Waitlist Question
 

My wife and I are scheduled to fly from HNL to DFW later today on AA 114. We are booked on separate reservations. I'm booked on a cash ticked in J. She ( AA Gold) is on a paid ticket booked in premium economy. When I booked her ticket I had the agent link our reservations so she would inherit my EXP status for upgrade purposes. I also had the agent apply one of my SWUs to the request. She is currently #14 on the waitlist. Hard to believe there are 13 CKs and EXPs with SWUs ahead of her on this route, although I know it's possible. Or did she not really assume my status for the upgrade given the above circumstances?

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"If your companion is booked in a different reservation, you need to call Reservations to link the reservations.

If seats are available, you and your companion will be upgraded at the same time."


Is it the fact that we are booked in different cabins that she doesn't inherit my status.

For complementary upgrades, this makes no difference. I do this all the time where I buy F and waitlist a co-worker who bought Y. The co-worker always inherits my status at the gate. I do always have to ask the agent at the airport to relink them; I don't think this carries over from an advance waitlist request.

I don't know if there's a difference with SWUs, though, since those can be used for anyone regardless of whether you're also on the flight with them.

I would try speaking to one of the AA agents, either at ticketing, in the AC, or at the gate, about making sure she is still linked to your reservation. I don't think class of service matters, so long as you are on identical itineraries the same flight.

Your travel companion doesn't have to be on same reservation to get your status. Doesn't have to be on same itinerary either, just on the same flight you're trying to upgrade. Usually approaching the gate agent nicely and asking them to check can fix the problem.

I had no idea this was a fact.

Elite-heavy flight that tends to sell out. Hope it works for you both but I can't imagine there being 14 empty seats up front to be upgraded to.

That is true for domestic/complimentary upgrades but SWU's have always behaved differently AFAIK.

As an update, I had the agents at the HNL AC check the reservations. They said there is glitch that they often see, and proceeded to "fix" the problem. Sure enough, my wife jumped from #14 to #1 on the waitlist. The upgrade ultimately did not clear, but I learned that the order on the waitlist may or may not be correct.

As you can see by the OP's update that's how it works. If it doesn't clear before the 24 hour mark it usually gets messed up on the list but the agents at the airport can fix it. Happens to me all the time, I always buy F or J but my travel companions sometimes don't, so I'm used to sponsoring others when on different reservations.