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)
Feb 17, 2018, 11:49 am
#121
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 205
2 for 2 this year, LAX-JFK on 2/15 and the return on the 2/15 (Monday).
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Feb 17, 2018, 11:51 am
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,258
2 for 2 this year, LAX-JFK on 2/15 and the return on the 2/15 (Monday).
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Feb 17, 2018, 2:16 pm
#123
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 91
EXP with $21k in EQD.
So for this year 2 for 12 on upgradeable domestic flights
Cleared: ORD-PHX, ORD-LGA
Missed: ORD-LAX (4), DCA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-ORD (2), ORD-BOS, BOS-ORD
Was #1 on list twice. 5 times have been greater than 10th on list. (19th on ORD-BOS)
So for this year 2 for 12 on upgradeable domestic flights
Cleared: ORD-PHX, ORD-LGA
Missed: ORD-LAX (4), DCA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-ORD (2), ORD-BOS, BOS-ORD
Was #1 on list twice. 5 times have been greater than 10th on list. (19th on ORD-BOS)
Feb 21, 2018, 12:53 pm
#124
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: EWR/PHL/LHR/PEK
Programs: UA 1K/AA EXP/Hyatt Globalist/SPG 50P/ Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6
BOS-DFW code Y/PHL-BOS code V
Flight departed at 6am, clear at 3 am.
flight from philly cleared at the gate. 1st on the list.
flight from philly cleared at the gate. 1st on the list.
Feb 21, 2018, 12:57 pm
#125
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: EWR/PHL/LHR/PEK
Programs: UA 1K/AA EXP/Hyatt Globalist/SPG 50P/ Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6
Phl-lax/dfw-phl
Last flight on Thursday evening, cleared 4 days before departure...
flight from DFW cleared one day before depature
flight from DFW cleared one day before depature
Feb 21, 2018, 1:56 pm
#126
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP, SPG / Marriott GLD, HHonors GLD
Posts: 520
2 for 2 this year, LAX-JFK on 2/15 and the return on the 2/15 (Monday).
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Query: i got an email this morning that my return flight has been upgraded, but there’s no seat assignment, which hasn’t happened to me before. The two aisle seats that were available last night are gone, so I’m hoping that I was assigned one of them, even though in the reservation it says to select my seat. I”m thinking of leaving well enough alone for a few hours to see if an assignment shows up, since only windows are left from which to choose in J. Or should I call the EXP desk?
Feb 21, 2018, 11:01 pm
#127
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 5,465
AA changed procedures during the upgrading a few months back. You likely have a seat preference in your online profile (mine is "aisle"). If at upgrade, there are no aisles available, they do not assign you (whereas before they would've assigned you into the window). Your upgrade certainly has gone through, there are just no available aisle seats. If there's any preference to a window seat; I'd grab the one you want and then just monitor to see if an aisle opens up. You can switch later. If you do not assign a seat, you'll get anything available at check-in
Feb 25, 2018, 1:30 am
#128
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 205
AA changed procedures during the upgrading a few months back. You likely have a seat preference in your online profile (mine is "aisle"). If at upgrade, there are no aisles available, they do not assign you (whereas before they would've assigned you into the window). Your upgrade certainly has gone through, there are just no available aisle seats. If there's any preference to a window seat; I'd grab the one you want and then just monitor to see if an aisle opens up. You can switch later. If you do not assign a seat, you'll get anything available at check-in
Feb 25, 2018, 7:12 am
#129
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
Programs: LT Plt, 4mm, *A GLD, burned out medical provider, executing our estate plan
Posts: 1,665
Mrs. boerne, PPro, has started to score upgrades DFW-AUS, like last week, except 5 of her flights were cancelled in 1 day, as they were for everyone else. So the sample size isn't adequate. However, Friday I was #2 on the list, and got a battlefield upgrade before the doors closed, DFW- AUS.
Feb 25, 2018, 7:18 am
#130
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
What I find most interesting is that on every flight I've been upgraded on on an E175 or a CR7, etc., it always puts me in an F seat, instead of an A seat. My preference is window, and the A seats are clearly the best because they are both windows and aisles, but it seems that the AA system purposely doesn't assign me A seats because they are also aisles. As if it's coded to simply "not aisle."
Feb 25, 2018, 8:40 am
#131
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,463
What I find most interesting is that on every flight I've been upgraded on on an E175 or a CR7, etc., it always puts me in an F seat, instead of an A seat. My preference is window, and the A seats are clearly the best because they are both windows and aisles, but it seems that the AA system purposely doesn't assign me A seats because they are also aisles. As if it's coded to simply "not aisle."
Feb 25, 2018, 9:13 am
#132
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
I think DMPHL must be right that they are coded as something other than window or aisle, as I have aisle preference selected and never get upgraded to an A seat either when they are the only "aisle" seats left - usually no seat is assigned in those cases. I always assumed they must be windows, but it looks like not.
Feb 25, 2018, 5:51 pm
#133
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,372
It may be that since it's ALSO an aisle, the system says to itself, "No, he doesn't like aisle seats." Or whatever the technical way of doing that is.
Feb 26, 2018, 7:32 am
#134
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA- EXP UA - Silver SPG- PLT Marriott- PLT
Posts: 759
EXP with $21k in EQD.
So for this year 2 for 12 on upgradeable domestic flights
Cleared: ORD-PHX, ORD-LGA
Missed: ORD-LAX (4), DCA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-ORD (2), ORD-BOS, BOS-ORD
Was #1 on list twice. 5 times have been greater than 10th on list. (19th on ORD-BOS)
So for this year 2 for 12 on upgradeable domestic flights
Cleared: ORD-PHX, ORD-LGA
Missed: ORD-LAX (4), DCA-ORD, ORD-LGA, LGA-ORD (2), ORD-BOS, BOS-ORD
Was #1 on list twice. 5 times have been greater than 10th on list. (19th on ORD-BOS)
are most of these flights at prime business time? Those are some pretty rough lists
Feb 27, 2018, 8:00 am
#135
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 23
First two flights of the year that were not international full fare J and I'm 0/2 on domestic upgrades as PPRO.
Side observation. While waiting for my plane to depart SAT I received an email that my upgrade had cleared. Excited I went to check and discovered it was for my flight out to LAX on Thursday. This falls under the 72 hour window for PPRO but the oddity was... I was already booked and paid for in First Class for that trip... So What exactly was upgraded?
Side observation. While waiting for my plane to depart SAT I received an email that my upgrade had cleared. Excited I went to check and discovered it was for my flight out to LAX on Thursday. This falls under the 72 hour window for PPRO but the oddity was... I was already booked and paid for in First Class for that trip... So What exactly was upgraded?