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ARCHIVE: Chances of Upgrade Clearing and Availability (2019 master thread)

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Old Jan 6, 2019, 6:09 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
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
  1. Concierge Key
  2. Executive Platinum
  3. Platinum Pro
  4. Platinum
  5. Gold

Upgrade type
  1. Miles and copay award upgrades and systemwide upgrades (SWU)
  2. 500 mile upgrades on purchased tickets
  3. 500 mile upgrades on upgrade eligible awards)

Then, by
  1. Elite qualifying dollars in the past 12 months (rolling)
  2. Booking class
  3. Time of request

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




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ARCHIVE: Chances of Upgrade Clearing and Availability (2019 master thread)

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Old Jul 7, 2019, 8:36 am
  #706  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
Originally Posted by Antarius
Interesting data point- am #6 on MIA-DFW. Which was surprising as an EXP with >25k rolling spend on a holiday weekend. Flight was J0 when booked, ended up in full fare Y somehow on this segment.

Nbd since it is a 772 and I have a PE window but was surprised to be this far down on a typically high volume leisure travel day (although there are probably EXP and CKs taking leisure trips too)
What day was this? I was on that flight Friday and cleared at about 7:00 the previous evening, I am Exec Platinum too. My flight was surprisingly full.
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Old Jul 7, 2019, 9:37 am
  #707  
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
I think MIA is getting hammered by the MAX issue and the maintenance action - they are flying a number of A319s to DCA which seems like way too small of a plane (it used to be all B738 or A321). I'm sure other routes are feeling the pain too.
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Old Jul 7, 2019, 10:03 am
  #708  
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: KHOU/KIAH
Programs: AA EXP | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium| Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 11,268
Originally Posted by Cloudship
What day was this? I was on that flight Friday and cleared at about 7:00 the previous evening, I am Exec Platinum too. My flight was surprisingly full.
Today.

Upside is the 772 got swapped to a 77W, so I'm in J anyways.
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Old Jul 7, 2019, 10:05 am
  #709  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: AA EXP; 1W Emerald; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold; UA dirt
Posts: 7,819
Originally Posted by iadisgreat
I think MIA is getting hammered by the MAX issue and the maintenance action - they are flying a number of A319s to DCA which seems like way too small of a plane (it used to be all B738 or A321). I'm sure other routes are feeling the pain too.
Guarantee you that the folks in the C suite have a white board and are counting down the days to labor day and the slackening of demand. Planes are currently bursting at the seams and there is absolutely no slack in the system. My LGA-MIA trip last month went from a Max-8 to an E175. Now thats a step down in seat count (but massive step up in seat quality). Silver lining I tell myself.
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Old Jul 7, 2019, 10:11 am
  #710  
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
Originally Posted by Antarius
Today.

Upside is the 772 got swapped to a 77W, so I'm in J anyways.
Yeah, today is pretty rough. With the 4th falling on a Thursday and so many people able to get Friday off I think the whole county is traveling from one place to another. I was originally wanted to fly back today, but only was bale to book a week out and flights were obscenely full and expensive.

One of these days I will finally be able to get on the 77W!
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Old Jul 7, 2019, 11:51 am
  #711  
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Posts: 25,934
A strange thing happened on the pretty-new COR-LAX daytime flight (Cordoba, Argentina on 763) on Fri 5 Jul. Starting a few days out it was steady at J2/Y0. More than a day out, it went to C1. I was already on the waiting list (from a couple months earlier) for a miles+copay upgrade, but when it stayed at C1 until T-25 I decided to call (free Skype to US 800 number) and got it processed just in time to pre-select a meal.

As soon they started processing me, it went from J2/C1/Y0 to J1/C0/Y1. That part made sense.

But here's the strange thing: As soon as they finished processing me, it popped back up from J1/C0 to J2/C1 and stayed there until it went to airport control. Though the Y1 went to Y0 several hours later. (By the time we were flying, every seat in J was occupied except a presumed crew seat that had a curtain around it.)

Why would it pop back up to J2/C1 the minute that my upgrade finished processing?

By the way, I was upgraded (using the same miles+copay) on my MIA-LAX onward connection earlier (I'm not sure how much earlier, since I didn't have any EF alerts for that and AA didn't notify me that they'd upgraded me). I realized it only when I logged into AA to check my reservation that morning. During the phone call, when they asked for my credit card, I asked how they had processed that first by not pulled any miles or co-pay yet, and they explained that they were waiting to see if I got upgraded on the longer leg before doing that.
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Old Jul 8, 2019, 12:52 am
  #712  
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Smellington, NZ
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, UA 2P, Marriott LTPP
Posts: 1,453
7/24 SWU waitlisted for LAX-SYD for self (EXP $32k EQD) and non status companion. I don’t have EF access but agent sounded upbeat about my chances. I’m 100% on this route on the handful of times I’ve flown it over the past few years. Hoping to keep my perfect record.
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Old Jul 9, 2019, 5:35 pm
  #713  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: land of aahhhhs (ICT)
Programs: EXP LTPlat
Posts: 492
DFW-ICN

Just a report FWIW. I flew DFW-ICN RT June 9, return 20th (281/280). I'm EXP w approx 9K EQD. I didn't clear either leg; was 5th outbound (4 cleared) and 4th homeward (not sure how many, if any, cleared) I had a paid PE fare. Now looking to use 5 SWUs before the end of Jan. I saw some C on the Santiago to Dallas (return only) but by the time I confirmed time off, it was gone. I did have two clear, last minute, DFW-MAD last January, one SWU from this year, one from last. My domestic upgrade rate has been so abysmal that I've just been purchasing first. Or should I be I can at least purchase first, lol.
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Old Jul 9, 2019, 10:31 pm
  #714  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EXP, 2 Million Miler
Posts: 821
Originally Posted by skipaway
...I'm EXP w approx 9K EQD...
Is this your 12-month rolling EQD, or your YTD EQD? The former is what counts in the upgrade priority.
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 6:45 am
  #715  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: land of aahhhhs (ICT)
Programs: EXP LTPlat
Posts: 492
So would be considerably higher, around 15K (no biz travel to help out).
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 7:33 am
  #716  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: land of aahhhhs (ICT)
Programs: EXP LTPlat
Posts: 492
C availability on codeshare question

Below is Expert Flyers picture of the DFW-SCL flight. So the LAN codeshare has C availability, which, I presume but don't know, must be cash and miles upgrade? Is this a peculiar or common occurrence? It's one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences.

.AA 945DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J7 R6 D0 I0 W7 P7 Y7 B0 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S7 N7 Q7 O7

ExpandedLA (**) 6545DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J4 C4 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 X7 S7 N7 Q0 O0
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 7:40 am
  #717  
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Join Date: Feb 2001
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Originally Posted by skipaway
Below is Expert Flyers picture of the DFW-SCL flight. So the LAN codeshare has C availability, which, I presume but don't know, must be cash and miles upgrade? Is this a peculiar or common occurrence? It's one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences.

.AA 945DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J7 R6 D0 I0 W7 P7 Y7 B0 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S7 N7 Q7 O7

ExpandedLA (**) 6545DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J4 C4 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 X7 S7 N7 Q0 O0
On many carriers C is a normal paid business fare code. So the fact that you see C space on the LAN coded flight means nothing with regards to AA upgrade space on the AA coded flight. If you book through LAN, they will happily sell you a flight in paid business class on that DFW-SCL flight that books into C.

Looking at the LAN partner earning page at aa.com, you can see C is indeed a full fare business booking code on LAN.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...n-airlines.jsp
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 8:20 am
  #718  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: land of aahhhhs (ICT)
Programs: EXP LTPlat
Posts: 492
Thanks. D is a paid discount business fare, and at zero. Don't think I'll chance it. Not that I wouldn't like a summer break in Chile, but I'd sure love to benefit from the coveted SWUs.
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 8:33 am
  #719  
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Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,498
Originally Posted by skipaway
Below is Expert Flyers picture of the DFW-SCL flight. So the LAN codeshare has C availability, which, I presume but don't know, must be cash and miles upgrade? Is this a peculiar or common occurrence? It's one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences.

.AA 945DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J7 R6 D0 I0 W7 P7 Y7 B0 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S7 N7 Q7 O7

ExpandedLA (**) 6545DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J4 C4 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 X7 S7 N7 Q0 O0
Originally Posted by skipaway
Thanks. D is a paid discount business fare, and at zero. Don't think I'll chance it. Not that I wouldn't like a summer break in Chile, but I'd sure love to benefit from the coveted SWUs.
Well the flight is still J7 so it's far from a write off, depending on the date AA may or may not even release discount business inventory within 30/60 days, etc.
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Old Jul 10, 2019, 9:13 am
  #720  
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: WAS, SZX, HKG
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, CX Green
Posts: 736
Originally Posted by skipaway
Below is Expert Flyers picture of the DFW-SCL flight. So the LAN codeshare has C availability, which, I presume but don't know, must be cash and miles upgrade? Is this a peculiar or common occurrence? It's one of those "so near and yet so far" experiences.

.AA 945DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J7 R6 D0 I0 W7 P7 Y7 B0 H7 K7 M7 L7 G7 V7 S7 N7 Q7 O7

ExpandedLA (**) 6545DFW 8:15p → SCL 8:39a
J4 C4 D0 I0 Y7 B7 H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 X7 S7 N7 Q0 O0
If you want to actually clear your SWU, then probably taking a transit in Miami is a good idea. From Miami they fly the bigger 772 (37J) rather than the 788 (20J).
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