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FAQ: What's a Systemwide Upgrade / SWU / eVIP / VIP? (Master thread)

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Nov 19, 2010, 9:26 pm

#316

lifescool

Join Date: Jan 2010

Location: United States

Posts: 184

Upgrades and infants? How does it work?

I have a reservation from ORD to DEL (india). The reservation includes:

1 Adult
1 Child between 2 and 11
1 Infant below 2 (no seat)

I may get lucky and have a friend give me his SWUs for the trip.

Question - Does anybody know if my upgrades get confirmed - do I need to make any payment to AA for the infant or how is the infact case handled by AA?

Nov 20, 2010, 2:59 am

#317

Tayrona

Join Date: Jun 2009

Location: FRA

Programs: AAdvantage EXPlatinum

Posts: 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifescool

Not sure on that one, but I beleive you will be charged the difference between the INF fare paid and the next available (INF fare) in business class.

Nov 20, 2010, 3:05 am

#318

Degan

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: LAX, NYC

Programs: AA PLT (1MM), DL PLT

Posts: 131

Quote:

Originally Posted by redrock

Like others I receive an email when the booking is re-ticketed. However this can take a few hours to 1 day in my experience after the upgrade. For a faster altert you might set a EF page for the Y-Seat you are currently in. If this becomes available (ie when you are moved to C) it will send you a notification. I don't think this is quite real time though, as I understand they make sweeps every x minutes. Others may have more details on this.

I agree. I get an email when my stickerless "sticker" upgrade goes through, but nothing when an SWU clears. It is a great idea to set an EF alert on your own seat whether you have a SWU waitlisted or not, though of course it is not real-time. You would then also know earliest if your seat was moved by a GA for another reason.

Nov 30, 2010, 10:05 am

#319

MileKing

Original Member

Join Date: May 1998

Location: Reno, NV (RNO)

Programs: AA Platinum, AS, UA, DL, HHonors Gold, Marriott LTP, Hyatt, IHG Platinum

Posts: 4,707

Any experience using SWU when an equipment change occurs, as in following situation, and part of trip has upgrade already confirmed?

Seg1 Coach (ERJ - no first class possible)
Seg2 Upgrade from coach to business confirmed in C

After booking, equipment change occurs on Seg1 to larger plane with a first class. What is the best way to handle this to try to get upgraded on Seg1 without losing confirmed upgrade on Seg2?

Nov 30, 2010, 10:10 am

#320

gemac

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Dec 2003

Location: STL

Programs: AA 2MM, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 12,966

Quote:

Originally Posted by MileKing

You have to call in. If there is SWU upgrade inventory available, they should be able to upgrade you immediately. If not, they can add you to the waitlist.

Nov 30, 2010, 10:20 am

#321

Microwave

Moderator: American AAdvantage, Signatures

Join Date: Jan 2008

Location: London, England

Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, National Exec, AA EXP Emeritus

Posts: 9,765

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemac

You have to call in. If there is SWU upgrade inventory available, they should be able to upgrade you immediately. If not, they can add you to the waitlist.

FWIW, assuming Segment 1 is a domestic flight, the inventory you'd be looking for is A. You can view this on EF, and you can also sometimes find it on aa.com as a discounted first class fare code (look for just the segment you want, and do price/schedule, then click the "+" next to your flight and look whether one of the first columns has a price for your flight and is listed as Booking Code A). As you can see, A is also a revenue bucket, so there is often inventory in this bucket (unlike C, which is not a revenue bucket, is only viewable via EF and tends to have less inventory IME).

Nov 30, 2010, 8:42 pm

#322

Panamajon513

Join Date: Apr 2009

Location: MIA/LAS

Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Starwood PLT

Posts: 572

Need some advice. I'm EXP booked this evening in coach for the Monday Dec 6 MIA to LAX afternoon flight at 3:45pm.

I have one EVIP remaining. I requested an upgrade but it looks like First is pretty full. Will I have a better chance of upgrading if I use my remaining EVIP for the flight?

Nov 30, 2010, 8:45 pm

#323

brp

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2004

Location: SJC

Programs: AA EXP, BA Silver, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton diamond, Marriott Platinum

Posts: 33,547

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamajon513

Depends upon what inventory might be available since these obviously come from different buckets. Have you checked ExperFlyer?

Cheers.

Nov 30, 2010, 8:52 pm

#324

SFO777

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Denver • DEN-APA

Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 21,649

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamajon513

As brp notes, it's a separate inventory bucket.
If there are A seats still available on an otherwise tight flight, and you only recently booked and requested your upgrade, I'd be inclined to burn an eVIP. LAX/SFO-MIA can be very tough sticker upgrade routes, as there tend to be a lot of paid (extensions of international itineraries) premium tix.

Last edited by SFO777; Nov 30, 2010 at 10:33 pm

Dec 1, 2010, 3:35 am

#325

mvoight

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: May 2004

Location: DFW/DAL

Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond

Posts: 21,422

Quote:

Originally Posted by SFO777

Unfortunately for that poster the 763 flights, like the 3:45PM one, don't seem to have A availability for that day. Now, if they could switch to a 757, they will have no problem with the SWU clearing in advance. I just don't understand why the 763 FC seats fill faster than the 757 ones... must be the scheduling

Dec 1, 2010, 4:59 am

#326

Panamajon513

Join Date: Apr 2009

Location: MIA/LAS

Programs: AA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Starwood PLT

Posts: 572

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvoight

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the lack of A availability for the flight. I don't have an Expert Flyer account.

I'm 100% on upgraded flights in 2010 so I hope I can keep the streak alive!

Is there any downside to putting in a request to use an EVIP in the hope that there's a plane change or will that somehow affect my waitlisted EXP upgrade request? I'm willing to use the EVIP if needed, MIA - LAX is a bear of a flight.

Dec 1, 2010, 6:00 am

#327

mvoight

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: May 2004

Location: DFW/DAL

Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond

Posts: 21,422

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamajon513

I know I have done this for domestic flights, while waitlisted for SWU's on TATL legs, but I don't know why you would do it on a domestic trip only. In my mind I thought SWU's cleared before sticker upgrades. At least SWU's could clear before the 100/72/24 hour limits for stickers.

Dec 1, 2010, 7:14 am

#328

gemac

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Dec 2003

Location: STL

Programs: AA 2MM, AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 12,966

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamajon513

I don't have an Expert Flyer account.

IMO, anybody who flies enough to make EXP should have an ExpertFlyer account. This is but one illustration of why.

Dec 1, 2010, 7:25 am

#329

SFO777

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Denver • DEN-APA

Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 21,649

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemac

IMO, anybody who flies enough to make EXP should have an ExpertFlyer account. This is but one illustration of why.

Dec 1, 2010, 9:48 am

#330

KtownTraveler

Join Date: Dec 2005

Location: You have to ask?

Programs: AA EXP 2MM

Posts: 1,102

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panamajon513

MIA - LAX is a bear of a flight.

No kidding. I've learned to hate it in recent months. A major disappointment for EXPs.