This is where the confusion lies. The passenger next to me flat out stated he had just over 100K for the year, and was trying to get to 125k by the end of Feb. She’s at 260K. And he pre-cleared the day before. My only guess is that since we were on BE tickets, perhaps these are treated with lower priority? Who knows…

do people run into issues when splitting complimentary upgrades? last week BOS-DFW-MOS, both got upgraded no problem on first leg, on the second leg, my son was at the bottom of the list (#20) despite me clearing. the gate agent said she couldnt do it so he lost out on the last remaining seat

doing MTJ-DFW-BOS today - first leg is full, second leg has a few seats. I checked me and my son in and hes not even on the waitlist. i used twitter, they said they updated it but still not on there - am told to talk to agent at airport

reconsidering whether its worth splitting them in the future and whether people run into this often and have a good solution thanks!!

According to the wikipost, complimentary upgrades are processed in the following order.

By elite status and then by:So, yes, Basic Economy matters.

Thanks for this information. Unfortunately it still doesn't explain why someone with ~100K got upgraded before someone with 260K. I guess we will never know on this one.

I agree it is very curious, and I would be tempted to write a short polite inquiry to Customer Service just for purposes of getting an answer, i.e. not seeking compensation, and see what they say.

FT is all about getting compensation for getting what people want.

In this case, it is more a curiosity. Wife didn't really care either way.

I had a similar strange occurrence a little over a year ago, companion (no status, but linked) got upgraded ahead of me, while I was still in the back. Even at T-24 with J3 or J4, I wasn't upgraded, eventually ending #1 at the gate with zero available. My thought was lower status people got upgraded ahead of me, (or 4 people could've paid for the upgrade). But the fact my non-status companion got upgraded ahead of me, and I wasn't, even with open seats, I chalked it up as some system error/glitch.

I was given the option to use 500 miles for upgrade if available on check in. However I didn’t choose it. No cash upgrade option was given.

As an EXP who flies over 100 segments/year and earns status through actual money spent on tickets (not no-show hotel stays), I have no issue with anyone who pays for upgrades, even though it means I may sit in the back.
While AA seems to be biting the hand that feeds them in a way, I understand they need to make money but I am not willing to pay $200+ for a domestic upgrade.

Are domestic US award flights booked using partner miles (BA, EY) eligible for complimentary upgrades? Have some BA avios I need to burn

I must be the only member here who has NEVER been offered an upgrade through the app.

That's happened to maybe 5-6 times over 20 years of mostly being EXP. It's annoying for about 5 minutes. Life's too short.

Yes, just make sure your AA# is in the reservation.

So if your company is paying for the seat, it is still too much to pay $200 for an upgrade?