First TATL upgrade on AA ever (op up PE-> J)
Apr 7, 2018, 9:39 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, MR LT Platinum
Posts: 18
First TATL upgrade on AA ever (op up PE-> J)
I was travelling from Denmark to DFW today via LHR and I got upgraded from Premium Economy to Business on the LHR-DFW leg. I am platinum on AA from last year, and about to make PLT from heavy first quarter international travel.
This is the only upgrade I have received in 15 years of travel on AA, but I was usually a gold or no status in the first 10 years. I did pay $499 to upgrade to business on the way to Denmark, but not on the return. I had the same crew going out and coming back and they were pretty mediocre compared to the Lufthansa TATL flight and the Trans-pacific AA crew on the DFW-ICN route I took in December.
Glad to catch an upgrade after all these years....
This is the only upgrade I have received in 15 years of travel on AA, but I was usually a gold or no status in the first 10 years. I did pay $499 to upgrade to business on the way to Denmark, but not on the return. I had the same crew going out and coming back and they were pretty mediocre compared to the Lufthansa TATL flight and the Trans-pacific AA crew on the DFW-ICN route I took in December.
Glad to catch an upgrade after all these years....
Apr 7, 2018, 9:42 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PHL, NYC
Programs: AA PLT, DL SLV, UA SLV, MR LTT, HH DIA
Posts: 10,073
Did you notice if the flight was oversold in coach where they needed to roll passengers forward to accommodate? That would be the likely explanation, since they don't - as a policy - upgrade to international business unless they need the coach seats to avoid paying $$ in an overbook situation.
Apr 8, 2018, 1:22 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,159
To be clear, have you even been requesting upgrades (i.e., waitlisting for miles+copay), or just hoping for an op-up? Have you been able to use any of your domestic 500-mile upgrades (perhaps so, since your title specifies TATL upgrade)?
Apr 8, 2018, 10:08 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, MR LT Platinum
Posts: 18
I am flying to IAD tomorrow morning and I requested an upgrade with the coupons and it didn't clear as usual.
The TATL flight from LHR-DFW didn't seem to be overbooked. I noticed a few empty seats in coach.
Apr 8, 2018, 11:51 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
I have requested upgrades with the 500 mile coupons, but it is near impossible to get them leaving out of Dallas as a gold or platinum. I did get upgraded with those twice on empty planes going to El Paso in 2012.
I am flying to IAD tomorrow morning and I requested an upgrade with the coupons and it didn't clear as usual.
The TATL flight from LHR-DFW didn't seem to be overbooked. I noticed a few empty seats in coach.
I am flying to IAD tomorrow morning and I requested an upgrade with the coupons and it didn't clear as usual.
The TATL flight from LHR-DFW didn't seem to be overbooked. I noticed a few empty seats in coach.
Apr 8, 2018, 2:04 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,159
I have requested upgrades with the 500 mile coupons, but it is near impossible to get them leaving out of Dallas as a gold or platinum. I did get upgraded with those twice on empty planes going to El Paso in 2012.
I am flying to IAD tomorrow morning and I requested an upgrade with the coupons and it didn't clear as usual.
The TATL flight from LHR-DFW didn't seem to be overbooked. I noticed a few empty seats in coach.
I am flying to IAD tomorrow morning and I requested an upgrade with the coupons and it didn't clear as usual.
The TATL flight from LHR-DFW didn't seem to be overbooked. I noticed a few empty seats in coach.
Apr 8, 2018, 2:07 pm
#7
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
I was travelling from Denmark to DFW today via LHR and I got upgraded from Premium Economy to Business on the LHR-DFW leg. I am platinum on AA from last year, and about to make PLT from heavy first quarter international travel.
This is the only upgrade I have received in 15 years of travel on AA, but I was usually a gold or no status in the first 10 years. I did pay $499 to upgrade to business on the way to Denmark, but not on the return. I had the same crew going out and coming back and they were pretty mediocre compared to the Lufthansa TATL flight and the Trans-pacific AA crew on the DFW-ICN route I took in December.
Glad to catch an upgrade after all these years....
This is the only upgrade I have received in 15 years of travel on AA, but I was usually a gold or no status in the first 10 years. I did pay $499 to upgrade to business on the way to Denmark, but not on the return. I had the same crew going out and coming back and they were pretty mediocre compared to the Lufthansa TATL flight and the Trans-pacific AA crew on the DFW-ICN route I took in December.
Glad to catch an upgrade after all these years....
Apr 8, 2018, 3:16 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, MR LT Platinum
Posts: 18
On the DFW-LHR flight, I paid $499 to upgrade to business at check-in online. $499 was worth it, because I had business meetings in Denmark the next day after arrival.
Returning on BLL-LHR-DFW, I got an alert about 2 hours prior to the TATL flight that I was upgraded to business. I didn't request it, pay, or use miles. I looked at the upgrade list and I was #4 . I was originally booked PE round trip.
Hopefully, my luck will continue this week on my M-Th DFW-IAD RT and Friday I depart on DFW-FRA-HEL-RIX-FCO-OTP-LHR-DFW in PE. That monster trip was only $2500 surprisingly. I will be close to making P Pro coming off the next Europe trip.
Returning on BLL-LHR-DFW, I got an alert about 2 hours prior to the TATL flight that I was upgraded to business. I didn't request it, pay, or use miles. I looked at the upgrade list and I was #4 . I was originally booked PE round trip.
Hopefully, my luck will continue this week on my M-Th DFW-IAD RT and Friday I depart on DFW-FRA-HEL-RIX-FCO-OTP-LHR-DFW in PE. That monster trip was only $2500 surprisingly. I will be close to making P Pro coming off the next Europe trip.
Last edited by backspinnn; Apr 8, 2018 at 3:36 pm Reason: Fra to lhr corrected
Apr 8, 2018, 7:42 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,675