SFO-ORD this morning, post-Dreamforce, I was number 34 for 0 seats with ~300K rolling LP

Flying with my mom (no status)
I booked 2 separate PNR then linked the upgrades

What happens in practice if she and I both get upgraded, but then I have to cancel my ticket?

Somehow I was able to snag SWU on my upcoming DFW-LHR well over two months in advance...for a Saturday night flight.
I was hoping for the return flight, too, but J has been filling and filling lately, with only one seat left two weeks out...probably with people taking those wretched offers....I haven't seen one, though, and I check my reservations a lot.
But I'd rather have the upgrade going over and when I need to sleep, so that's good.

I have a very cranky feeling about the value of SWUs going forward and am contemplating choosing other "rewards" next time.

10/15 - DFW-FCO - 1 on the list / 0 seats.

Offered Y to P right before boarding. Took it and enjoyed middle seat of bulkhead row.

I don’t think I’ll have as much luck on return. Flight is looking very full.

Amazing how AA is selling out every single EU flight I’ve been on this year while UA has empty rows.

I have cleared for November (week before Thanksgiving) and end of the first week of January on ORD-LHR-ORD. I pounced on both days when the SWU inventory was opened, but I found it simply by checking the app daily when I had an idea of when I wanted to travel. For routes to places like LHR, the inventory is there. I looked at some other dates in late summer when I thought I had to return straightaway due to a medical issue (it was fine after all), and found inventory about 2-3 weeks out from DFW-LHR. It would have been a $600 fare RT if I bought BE, and SWU available. That would have really been a deal (but I am relieved I got to wait).


I usually start my searches on Google Flights which never seems to remember I hist ONE WORLD for the search I just finished. On my routes, at least, UA is always quite a bit more expensive, and often for less than I get on AA. I know people will laud UA and trash AA on FT, but at the end of the day, I get more value. Whether a decent J deal, a great upgrade offer, or SWUs clearing, I am unsurprised they fly with few seats unfilled.

And then cleared on the return at 48+ hours out.

The reason you're not seeing any upgrade offers for the return is because you've applied a SWU to the outbound. As soon as you apply (or waitlist) for a SWU on any segment on a reservation the upgrade offers go away completely for all segments.

This is a particularly awful AA IT bug with its upgrade system, and is especially penalizing to those of us that use SWUs.

IME on separate PNR's if she is upgraded based off your status then she will not be able to check-in until you do.

No idea what would happen if you both were to check in, but you cancel your flight at the very last minute. Best case she flies in her upgraded F seat. Worst case they realize it and send her back to whatever middle seat is left in row 40, if any.

Woke up this morning to find I'm #2 for 3 seats for return trip tonight. Still 10 hours away, but looking ok right now. Also 82 empty seats on the plane according to the standby list, so great shot at nobody in the middle seat, decent shot at whole exit row just for me.

Well, that really sucks!! The return is twelve days from now and there are three seats. Would you drop the SWU request and then add it back closer to the flight date?

AA142 JFK-LHR on Oct 11 had 1 clear into J at the gate (out of 1 - a 100% clearance rate!)
AA167 JFK-HND had 6 people on the upgrade list when i caught a peak at the gate next door! (I did not see how many clear)
AA725 on 10/19 had 5 clear into J (7 total on the list so the last two missed out..)

Cleared DUB-CLT on Sunday at the gate. I assume there was a delayed inbound, as 6 of 8 cleared at the gate.

i felt a little for the 2 who didn’t clear; as they were number 1 and 2 until 3 hours before the flight, so assume the rest were all desk check ins like me.

Whilst in the air, cleared today’s flight at 25 hours.

I have a couple more SWU’s pending for LIS-PHL at the end of Jan, but assume that will go to the gate as well. The PHL-LIS was available at booking.

Just realized I missed the last part of your post.

I thought it was 8 on the list. They must have had their hopes up with everyone else clearing.

I didnt realize a fellow flyertalker was on the flight! My parents were #4 & 5 and were the last two to clear at the gate. I was checking expertflyer and thought there was no hope left after seeing only 3 seats empty on the seat map (I did not realize #1 and # 2 cleared already and took the first 2...

It does seem the change in being unable to use miles + copay has improved upgrade chances in my experience. My family and I have been 4/5 clearing this year so far (with the 1 not clearing being a cancelled flight to tokyo from jfk...) on intl long haul flights

Small world.

I do wish you could list your SWU, then also see the buy up offer.

At some points, I would be happy to pay the buy up, depending on how much it is. But as soon as the SWU is listed, that disappears.