Phl-tlv - swu
#1
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Highland PArk,IL,USA -- AA Lifetime Platinum, IHG Plat, UA Silver, Hilton Gold, Radisson Gold, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 2,366
Phl-tlv - swu
I know this is a new route for eVIP/ SWU on AA. I bought "J" for me and coach for Wife and Son. They are wait-listed.
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
#2
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Midwest USA
Programs: BA SIL, WN A, UA SIL, Marriott TIT (LT), Hilton DIA
Posts: 1,969
my understanding is that PHL-TLV (and back) were the toughest upgrades on the legacy US metal. LOTS of paid business class.
No personal experience, though, other than trying to get a miles award in J last year. (unsuccessful)
No personal experience, though, other than trying to get a miles award in J last year. (unsuccessful)
#3
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
SHould have bought the wife the biz seat, then you and son would have EXP status and a POSSIBLE CHANCE. As no status the chances for them now are zero.
of course IMO
of course IMO
#4
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Highland PArk,IL,USA -- AA Lifetime Platinum, IHG Plat, UA Silver, Hilton Gold, Radisson Gold, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 2,366
You seem to speaking from experience that this route will wait to last minute and all will be gone. Like I said I'm only one in BC and rest is open. Doesn't AA ever open up SWU upgrades in advance on this route?
#5
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NYC LAX RDU
Programs: US-Plt;Concierge key; American AAirpass; Delta Silver;Starwood - Platinum; Amex Cent
Posts: 710
I know this is a new route for eVIP/ SWU on AA. I bought "J" for me and coach for Wife and Son. They are wait-listed.
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
#6
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA 1.6MM EXP; UA GS; SPG LTG,Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,477
Edit to add: presumably your CK/EXP status bumped you to the top of the queue with your pastor (presumably listed as a companion). I rather doubt OP's family, lacking the same elite status, would have the same fortune.
Last edited by scnzzz; Aug 8, 2015 at 9:54 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA 1.6MM EXP; UA GS; SPG LTG,Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,477
I know this is a new route for eVIP/ SWU on AA. I bought "J" for me and coach for Wife and Son. They are wait-listed.
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
Flights are in November. I'm only one if BC on way home and there are 5 other people on way there.
Since we are not in same reservations their chances are being demoted to regular AA member, I'm EXP. This would seem to be an issue if they are going to wait until very late to open up any seats.
Has anyone had any experience on this route since integration last month?
1. Your point about how many people are in the cabin outbound and return - is that based on the seatmap? Because that's a rather unreliable source of how many seats have actually been sold.
2. It's August. Three months out is far too early for most business travelers to be planning travel. My experience is that seats start filling up with business travelers about 20-30 days out.
3. The A330s that AA/US ply on this route are rather premium-light. I'm not sure if it's a 332 or a 333, but even in the best case, there are 28 J seats. That's pretty light, compared to a refurbed 772 with 45 J seats. Heck even the much smaller 763 has 28J seats. So there aren't really *that* many seats
Basically I would concur that the odds of your family clearing are small, in both directions. Sorry but that's the reality of the situation.
Separately, to your question about releasing SWU inventory in advance, why would any carrier do that if they are confident they can sell the seats? Lots of upgrade inventory available in advance means that the route has excess premium capacity. And that's something every carrier is looking to fix.
#8
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
Any chance your CK status might have made the difference?
Edit to add: presumably your CK/EXP status bumped you to the top of the queue with your pastor (presumably listed as a companion). I rather doubt OP's family, lacking the same elite status, would have the same fortune.
Edit to add: presumably your CK/EXP status bumped you to the top of the queue with your pastor (presumably listed as a companion). I rather doubt OP's family, lacking the same elite status, would have the same fortune.
CK=EXP... I expect he cleared due to standard EXP processing.
But EXP versus no status is the difference between being in the top 10 on a list versus 47th.
(And an exp mentioning when they got the nod, without all the other necessary info, is pretty much useless.)
#9
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Highland PArk,IL,USA -- AA Lifetime Platinum, IHG Plat, UA Silver, Hilton Gold, Radisson Gold, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 2,366
Any chance your CK status might have made the difference?
Edit to add: presumably your CK/EXP status bumped you to the top of the queue with your pastor (presumably listed as a companion). I rather doubt OP's family, lacking the same elite status, would have the same fortune.
Edit to add: presumably your CK/EXP status bumped you to the top of the queue with your pastor (presumably listed as a companion). I rather doubt OP's family, lacking the same elite status, would have the same fortune.
CK=EXP... I expect he cleared due to standard EXP processing.
But EXP versus no status is the difference between being in the top 10 on a list versus 47th.
(And an exp mentioning when they got the nod, without all the other necessary info, is pretty much useless.)
Were there any open seats?
It seems from comments aa only opens seats at last minute. If they open up some now I'd be way better off.
I looked at tomorrow fight and it is g7 according to ef.
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
3. The A330s that AA/US ply on this route are rather premium-light. I'm not sure if it's a 332 or a 333, but even in the best case, there are 28 J seats. That's pretty light, compared to a refurbed 772 with 45 J seats. Heck even the much smaller 763 has 28J seats. So there aren't really *that* many seats.
The reality is that US doesn't sell very many business class seats across the Atlantic, and gets too little $$ for the ones it does sell. Such is the reality of low-value TATL hubs in PHL and CLT that rely mostly on connecting traffic (due to the paucity of nonstop O&D passengers in those cities, who generally pay higher fares).
AA, on the other hand, has always attracted higher yields and higher unit revenues than US on its TATL flights, as it sells more business class seats and at higher prices. That's behind AA's historic ability to fly TATL flights with larger premium cabins and still have seats available for upgrades. NYC, CHI, MIA, DFW and LAX are cities with far more big $$$ premium cabin buyers.
But since the common narrative (despite its falsehood) is that "AA went bankrupt because (among other things) its premium cabins were just too large," I suspect that AA's future premium cabins will more closely match the very small pmUS business class cabins.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
He may in fact have already been cleared. Are you somehow reading some special meaning into HIS choice of "two opened up"?????
Or do you think that he just happened to ask and they gave him seats that would otherwise have gone to someone else on the list???? That his asking 'jumped the order'???
I am not sure why you are mentioning G7. G is a coach inventory. C is an upgrade from coach to biz.
So, yes- if AA opened all the upgrades today and you and 3 other people are the only ones waiting for a flight in november, then yes that will be good.
As a rule they do not.
As a matter of practice, they wait- on purpose- until they have a well ordered list with most customers on it all sorted by status first and then time of request. They know how many biz seats are truly going to go unsold...they have forced people who want to fly in biz to buy biz... then, in the last days or hours they gradually titrate the last few seats. But keep a few- 4, 6 for last minute full J customers. And then- at the gate, on the way to the airport, a few lucky EXPs get the nod.
IMO this ensures that EXPs, their highly valuable customers who buy expensive fares at the last minute or within weeks can be accommodated.
There is a lot posted on how intl upgrades are cleared ...mostly with other routes. The same principles apply...
#12
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: SAN
Programs: AA-EXP; US-Silver; Marriott-Platinum; Starwood-Platinum; Hilton-Gold
Posts: 1,260
My understanding is CKs are processed ahead of EXP (unpublished rule). Tho it's a bloggers article I have seen it in the past
http://www.loungebuddy.com/secret-ai...ltimate-guide/
http://www.loungebuddy.com/secret-ai...ltimate-guide/
#13
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,146
I might be taking a step back in the progress of this thread, but what's the process now on the PMUS metal for SWU's now that post Oct 17th flights are all "AA" flights?
I have a TLV-DFW in early December and I'm wondering how I will be able to upgrade it? Just book it and call to apply the SWU, as usual?
Thanks
I have a TLV-DFW in early December and I'm wondering how I will be able to upgrade it? Just book it and call to apply the SWU, as usual?
Thanks
#14
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: USA, NJ
Programs: LH SEN, AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 430
I fly this route a lot and I have trouble getting a paid seat in business a month out - often. I end up switching to UA EWR.
So, upgrades are rarer than the proverbial hens teeth here.
So, upgrades are rarer than the proverbial hens teeth here.
#15
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: AA 1.6MM EXP; UA GS; SPG LTG,Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,477
My understanding is CKs are processed ahead of EXP (unpublished rule). Tho it's a bloggers article I have seen it in the past
http://www.loungebuddy.com/secret-ai...ltimate-guide/
http://www.loungebuddy.com/secret-ai...ltimate-guide/