list cleared. Sitting next to a few exec plats in MCE.
Jun 27, 2018 | 9:34 pm
#333
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,085
Does anyone have a sense of how easy of an upgrade PHL-LIS would be in late August? I see some decent C availability in the coming weeks but much less in the last two weeks of August even though many flights are J7 D7 I7. I thought this might be a late August thing but weirdly enough as I move into Sep and Oct, the loads already seem almost completely full, with J<5 in many cases.
Jun 28, 2018 | 1:41 am
#334
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: LAS
Programs: LH HON
Posts: 1,221
AA 192/193 cleared at the time of booking (two weeks out) 
Jun 28, 2018 | 4:11 am
#335
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,323
Jun 29, 2018 | 4:31 pm
#337
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage Plat Pro, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 2,000
Just took a flight Boston to DFW. Was 16 out of 34 on the upgrade list as low e.q.d. plat pro for a 738. Zero upgrades cleared as first was full. Sat next to two concierge key members this time in mce.
Jun 29, 2018 | 4:39 pm
#338
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 31,464
I flew 76 lhr-dfw yesterday. 12 people were upgraded into J at check in. However it was still C0 on expert flyer.
Jun 30, 2018 | 8:54 pm
#339
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: The Indo Jungle
Programs: AA EXP, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,323
I changed my flight AA192 HKG-LAX from a Monday to a Wednesday and my miles upgrade J-F cleared at the time of request.
Jul 1, 2018 | 9:53 am
#341
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vail, CO
Programs: AA EXP/1mm, Marriott Titanium/LT Plat, UA Silver
Posts: 656
Jul 1, 2018 | 2:50 pm
#342
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
I'm looking into flying from NYC to FCO or MXP in middle of September. Looking at ef right now, I don't see any upgrade inventory available on a couple of dates I looked at for either cities. I was thinking of using miles + copay for upgrade. Just wondering if anyone have ideas on what the likelihood of 2 seats becoming available is during that time. So looking at Sep 8 to 15th. Would one be more likely to become available than the other one?
Jul 1, 2018 | 6:20 pm
#343
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 15,197
I'm looking into flying from NYC to FCO or MXP in middle of September. Looking at ef right now, I don't see any upgrade inventory available on a couple of dates I looked at for either cities. I was thinking of using miles + copay for upgrade. Just wondering if anyone have ideas on what the likelihood of 2 seats becoming available is during that time. So looking at Sep 8 to 15th. Would one be more likely to become available than the other one?
Jul 1, 2018 | 7:29 pm
#344
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,485
Your odds are very good especially if you can depart midweek, i.e. Mon-Wed. Looking at the flights, JFK-MXP looks to be operated with a 45J 772 as opposed to 37J for JFK-FCO. The MXP flights on Sep 10-12 look much less full up front compared to FCO, so that's what I would go with all other things being equal.
Jul 2, 2018 | 7:37 am
#345
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,158
Yes. That's likely exactly what happens. EF does sweeps on inventory. The GA can put people into J seats from the UG list without even having to open up some inventory, most likely. Thus evading the EF sweeps.