Airport Upgrade and Standby Priority List (“PALL”) Order (master thread)

Jan 4, 20, 6:29 am - Wikipost

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Airport Upgrade and Standby Order, Priority “PALL” List
questions, upgrade anomalies, issues, etc.

NOTE: Upgrade waitlist priority changes from 1) Status, followed by 2) Date of request to 1) Status, followed by 2) Rolling EQD earning for last 365 days on 20 May 2017. Link to FT thread.

NOTE: As of 1 Jan 2017, your travel companion will "borrow" your PALL listing. Link. AA's employee newsletter also gives a complete breakdown on page 5 here: http://c.hub.aa.com/email/arrivals/2...vals_final.pdf

Main PALL list codes. Passengers are ordered by code, then elite status, then other time-based factors. Additional codes may be entered to designate other information, such as companions traveling together.

● OS# = Confirmed Economy passenger awaiting seat assignment.
● RF = Confirmed First Class passenger awaiting seat assignment.
● DSR# = Standby First Class passenger, confirmed in Economy.
● VIP# = Passenger awaiting a SWU upgrade.
● UPG# = Confirmed Economy passenger awaiting mileage, complimentary, or elite sticker upgrade.
.........Within a status group, passengers are ordered by date and time of original request.
● RI# = Revenue involuntary standby passenger (bumped from another flight due to oversold condition or travel disruptions).
.........Within a status group, passengers are ordered by check-in time.
● RV# = Revenue voluntary standby passenger. Within a status group, passengers are ordered by check-in time.
● RV = Non-status revenue passengers eligible for voluntary standby.
● D% = Non-revenue standby passenger (AA employees, family, and friends), where % is an additional number code pertaining to the type of pass and not related to elite status.
● VOL = Volunteer for bump to a later flight.
.........Passengers are ordered by time of volunteering (first come-first served).
● DG = Passenger with involuntary (or voluntary) downgrade in class-of-service.
● RL = "Flat Tire Rule" passenger missing a flight through no fault of their own or AA (L=Late, in this case)
● -T = Through passenger - Addition of this suffix gives priority over other passengers in the same status group, overriding normal time-based ranking. This suffix is supposed to be used for passengers connecting from another flight.
● Status indicator numbers UPG/VIP (#) = 1 = Concierge Key; 2 = Executive Platinum; 3 = Platinum Pro; 4 = Platinum, 5 = Gold; no number = no status (e.g. UPG2/VIP2 for EP).

C/o sensei:

The following UPG priority levels are now in effect:

UPG1/VIP1 Concierge Key
UPG2/VIP2 Executive Platinum
UPG3/VIP3 Platinum Pro
UPG4/VIP4 Platinum
UPG5/VIP5 Gold
UPG/VIP No status

UPGC is used for operational upgrades

"a notable difference is that SWU requests now have status levels other than just VIP1

Revenue Standbys are cleared in the following order:
RIT (involuntary, transit)
RI (involuntary)
RV (voluntary)
RL (late)

*Numbers corresponding to elite status will determine the order of the passengers within each category.

All revenue standbys are cleared before any non-revenue standbys

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Apr 26, 17, 8:17 am

#181

beachfan

Join Date: Sep 2002

Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA

Programs: AA Plat Pro; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver

Posts: 6,460

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAExecPlatFlier

I don't believe so. Should be equal.

does that mean that Is be better switching my wife (no status) from SWU to 500 miles segment upgrades for a domestic flight. It would be we get to the airport (for a flight I'm also on), if neither of us have cleared already?

Has anyone done that? The one time I pulled a SWU, the 500 segment request didn't go back to the original date stamp (based on my position in the list).

Last edited by beachfan; Apr 26, 17 at 2:59 pm

Apr 26, 17, 8:20 am

#182

JonNYC

Suspended

Join Date: Mar 2001

Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST

Posts: 27,734

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachfan

does that mean that Is be better switching my wife (no status) from SWU to miles/copay for a domestic flight that I am on when we get to the airport if neither of us have cleared already?

What would be the logic for switching from SWU to miles + co-pay?

Apr 26, 17, 2:58 pm

#183

beachfan

Join Date: Sep 2002

Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA

Programs: AA Plat Pro; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver

Posts: 6,460

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonNYC

What would be the logic for switching from SWU to miles + co-pay?

My bad, I meant 500 mile segments.

Thanks, I'll correct my post.

Apr 27, 17, 8:06 am

#184

chicagoflyer1976

Join Date: Aug 2004

Location: Chicago

Programs: AA- EXP UA - Silver SPG- PLT Marriott- PLT

Posts: 648

Situation ALMOST happened yesterday but thankfully didn't-

I was # 4 on the UG list - there are two seats available. Pass #1 was upgraded, then I heard a conversation with pass #2 and #3 - they were traveling together, and didn't want to split up, so I got the UG.

As we were waiting to board, they kept paging pass #1 , and I overheard the CK rep saying he might not make it.

My question is, if pass #1 would have been a no show, would the GA have taken away my upgrade and given it to pass's # 2 & #3 ?

Apr 27, 17, 9:15 am

#185

869

Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: DFW

Programs: AA EXP

Posts: 1,588

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagoflyer1976

I'd say it depends at what time they make the call and where everyone is at that point. That said, seems to me #'s 2 & 3 should be upgraded ahead of 4. If they're seeing #1 may not make a cxn or something, I think they should wait to upgrade #4 .

The other day I was hoping a couple would choose not to split so I could slide up there but no dice for me!

Apr 28, 17, 5:33 pm

#186

maewest

Join Date: May 2012

Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA

Programs: Hyatt Globalist, SPG Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, AAPlatinum

Posts: 192

Can someone help me understand how someone farther down on the standby (ordered) list would clear for a seat assignment before those 'ahead' of them in the displayed standby list? I read the wiki and assume all these codes are behind the scenes and drive what we would see displayed at the gate - the numbered standby pax list.

I tweeted AA who responded "The list is not necessarily in order as there are different types of standby" but then what is the purpose of displaying the list order?

The most recent occasion this occurred was Thurs at ORD - Gate agents cleared #6 before anyone else (I was #1 ), and they began boarding the flight.

Apr 28, 17, 5:48 pm

#187

hiima

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: LAX, LGB, SNA

Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM

Posts: 3,184

Quote:

Originally Posted by maewest

1-5 standby for Y, 6 standby for J

Apr 28, 17, 6:59 pm

#188

ibrandsguest

Join Date: Jan 2003

Programs: American Airlines Platinum, National Executive

Posts: 3,792

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiima

1-5 standby for Y, 6 standby for J

I haven't heard that before. I thought that AAgents are supposed to do the list in order (based on prior communications I have had with AA when I've seen situations like that), with few exceptions.

Apr 28, 17, 7:03 pm

#189

hiima

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: LAX, LGB, SNA

Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM

Posts: 3,184

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCommuter

I haven't heard that before. I thought that AAgents are supposed to do the list in order (based on prior communications I have had with AA when I've seen situations like that), with few exceptions.

Well a passenger standing by for a Y seat being number 1 isn't gonna get a J seat.

Apr 28, 17, 10:43 pm

#190

NickP 1K

Join Date: Jan 2000

Location: SoCal to the rest of the world...

Programs: AA EXP with lots of BA and CX. (Disgruntled UA Lifetime Plat) - No hotel loyalty anymore

Posts: 6,362

Concur with this, whenever I'm on a paid biz/first fare and standby to go on an earlier flight, if F opens up and Y is still full the board will look as above. In some cases I won't even be on the upgrade list just standby.

Apr 28, 17, 11:35 pm

#191

YtravelF

Join Date: Feb 2012

Programs: DL GM, AA PLAT, Hilton Gold, AMEX Plat

Posts: 256

Quote:

Originally Posted by NYCommuter

I haven't heard that before. I thought that AAgents are supposed to do the list in order (based on prior communications I have had with AA when I've seen situations like that), with few exceptions.

Standbys are listed in order of priority, not fare class, so an RI2 in Y will be listed above an RI5 on a J fare. But the RI5 will clear before anyone else if a J seat is open. Hope that makes sense.

Apr 29, 17, 8:18 am

#192

DCAstudent

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 1,293

It can happen for various reasons explained in this thread. In your case the standby was willing to occupy a jump seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maewest

Apr 29, 17, 8:57 am

#193

hiima

Join Date: Nov 2013

Location: LAX, LGB, SNA

Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM

Posts: 3,184

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCAstudent

It can happen for various reasons explained in this thread. In your case the standby was willing to occupy a jump seat.

Willing? You mean certified?

Apr 29, 17, 9:08 am

#194

DCAstudent

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 1,293

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiima

Willing? You mean certified?

Certified is a given, but not all jumpseat-qualified standby passengers are willing to actually take a jump seat. In this case, the passenger was indeed willing.

Apr 29, 17, 9:46 am

#195

beachfan

Join Date: Sep 2002

Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA

Programs: AA Plat Pro; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver

Posts: 6,460

So if I have this correct, if my no-status wife doesn't clear her SWU before it goes to airport control, then she will be pretty much last on the PALL list (with the possible exception of other non-status folks with SWU), even if I"m on the flight.

The list on this flight is often 20 folks long.

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