What time should the battlefield upgrade list be cleared?
Apr 29, 2019, 4:25 am
#1
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What time should the battlefield upgrade list be cleared?
My understanding is that it should be at T-30...aka when check in closed but I have increasingly seen it done when boarding is beginning.
Apr 29, 2019, 5:12 am
#2
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Is there actually a rule on specific timing? I don't know that there is.
But generally I think the working method is to clear the waitlist into open seats about 5 minutes before boarding, and then to do on board upgrades to fill any misconnected seats. Of course some agents do things differently.
But generally I think the working method is to clear the waitlist into open seats about 5 minutes before boarding, and then to do on board upgrades to fill any misconnected seats. Of course some agents do things differently.
Apr 29, 2019, 5:36 am
#3
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Yesterday, I was taking a flight on an EMB-175 from EWR. There were two unbooked FC seats and I was first on the SB list. The GA didn't clear the list before starting pre-boarding. When she called 1K's, I walked up to the BP reader and asked the GA if she was planning to clear the waitlist. She confirmed I was first on the list and told me to go ahead and scan my Y BP and then take one of the open FC seats. I did, and kept refreshing the upgrade list on the app until finally I saw my name clear about 10 minutes later.
Theoretically, someone could have done a TOD purchase of that seat before the FA got to clearing the list, which would have made things interesting. I'm with the others who say the list should be cleared at least 5 minutes before pre-boarding.
Theoretically, someone could have done a TOD purchase of that seat before the FA got to clearing the list, which would have made things interesting. I'm with the others who say the list should be cleared at least 5 minutes before pre-boarding.
Apr 29, 2019, 5:44 am
#4
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Yesterday, I was taking a flight on an EMB-175 from EWR. There were two unbooked FC seats and I was first on the SB list. The GA didn't clear the list before starting pre-boarding. When she called 1K's, I walked up to the BP reader and asked the GA if she was planning to clear the waitlist. She confirmed I was first on the list and told me to go ahead and scan my Y BP and then take one of the open FC seats. I did, and kept refreshing the upgrade list on the app until finally I saw my name clear about 10 minutes later.
Theoretically, someone could have done a TOD purchase of that seat before the FA got to clearing the list, which would have made things interesting. I'm with the others who say the list should be cleared at least 5 minutes before pre-boarding.
Theoretically, someone could have done a TOD purchase of that seat before the FA got to clearing the list, which would have made things interesting. I'm with the others who say the list should be cleared at least 5 minutes before pre-boarding.
Apr 29, 2019, 7:03 am
#5
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Agree. If there are unsold seats, they can theoretically clear them any time. But if they're waiting for misconnects, they have to close the flight, and that's T-15 on domestic. In any event, much depends on the GAs' workload.
Apr 29, 2019, 7:06 am
#6
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"Standard" policy AFAIK is to clear into unsold seats any time after T-60 (when the flight is usually removed from sale), and then again after T-15 when no-shows are offloaded. (Same goes for the standby list.)
However, reality is that GAs tend to be very busy and they do it when they get around to it.
However, reality is that GAs tend to be very busy and they do it when they get around to it.
Apr 29, 2019, 7:15 am
#7
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"Standard" policy AFAIK is to clear into unsold seats any time after T-60 (when the flight is usually removed from sale), and then again after T-15 when no-shows are offloaded. (Same goes for the standby list.)
However, reality is that GAs tend to be very busy and they do it when they get around to it.
However, reality is that GAs tend to be very busy and they do it when they get around to it.
If a GA has a hard timer to hit for clearing upgrades, they’d stop processing other, more urgent things.
Every flight is unique and there’s always some situation or another to be dealt with. Anything from misconnects to standbys to - yes - passengers with a car seat for the Polaris cabin that can’t be used because the seat angle of the Polaris seats is beyond maximum allowable by the FAA for car seats.
(I actually got to witness this one 2 weeks ago. Mom wouldn’t let them send the car seat to the cargo hold, because “you’re going to break it!!” That was fun.)
anyway - my point is that, as much as we all enjoy upgrades, sometimes there are more pressing things that a GA has to deal with. I’d rather they have the latitude to do so, than give them yet another hard and fast clock. Too many of those are what create automatons and remove the creativity of the employee (which is, after all, what all of us working folk actually crave — being allowed to do our jobs the best way we know how.)
Apr 29, 2019, 8:18 am
#9
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I believe it's actually T-30, not T-60, for a domestic flight. That's also when they would offload passengers who failed to check-in.
Apr 29, 2019, 8:39 am
#10
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That looks right - I can still buy a ticket on an SFO-LAX leaving in 32 minutes. I probably have seen GAs do it at 45 or 55 when they show up to the podium, but that just goes to show how much it's based on whatever order the GA gets to things.
Apr 29, 2019, 9:24 am
#11
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It makes little sense to clear the list significantly before boarding begins and clearing misconnects really should not occur before T-15 (domestic). But, I'm not aware of a policy.
Whether your UG clears at T-35 or T-45 does not affect much if anything for the upgraded passenger. But, disappointing a last minute change or SDC for a paid F passenger who wants to make a change hurts the brand. Playing games with likely misconnects who make it to the gate is also a problem for those misconnects and, in the case of inbound connections from the EU, creates all kinds of compensation and duty of care issues.
Whether your UG clears at T-35 or T-45 does not affect much if anything for the upgraded passenger. But, disappointing a last minute change or SDC for a paid F passenger who wants to make a change hurts the brand. Playing games with likely misconnects who make it to the gate is also a problem for those misconnects and, in the case of inbound connections from the EU, creates all kinds of compensation and duty of care issues.
Apr 29, 2019, 9:49 am
#12
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It makes little sense to clear the list significantly before boarding begins and clearing misconnects really should not occur before T-15 (domestic). But, I'm not aware of a policy.
Whether your UG clears at T-35 or T-45 does not affect much if anything for the upgraded passenger. But, disappointing a last minute change or SDC for a paid F passenger who wants to make a change hurts the brand. Playing games with likely misconnects who make it to the gate is also a problem for those misconnects and, in the case of inbound connections from the EU, creates all kinds of compensation and duty of care issues.
Whether your UG clears at T-35 or T-45 does not affect much if anything for the upgraded passenger. But, disappointing a last minute change or SDC for a paid F passenger who wants to make a change hurts the brand. Playing games with likely misconnects who make it to the gate is also a problem for those misconnects and, in the case of inbound connections from the EU, creates all kinds of compensation and duty of care issues.
Apr 29, 2019, 11:13 am
#13
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As a frequent paid F passenger, meh. How often are you really trying to change on to a flight within 45 minutes of actual departure? I assume the general motivation for clearing upgrades a little earlier is to ensure a timely departure, and I'll trade a few percentage points of D:0 for the one time I try to hop on the earlier flight halfway through boarding and can't because the u/g list was run.
Apr 29, 2019, 11:39 am
#14
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The issue is not how often, but the fuss caused when GA's act too soon.
Simply better to wait until T-14 and have the UG ready to go, than to disappoint a passenger who thought he had an UG or a passenger who paid for F (or was already UG) and ran a 4-minute mile to make the gate cutoff.
This is particularly so in a system where people check in online and thus, AA has no idea whether they are 50 feet away from the gate or home asleep with no intention of flying, until T-15. passes.
Simply better to wait until T-14 and have the UG ready to go, than to disappoint a passenger who thought he had an UG or a passenger who paid for F (or was already UG) and ran a 4-minute mile to make the gate cutoff.
This is particularly so in a system where people check in online and thus, AA has no idea whether they are 50 feet away from the gate or home asleep with no intention of flying, until T-15. passes.
Apr 29, 2019, 11:48 am
#15
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As a frequent paid F passenger, meh. How often are you really trying to change on to a flight within 45 minutes of actual departure? I assume the general motivation for clearing upgrades a little earlier is to ensure a timely departure, and I'll trade a few percentage points of D:0 for the one time I try to hop on the earlier flight halfway through boarding and can't because the u/g list was run.