Newbies Question
 

I have been with AA for a long time and achieved lifetime Platinum and have been Executive Platinum year after year. Recently, because of the fact that AA is canceling the SFO-BOS route as well as their upgrade policies, I am frustrated that I am never upgraded as a result. Of course, the priority goes by status first, but if the status is equal, the priority goes to whoever books earlier. I can't do that since my travel plan changes all the time, so although I usually book late and pay a hefty premium, it is frustrating that I never get upgraded although I was so loyal to them.

I have started educating myself with United, but with so many members who have much more personal experiences on this thread, I hope you can clarify something I have.

1. I have read somewhere that United sort by fares paid when two people are of the same status, is that true? I also saw other places where it states that it is sort by purchase date. I just want to get an understanding of this.
2. I have contacted UA and they are willing to comp me to Premier Exec. Is that status any good? I guess I still won't get upgraded until I achieve 1K, right?
3. For flights from SFO or SJC to BOS, does anyone have any recommendations on which flights are good from Mon-Thu as it relates to the types of airplanes as well as the chances of getting upgraded in the future?

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

1. Yes upgrades (in advance and at the airport) are sorted first by status then by booking code. Time added to the list is the 3rd tie breaker so higher booking codes do give you an advantage.
2. Premier Exec (called 1P around here) is mid-level.. you'll get upgraded probably 50-75% of the time depending on the route and equipment you choose. Try to pick planes with more F seats like 757's with 24 seats...vs A319's with only 8 seats. That said.. SFO to BOS can be a tough upgrade for a 1P. If you get 1K and are on a high fare you'll have much better odds.

Neither SJC nor BOS is a hub for UA so there is no SJC-BOS nonstop.

You might want to check out the United UDU tracker
http://www.udustats.com


SFO-BOS looks to be a really tough upgrade. Only 11% for 1P (Premier Exec) and only 20% for 1K reported.

http://www.udustats.com/Home/SearchR...eliteStatus=1P

Overall 1P is batting 67% on United for UDU.

High fares matter a lot. If you are on a B or Y fare I would say you have a 50% chance of being upgraded to first BOS/SFO as a 1K. I was 2/2 on my trip last week (Sunday 6:00am departure, Monday 6pm return). I wouldn't count on mid-week upgrades as a 1P. There are lots of tricks though, buying your tickets late means that you can look at the load factors and choose the planes that have seats left.

Actually that'd be a 40% clearance rate for 1K (3 1K success, 1 1P success of 10 possible flights).

1Ps actually have a 60.6% clearance rate (1K=89.5%, GS=99.6%, 2P=23.7%).