AA BKK-HKG-LAX/SFO RT $850 immed UPG with SWU's
Dec 20, 2017, 6:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
AA BKK-HKG-LAX/SFO RT $850 immed UPG with SWU's
Not much of a MR for me as I usually do 4 week trips, but I need to do a couple AA RT's between BKK and the US to visit the family and friends and burn off the SWU's. Usually, HKG-LAX is cheaper ($500 RT more or less,) but the UPG's had been normally clearing, if at all, at the last minute. For, my Feb/Mar trip, my return UPG'd recently, so about 3 months out, and since I needed a trip back in Aug/Sept (son's wedding in CA,) and the QR business fare CMB-DOH-PHL for $1500 wasn't working in Aug, I decided to look at AA for this trip. Normally, I book BKK-HKG-BKK separately, as AA prices it terribly high when added on to the low HKG-LAX RT fare and always has the worst CX connections. Plus, I was getting business class BKK-HKG-BKK for just about the cost of the difference between HKG-LAX-HKG and BKK-LAX RT. This time, for the exact dates I needed with, the price was in line with current pricing and good connections (though I like to add on a day or more in HKG at the return.) All immediately UPG'd with SWU's even before ticketing.
There are a number of combinations, but look at HKG-LAX-HKG segments first to see which have UPG's, and make sure to click on the "systemwide upgrades" link to make sure it's main cabin to business on the TPAC. One example of a minimum stay MR is:
https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...HKG0AA193;a=AA
Maybe it's a XMAS gift from Mr. Parker or his IT dept, but it seems SWU's can again get used. At reasonable (that's relative of course,) prices. Compared to UA GPU's, it's all good.
There are a number of combinations, but look at HKG-LAX-HKG segments first to see which have UPG's, and make sure to click on the "systemwide upgrades" link to make sure it's main cabin to business on the TPAC. One example of a minimum stay MR is:
https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...HKG0AA193;a=AA
Maybe it's a XMAS gift from Mr. Parker or his IT dept, but it seems SWU's can again get used. At reasonable (that's relative of course,) prices. Compared to UA GPU's, it's all good.
Last edited by rbAA; Dec 20, 2017 at 7:29 pm
Dec 20, 2017, 9:42 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,727
Not much of a MR for me as I usually do 4 week trips, but I need to do a couple AA RT's between BKK and the US to visit the family and friends and burn off the SWU's. Usually, HKG-LAX is cheaper ($500 RT more or less,) but the UPG's had been normally clearing, if at all, at the last minute. For, my Feb/Mar trip, my return UPG'd recently, so about 3 months out, and since I needed a trip back in Aug/Sept (son's wedding in CA,) and the QR business fare CMB-DOH-PHL for $1500 wasn't working in Aug, I decided to look at AA for this trip. Normally, I book BKK-HKG-BKK separately, as AA prices it terribly high when added on to the low HKG-LAX RT fare and always has the worst CX connections. Plus, I was getting business class BKK-HKG-BKK for just about the cost of the difference between HKG-LAX-HKG and BKK-LAX RT. This time, for the exact dates I needed with, the price was in line with current pricing and good connections (though I like to add on a day or more in HKG at the return.) All immediately UPG'd with SWU's even before ticketing.
There are a number of combinations, but look at HKG-LAX-HKG segments first to see which have UPG's, and make sure to click on the "systemwide upgrades" link to make sure it's main cabin to business on the TPAC. One example of a minimum stay MR is:
https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...HKG0AA193;a=AA
Maybe it's a XMAS gift from Mr. Parker or his IT dept, but it seems SWU's can again get used. At reasonable (that's relative of course,) prices. Compared to UA GPU's, it's all good.
There are a number of combinations, but look at HKG-LAX-HKG segments first to see which have UPG's, and make sure to click on the "systemwide upgrades" link to make sure it's main cabin to business on the TPAC. One example of a minimum stay MR is:
https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...HKG0AA193;a=AA
Maybe it's a XMAS gift from Mr. Parker or his IT dept, but it seems SWU's can again get used. At reasonable (that's relative of course,) prices. Compared to UA GPU's, it's all good.
Dec 21, 2017, 12:24 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Bangkok, Thailand. No longer Palm Coast, FL though still exiled, again, from the Bay Area.
Programs: Only the good ones
Posts: 5,153
Put the itn on hold and call EXP desk to UPG. Usually, the EXP agent wants you to pay/ticket, but not always. I needed to check with my son to see if there were going to be some pre-wedding events I needed to attend.
"And how do you check for UPG availability without expertflyer, or without plugging in specific dates into the AA ticketing page? You’re right, the fares are very low for the spring. I found $386 RT for the days I want to fly."
Expert Flyer is one way, the other is to use aa.com to see what the fare is and whether the SWU can be immediately applied. I prefer the latter as the cost is the more important factor, and I can check the connections and seat map for available seats if the SWU can't be applied immediately.
"And how do you check for UPG availability without expertflyer, or without plugging in specific dates into the AA ticketing page? You’re right, the fares are very low for the spring. I found $386 RT for the days I want to fly."
Expert Flyer is one way, the other is to use aa.com to see what the fare is and whether the SWU can be immediately applied. I prefer the latter as the cost is the more important factor, and I can check the connections and seat map for available seats if the SWU can't be applied immediately.