EQDsSUCK

Can anyone tell me what happens in this scenario?

I have a domestic AA ticket on American Eagle at 7pm, its a non-stop from City X to City Y.

I am first (and only) on the standby list for the 10am non-stop from City X to City Y.

There are two open seats in first class. Every seat in coach is taken. No one is on the upgrade list for first class.

Will the gate agent put me (Plat) in one of the first class seats as an op up? Or let two first class seats go empty?

LovePrunes

PERHAPS if you tell the gate agent NICELY you're willing to use stickers to upgrade yourself to one of the empty FC seats, they may have a way to manually get you on, but they're not likely to move someone up just to get you on as a standby for coach.

EQDsSUCK

Thank you. That's helpful.

mvoight

Please let us know how that goes. When you say every coach seat is taken, are you going by the seat map or is the flight actually showing F2Y0? Some seats are normally blocked, so the seat map is not an accurate picture of the number of seats remaining

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

The issue is that you have to clear the standby list then go on the upgrade list. From my understanding not all agents know how to do this or are willing to take the time to do so. I've had a couple GA claim it's impossible. In theory yes they should be able to clear you into F if there's no one on the upgrade list and open seats.

ORDflyer92

A few years ago, I (Platinum) was approached by a flight attended while I was seated in MCE and asked if I'd like an upgrade to make room for a standby. I did not have to use stickers to upgrade. Presumably, I was the Platinum onboard with the highest EQD spend? Now it's not exactly the same situation as I wasn't the standby passenger, but a similar data point.

JMN57

They "rolled the cabin" in moving you up. To OP, if they are not being lazy, they can roll the cabin and move someone from the Y cabin to F to create a seat in Y which would then be given to you as a standby. At that point, hypothetically, you could asked to be put on the upgrade list and then clear. Right now, I am assuming you are NOT on the upgrade list as you're on standby. I have to say it is rare to go from standby to upgraded. First, this all generally happens fast at the gate and there isn't time to do it. Second, I think most GA's don't believe it is allowed (in my recollection I vaguely remember being told can't happen in similar situation). Of course, YMMV.

MarkOK

A few years back, I've got an op-up when I had AAdvantage "member" status in a similar (but not quite identical) situation. SWO-DFW was delayed enough that my DFW-MSY segment needed bumped to the next flight -- gate agents at SWO rebooked me onto that next flight right before we took off from SWO (I think it was confirmed, I got a boarding pass but showing no seat assignment). When I got to the gate after landing DFW they were already boarding and the gate agent he had an F-ticket printed and waiting for me on his desk. Flight was 100% full, mostly of students going to a conference so definitely elite-light. Only MD-80 "F" flight I got to enjoy.

no1cub17

Did this a few years ago - were standby for ORD-DFW which was at the last second upgauged from S80 to 767 so loads of open F seats all of a sudden. I waited until the GA confirmed our Y seats, then asked if we could upgrade, not knowing if it would be possible or not. I just figured we'd have to make it onto the flight in Y first, then request the upgrade. Fortunately the agent was willing to spend the extra 30 seconds needed to process the stickers and upgrade us. But we all know how inconsistent AA's GAs are these days. Curious what happens in OP's case!

carlosdca

There is a little bit of confusion here.
What is impossible is that the GA upgrades you or adds you to the upgrade list while you are still a standby. So there is where the "not possible" response from the GA comes.
In order to be on the upgrade list or considered for an opup, you first have to be confirmed in Y, as previously stated.
And, AFAIK, there is no way for you to be automatically added to the upgrade list once standby clears.

OP: This is what will happen:
If Y is truly overbooked (even after all upgrades have been processed)
1. The GA will free up seats by: asking for volunteers OR op'up those that are already confirmed in Y.
2. When economy seats open up, your stand-by will clear and you will have a confirmed Y seat. Those pax ticketed in Y on that flight will get a seat. As you are a standby pax, AA will not do op-ups to give you a seat in Y.
3. You will be handed over a BP for Y (or it will show up on your app). Only at this point you can:
4. Ask to be added to the upgrade list (or perhaps via the app). This is absolutely possible once your Y seat is confirmed (at least with GA, not sure about the app)
5. If there are still F seats available and depending on your position on the list, you may get upgraded.

Regarding 4, at the time your standby clears (very close to boarding time) , the GAs most likely know the F cabin will be full or at this point they just want you to board and close the gate. So there's where the cruel "lazy GA" comes in to make your life difficult and refuse to add you to the upgrade list.

3. If at this point, Y is full, and there are still F seats open. I think AA will let the plane go like that.
If for some reason, AA decides to do op-ups to accommodate pax on the stand-by list, AA will first op-up the pax already with a seat in Y and THEN give you the Y seat.

So, OP. It is not possible to be opd up straight from the standby list. No way.

FallenPlat

I've also done this, for a family group of three at LGA. We wanted to catch the next earlier flight to DFW and we told the gate agent that we'd like to use stickers for an upgrade to First. It looked to me as though there were available seats. The agent said that she'd see what she could do. The upgrade went through but, somehow, the stickers were never deducted. So that's an Op-up, times three. I'm not sure that I care, frankly, whether anyone thinks that that was impossible. Maybe it should've been. But it happened.

Plus it was the Sunday afternoon of a three-day weekend, which no doubt helped. Anyway, it was two steps: clear the standby list, then clear the upgrade.

carlosdca

Exactly!

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

From what I've observed AA generally will not OP Upgrade elites to get standbys into coach. The plane leaves with empty seats in F (a rare occurrence). The exception seems to be when there's standbys due to irregular operations in which AA is trying to get those paxs on their way.

FallenPlat

Yeah, I guess that first step, clearing the standby list, isn't going to happen if coach is full -- at least under normal circumstances.

D3Kingg

City X City Y. So secretive OP. No you won’t be in first class.