Noticed that it's about 43 hours or so before a flight that is WIDE open in C (e.g. EF shows 7+ seats seat map shows 11+ unassigned) for upgrades seats in C to release. Don't know about the free bucket as it looks like all the people on the list were mile upgrades - had a co-worker who is HIGH 12 month rolling ($30K) and didn't get a comp upgrade - I did with a mileage one and I'm half his spend right now. Noticed the same 43 hours or so on other flights before and after mine. YMMV

Booked 8/9
Travel: 8/21
Route: LAX-JFK
Upgrade C class release: 8/19 ~ 43 hours or so - confirmed shortly after

Um...thanks, I guess?

Not a huge upgrade but I cleared CLT-OAJ at 48hrs. Plt with $1kish spend.

Odd, this is on the 32B right? What was in it?

It was a sharklets plane. There was a eye mask, socks, a refresher kit and i think toothbrush and paste but I will have to look again to confirm.

Pretty sure it is a joke.

I'm flying to ORD today on the 12:40 flight. I'm number 11 on the list for upgrades as an $18K EQD EXP. Two years ago I would have cleared this flight 3 days out, no problem just about every time. Yes I know it's a hub to hub flight but it this solely based on the new revenue based program? I'm not complaining --I have my exit row seat I'm just trying to get an idea of the main reason for this change. Does anyone less than an EXP ever get upgraded ever out of DFW?

FWIW expert flyer has just about every flight to Chicago today zeroed out. What does/should that tell you? AA revenue management is doing everything just right or is there not enough capacity and/or frequency?

AA79 LHR-DFW 19 August.

Wow, LHR was a madhouse. I'm never flying the 3rd Sunday in August ever again. Clearly everyone cashing out their final vacation day before schools starts.

T4 only J1, and 14 on the UG list. I was #3 after a couple traveling together. Got to my seat in 18J and #1 cleared. Started to settle in when EF sent me a push notification that 18J was available.

Opened the AA app and saw I was now 10A. I guess 10A missed his flight, and I enjoyed his pre-ordered chicken.

Anybody have a rough calculation of chances on DFW-MEX for a PLT with ~12K PQD for late summer?

What day?

Thursday night, last flight out. I want to say low, with what I feel is a lot of business travel being a Thursday.

I have only been EXP for two years now but I have been extremely pleased with my upgrade percentage. I didn't hold elite status back in the mid 2000's glory days of upgrades but it sure feels pretty close.

$18K rolling EQD so not a big spender by any means compared to other EXP's

80/82 on segments YTD
Two misses were A319's (CLT-BNA Wed evening & TPA-MIA Thurs morning). Most of my success comes from avoiding those whenever possible. I believe I'm still around 10/12 on A319 upgrades. 85% of flights going through CLT with 5% each split between MIA, PHL, and DFW. Wide mix of travel days but all during the week or Sunday PM and a wide range of cities (BOS, BWI, IAH, MIA) but very few transcons. Used a couple of BXP1's for CLT-LAS and return but otherwise everything else has been CPU. 90% or so come at 100hr mark and only 1 was at the gate. Biggest surprise so far was PHL-CLT on a Thursday evening. Received the upgrade at 100hrs and the flight left with 54 people on upgrade list.

For a comparison I ran a status challenge with Delta at the beginning of the year and was around 40% as a PM over 15 segments or so. Whenever I have any thought of switching I figure that a marginally lower on time percentage will only result in a headache every once in a while and it's certainly bearable to almost always get upgraded and enjoy a stronger mileage program.

Cleared a Y--J BXP3 AA176 (the morning NRT-DFW) for a Saturday departure at about 36 hours prior.

My 100% clearance rate on longhual upgrades continues...