Does EXP experience get worse after successfully completing trial?
 

United 1k refugee here and am currently on an EXP trial. I expect to complete the trial (meaning achieve EXP) in the next couple of weeks.

I have to say my upgrade rate on AA is far and away better than on United as a 1k. My travel I have been upgraded to business/first about 90% (UA at best was maybe 30-40%) of the time which is amazing to me.

Will this percentage drop after I complete my trial? Is there some kind of algorithm in place that tells AA to put me higher in the upgrade list since I'm on a trial to entice me to switch?

I am just shocked at how AA has performed vs UA and I want to temper expectations appropriately.

It should increase after your trial as you'll have done more EQDs over the last 12 month period. The effects you're experiencing is because AA isn't as aggressive at monetizing the first class cabin as United is. I'm currently 6 upgrades/6 flights 100% upgrades this year with ~$18,000 of spend.

There's no special algorithm in place for trial elites to be higher on the upgrade list. It seems to be commonly discussed on FT that AA EXPs are upgraded more often than UA 1Ks.

Thanks so upgrade priority is based on Eqd (within the tier)? Good to know. Perhaps I am getting good experiences because it's very early in the year.

SMH..wish I had known earlier and I would have switched earlier....thanks

Glad to hear that UA is actually selling F tickets rather than upgrading everyone. Good news!

It's actually a rolling 1-year EQD. So right now you're on the bottom of the food chain for EXP's. As you spend more and fly longer it'll only get better.

The routes you are flying are likely going to be a big factor. If you have been flying routes that were UA Elite heavy, but not on AA, naturally your upgrade rate is going to be higher on AA. There are almost certainly routes where you will do better on UA than AA (for example, routes out AA hostage hub DFW). You will see the same thing on DL with hostage hubs like ATL,DTW, MSP having lower upgrade rates for DL Medallions than for those who fly on other alliances out of those hubs.

Yeah--over a rolling twelve month period. See this thread for more info: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...thread-19.html

OP where are you based?

Am based in DSM and travel monthly to SFO

While it's a factor, due to FCM UA 1K seems to be about as good as AA PLT in terms of upgrade success on average (i.e., expect to mostly not be upgraded). Whereas as an EXP on AA I often get upgraded even on in-demand routes like JFK<->SFO, my friends who are 1K rarely get upgraded even on secondary routes. OP's experience of 30-40% upgrades is actually a lot better than any of the 1Ks I know.

Last year I had to fly to ewr every month(changed jobs), I would get upgrade from dsm>iah or dsm>den but would almost NEVER get upgraded from there onto EWR. So I was upgraded on the 1-2 hour flights never the longer ones.

With AA I have been upgraded into SFO and SAN my two flights on this trial so far (through DFW). Am very happy about this trend.

Bolding mine. Flying any non-UA airline to/from SFO means competing with significantly fewer elites, including especially those at the GS/CK/360 level, per flight.

Got it. That explains your upgrade percentage. I'm at 18% upgrade rate being DFW based.