355F1

I am flying PHX-ORD-PHX on a 787 and was able to choose a PE seat with a Y ticket.

they want $169 each way to upgrade but I can’t justify it because an international PE seat is just like a domestic FC seat!

Plus, I am EXP so I will most likely get upgraded for free!

But $169 is a great deal if I needed EQMs, etc!

thunderdeacon

Your offer was relatively cheap, as was mine. The common denominator in both our offers is that one major leg is on an international widebody, which has relatively copious premium seats. In this case, they may be trying to get as much revenue as possible from the J seats knowing that there is still a premium economy cabin available for elites that get left out.

355F1

The upgrade price is exactly the same amount as if I would have purchased a FC fare.

I already have 150k EQMs for 2019 and $18k EQDs so I am not paying for an upgrade.

I’ll roll the dice on this one and will most likely come out in FC. loL

thunderdeacon

I would place a significant wager on a positive outcome on that roll of the dice.

Ty Vil

Weird - I just came here to post that I just booked PHX-PDX-PHX; at booking the difference was $190 between coach and first each way (not worth it) as soon as I got ticketed; the app offered to sell it to me for $231 each way.

Stripe

I got an upgrade offer on an upcoming AUS-CLT-SDF-CLT-AUS trip for $194 which was somewhat less than the current Y-F fare difference. I was tempted because the upgrade looks iffy on the return and I may need the extra EQDs.

The offer text referenced something about "certain flights" so I was concerned that the offer might not cover the entire trip, in which case it would be a very poor value. I couldn't tell for sure without clicking further than I was comfortable doing. Do these offers sometimes just cover part of a trip?

Also, does this always change you to an F ticket with EQDs for the original fare + upgrade fee?

Beachfun71

In my experience this offer never covers the entire trip. You can click into the offer to explore without commitment.

What makes it really fun is is that the offer price presented is for the cheapest upgradable leg. So, while I cannot say for sure, likely one leg in your itinerary is upgradeable for $194. The rest might eligible, individually, and at a price higher than that.

chenalex

Does the first class offer change? I have an offer for an upcoming flight for $300 less than the fare difference, which I think is pretty good. But will it drop if I hold out a few days?

USFlyerUS

I've never seen it go down. $300 is pretty good. I'd grab it.

gateH15

I have an offer for $248 ORD SFO. No reason to pay now since I’m on 788 and already have PE bulkhead. If upgrade clears on the day of great, if not it’s still better seat than F on a321 or 737

cmtlatitudes

I always buy J or F and feel left out. Shouldn't AA be trying to sell me something? Anything??

Oh Wait, I forgot about the credit cards.

gateH15

Don’t forget about delicious food in Admirals club that they sell.

Beachfun71

I think it could change if the fare availability changes.

Is that upgrade price for the roundtrip or one leg?

chenalex

Just one leg

thunderdeacon

With my level of spending, the best I could ever do is gold or perhaps a basic Platinum. With upgrades becoming more and more scarce, I think it is probably more cost-effective for me to Simply book basic economy and wait till 45 minutes before departure to check in. On many flights that I am on, there are 30 people waiting for one first-class seat, and I'm number 20 on the list. I don't think there's any benefit for me even requesting an upgrade anymore. In my experience, I'll be in main cabin extra about half the time anyway on a basic economy fare. For those other times, I can just deal with it. And then with all the money that I'm saving, I can find a few of these flights per year that are offering cheap upgrades after the purchase. For example, I just upgraded December's trip to Orlando for $250 r/t. And if I really need to, I can always pay the fifty bucks or whatever to assign myself a main cabin extra seat if it's a long flight and I think it's worth it. Also, since I'm not chasing status, I can mix in some Allegiant and Frontier flying and really save some money. In the long run, I think I'll end up with just as many first class trips, if not more, for less money overall. And nothing is better than getting main cabin extra on a basic economy ticket. Also, I do the best that I possibly can to try to book e175 flights if there are any available on my routings. There is not a bad seat on the plane. And if they are full.....MCE.