BE earns 2x LP per dollar whereas everything else follows 5-11?

Still at > 85% for the year on combined complementary upgrades + mileage/copays. Just cleared at 100 hours (complementary)

SBA-PHX and PHX-STL

AA Platinum Pro here (about 140K LPs in the trailing 12 months).

I’m headed off from LAX-JFK for leisure in a few weeks.
Due to work constraints, I’ll likely leave on Monday 6/12 and return on Saturday 6/17.

I used to balk at paying 3X the airfare for Business Class, though in this case I’m honestly interested. (Lifestyle creep from my company paying for Flagship First a couple of times… now I’m spoiled.)

Based on recent posts here, I’m assuming:

Monday LAX-JFK — I will probably have near zero chance of being upgraded to Flagship Business? Probably better to buy the Flagship J ticket outright or accept sitting in MCE.

Saturday JFK-LAX — Several departures in the afternoon have tons of space. Cheaper to buy J outright, but also maybe my best chances for an upgrade so why spend more? Maybe my plan here is just to buy economy and cross my fingers.

Can anyone comment on my expectations here to get an upgrade into Flagship Business (or dare I even dream straight to F?)?

Mondays are tough - I would pay for J, particularly on the redeye
Saturdays the first flight of the day is usually pretty easy

One thing you can do is book in J and then if it remains wide open switch to Y and hope for the complimentary upgrade.

Tonight, Monday, had 9 people on the J waitlist for the 10:17pm and 3 on the waitlist for the 11:17pm (IIRC). Your chances on the later flight should be decently high, but I understand if you don’t want to risk it (especially on a redeye).

Thanks both. For Monday, I’m actually probably taking the 10:00am, 11:30am, or 12:35pm… which is why I’m thinking of buying J directly. I was tempted to do a redeye but my track record of sleeping on those is so much worse than just a few years ago.

Any insight on AA150/151 ORD-CDG these days? Wednesday departure; Sunday return. One week out J7 both directions. EXP traveling with non-status spouse on same record.
Am I correct to assume my best chance is clearing both before the airport list whereby my wife inherits my EXP status on the combined record? Once at the airport, I'll retain EXP, but she will be at the bottom of the list as non-status? Thanks.

What kind of upgrade instrument are you using?

Probably a stupid question, but does J7 mean that there are exactly 7 J seats available, or that there are at least 7 J seats available? Is there ever a number higher than 7 displayed?

At least 7.

Thank you, kind Internet stranger!

Platinum Pro

5/10/23

LAS-AUS 737-800
#6 out of 23 for 1 seat
There was a lot of Paid F and paid upgrades on this flight. It was J1 a week before departure.
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AUS-MEM E175
Cleared at the window. Went out with one empty F seat and zero on the wait-list.

If I make it to MEM tonight I will be happy. Quite a bit of weather in the mid-south this evening.

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EXP
5/9/23

PIT-PHX #1 of 14 No seats available
PHX-LIH #1 of 6 No seat available (BTW no food available in Economy on this 6 1/2 hour flight)

5/2/2023
AUS-PHX: #11 of 33 for 0 seats.
PHX-FAT: cleared at the T-48 window. Departed with 1 empty F seat and no one on the upgrade list.

5/6/2023
DFW-AUS: #8 of 19 for 0 seats according to the app. For some reason my name did not show on the list at the gate display.

As usual, the short routes to and from LGA on E175 provide excellent upgrade opportunities for all levels of elites. Upgraded at about T-12 hours a on one of today’s CMH to LGA flights as a gold.