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Rumor, Speculation: AAdvantage Program Devaluation 31 Jul 2019

Rumor, Speculation: AAdvantage Program Devaluation 31 Jul 2019

Old Jul 4, 2019, 3:59 pm
  #166  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,563
Originally Posted by denCSA
MY SWUs generally go to waste now. We all complained about the reduction from 8 to 4, but the fact that they are so difficult to use with the tiny J cabins AA has anyways makes it a mute point. They are completely worthless without AA releasing any upgrade space in advance, so I won't care nor be shocked if they change these. I mean, you can't devalue something if it holds no value already, in my opinion.
It always amuses me that people who voluntarily eliminate a large portion of potential SWU use are so quick to declare SWUs "worthless".

I mean it's certainly your prerogative to not want to waitlist. That's certainly a choice people make - and have good reason to do so. No criticism from me about a choice to approach things that way.

But where it loses me is the extension that a choice to not want to waitlist means SWU's are across the board "difficult to use" and "worthless". Plenty of people clear SWUs off the waitlist. My own personal experience is that I waitlist SWUs regularly - and I've missed 1 request during 4+ years of EXP status. Easy to use and plenty of value, IME.

YMMV.
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Old Jul 4, 2019, 4:10 pm
  #167  
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, F9 Elite, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,319
Originally Posted by bse118
It always amuses me that people who voluntarily eliminate a large portion of potential SWU use are so quick to declare SWUs "worthless".

I mean it's certainly your prerogative to not want to waitlist. That's certainly a choice people make - and have good reason to do so. No criticism from me about a choice to approach things that way.

But where it loses me is the extension that a choice to not want to waitlist means SWU's are across the board "difficult to use" and "worthless". Plenty of people clear SWUs off the waitlist. My own personal experience is that I waitlist SWUs regularly - and I've missed 1 request during 4+ years of EXP status. Easy to use and plenty of value, IME.

YMMV.
I, like you, have done many a waitlist because that's pretty much the defacto way it works with AA these days. I've also cleared 90%+ of those waitlists. That's not really the issue most people have, it's a mental thing. It's the massive difference between Y and J, and having to wait, watch, wonder at the inventory until the magic T minus 25 hour clearance occurs. The waitlists don't even clear until it's really close in for most flights. The only saving grace to AA SWUs is the ability to use them on every class, unlike UA. But with UA, they at least release a decent amount of upgrade space in advance.

In the end though, they are worthless, because I'd rather purchase W or J to have my expectations set instead of upending them for the better at 25 hours prior to departure.
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Old Jul 4, 2019, 4:24 pm
  #168  
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
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Originally Posted by denCSA
I, like you, have done many a waitlist because that's pretty much the defacto way it works with AA these days. I've also cleared 90%+ of those waitlists. That's not really the issue most people have, it's a mental thing. It's the massive difference between Y and J, and having to wait, watch, wonder at the inventory until the magic T minus 25 hour clearance occurs. The waitlists don't even clear until it's really close in for most flights. The only saving grace to AA SWUs is the ability to use them on every class, unlike UA. But with UA, they at least release a decent amount of upgrade space in advance.

In the end though, they are worthless, because I'd rather purchase W or J to have my expectations set instead of upending them for the better at 25 hours prior to departure.
Well said!
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Old Jul 4, 2019, 4:30 pm
  #169  
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
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Originally Posted by bse118
It always amuses me that people who voluntarily eliminate a large portion of potential SWU use are so quick to declare SWUs "worthless".

I mean it's certainly your prerogative to not want to waitlist. That's certainly a choice people make - and have good reason to do so. No criticism from me about a choice to approach things that way.

But where it loses me is the extension that a choice to not want to waitlist means SWU's are across the board "difficult to use" and "worthless". Plenty of people clear SWUs off the waitlist. My own personal experience is that I waitlist SWUs regularly - and I've missed 1 request during 4+ years of EXP status. Easy to use and plenty of value, IME.

YMMV.
Ive had some success clearing upgrades at time of booking, primarily TATL. Ive also failed to clear 100% of the times Ive waitlisted. I take very few international trips a year, so if I fail to clear a waitlist, chances are my SWUs will expire unused unless I burn them for some 3 hour domestic flight.
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Old Jul 4, 2019, 5:26 pm
  #170  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 67
FWIW, I had a chance to use a SWU off the waitlist on SYD-LAX but passed on it because it would have meant traveling separately from my spouse. It certainly isn't impossible to clear, just... more onerous if you're trying to clear more than one seat at a time
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Old Jul 4, 2019, 11:34 pm
  #171  
E55
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 328
Passengers won't have any confirmed upgrade space if there's no saver award space. Win win for AA.




Originally Posted by denCSA
MY SWUs generally go to waste now. We all complained about the reduction from 8 to 4, but the fact that they are so difficult to use with the tiny J cabins AA has anyways makes it a mute point. They are completely worthless without AA releasing any upgrade space in advance, so I won't care nor be shocked if they change these. I mean, you can't devalue something if it holds no value already, in my opinion.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 12:00 am
  #172  
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Originally Posted by E55
Passengers won't have any confirmed upgrade space if there's no saver award space. Win win for AA.
Why? they come out of different inventory
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 7:12 am
  #173  
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,133
Originally Posted by denCSA
I, like you, have done many a waitlist because that's pretty much the defacto way it works with AA these days. I've also cleared 90%+ of those waitlists. That's not really the issue most people have, it's a mental thing. It's the massive difference between Y and J, and having to wait, watch, wonder at the inventory until the magic T minus 25 hour clearance occurs. The waitlists don't even clear until it's really close in for most flights. The only saving grace to AA SWUs is the ability to use them on every class, unlike UA. But with UA, they at least release a decent amount of upgrade space in advance.

In the end though, they are worthless, because I'd rather purchase W or J to have my expectations set instead of upending them for the better at 25 hours prior to departure.
You seem to have a misunderstanding of the purpose of a SWU.

With that said, I've never missed one I requested.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 7:19 am
  #174  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 255
Originally Posted by iadisgreat
You seem to have a misunderstanding of the purpose of a SWU.

With that said, I've never missed one I requested.
Clearly...like so many others.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 7:31 am
  #175  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,563
Originally Posted by denCSA
That's not really the issue most people have, it's a mental thing. It's the massive difference between Y and J, and having to wait, watch, wonder at the inventory until the magic T minus 25 hour clearance occurs. The waitlists don't even clear until it's really close in for most flights.
Easy to fix that: expect to fly the class that you buy. Don't sit around and obsess over inventory. A "mental thing" doesn't say anything about the utility of SWUs.

I buy discount Y because that's company policy (occasionally W is allowable). I buy the tickets I need for the dates and destinations I need. I request the upgrade if I want to and have instruments to use. If not available at booking, I check back around T-30 to T-25 to see if it's cleared and I can order a meal. Sometimes I don't request the upgrade in advance and just check AA.com shortly before departure to see if any C space has shown up.

I do all of this knowing there is a very good likelihood that I'll clear.

Matter of fact - just cleared a Y-->J Miles and Copay upgrade off the waitlist for LAX-HND.

And, yes, I fly solo. I can appreciate that it might be a somewhat different situation for couples/groups.
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Last edited by bse118; Jul 5, 2019 at 12:02 pm
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 10:04 am
  #176  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: QDF
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), Marriott Tit
Posts: 1,032
Originally Posted by denCSA
MY SWUs generally go to waste now. We all complained about the reduction from 8 to 4, but the fact that they are so difficult to use with the tiny J cabins AA has anyways makes it a mute point. They are completely worthless without AA releasing any upgrade space in advance, so I won't care nor be shocked if they change these. I mean, you can't devalue something if it holds no value already, in my opinion.
+1

I was 0/5 in 2018 (all waitlists that failed to clear). Currently have my first 4 2019 requests waitlisted.

And for the record, as someone who buys W, I would be delighted to not lose upgrades to Y passengers.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 10:10 am
  #177  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 58
It’s this simple: The loyalty programs are nothing but a lie to lure people to a carrier. If Dougie Boi can change the rules and inflate the value or make it harder and harder to use the points, he will.

And so it goes.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 12:10 pm
  #178  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
Well whatever the changes are, you know JonNYC will inform us of them likely before anyone else in the general public. They will be either negative or positive depending on the person, and we will figure out how to maximize or to minimize the impact as the case may be. Thus, it will be much like any other change over the last gazillion years or so impacting the dAArkside.

Safe Travels
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 1:14 pm
  #179  
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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I'm sitting here around 130EQM and $800 short of the EQD threshold waiting to get to $15k since AA ACTUALLY opened up C space on flights I want to use SWU on and I can't do it.
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Old Jul 5, 2019, 1:21 pm
  #180  
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: STL/ORD/MCI/SAN
Programs: AA CK MM, AC SE100K, UA 1K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,985
Originally Posted by Flight44
It’s this simple: The loyalty programs are nothing but a lie to lure people to a carrier. If Dougie Boi can change the rules and inflate the value or make it harder and harder to use the points, he will.

And so it goes.
The latter part of your statement is probably true -- if possible, AA may attempt to limit its liability with regard to outstanding benefits, although in doing so, they have to attempt to limit negative effects on loyalty.

Overall, though, I'm not sure how this could all be construed to be pure lying. As far as I can tell, with the exception of a few errors over the years (mostly human error), I've received all the benefits to which I'm entitled. Those benefits may be ever-changing and, these days, seemingly constantly shrinking, but it's not like the whole thing is just some massive fraudulent scheme lol.
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