AA Upgrade Using Miles and Funds

[tgmtgm]

Love all the great insights and advice given by those of you who eat, live, and breathe air travel. Thank you for taking the time from your busy schedules to answer questions on this board for those of us less informed on the subject.

 

My question- I've purchased a one way economy fare on AA LAX/MIA/MAD/AGP for a transatlantic cruise Nov. 7th. The pricing was quite reasonable, booked in Q class. The MIA/MAD segment shows as being upgradeable to business class for 25,000 miles + $350. My question- would the LAX/MIA segment be included in the upgrade, or would that remain economy class? Thanks in advance for any info. you might have.

 

Tony

[winemama]

you need to take this question to flyertalk..they will answer you

[tgmtgm]

you need to take this question to flyertalk..they will answer you

 

I'm not familiar with what flyertalk is, and I feel confident that someone in the know here on this board can answer my question. If not, I guess I'll google flyertalk and get more info. there. Thanks for the headsup though.

[Globaliser]

I'm not an AA expert, but I doubt that you're being offered this on a Q class fare. AA says that you can only upgrade with miles from economy on Y or B class fares.

 

AA is returning fares for your itinerary at about $1,645, but these are booked in B class. I don't know how that compares with what you're paying.

 

On other sites, I can also see some fares that are constructed by combining a Q class fare from LAX to MIA, and then other (more expensive fares) from there onwards.

 

So I wonder whether, when you say you've bought a Q class fare, that actually only applies to your first sector? If you look at your reservation on aa.com, it ought to show you the booking class for each sector of your journey. That would help to try to work out what is going on.

[Globaliser]

I'm not familiar with what flyertalk is, and I feel confident that someone in the know here on this board can answer my question.

Actually, there's only one real AA expert here.

 

If you really need FlyerTalk, here's the direct link to where you need to go: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-aadvantage-445/

 

But a strong word of advice: Do NOT go over there and just post your question. You may well be savaged to death. If you need to go over there, then you should first spend three or four hours reading all the FlyerTalk advice you can find about this subject. Only then, if your question has not been answered, try posting a question.

[6rugrats]

If you take this to flyertalk.com, go to the first thread on the AA board; it's a flame free, newbie thread.

 

You can upgrade from most discounted fares, not just Y or B; you just have to pay more miles and a greater copay. A Q fare can certainly be upgraded. Your 25,000 miles and $350 copay one way is correct. If it shows MIA-MAD as being upgradeable, I am assuming this does not include LAX-MIA.

 

You know, you could always pick up the phone and just call AA directly.

[Globaliser]

You can upgrade from most discounted fares, not just Y or B; you just have to pay more miles and a greater copay. A Q fare can certainly be upgraded.

Thanks - there's obviously something on that website that's not penetrating my brain at the moment!

[6rugrats]

Thanks - there's obviously something on that website that's not penetrating my brain at the moment!

It's not clearly written. They should have people who know nothing about these programs read them and then make changes, because none of them are easy to understand.

 

If you look at the One Way upgrade chart, there's a column that states, "From Most Discount Economy Fares" (which includes Q), and another one for "From Full Fare Economy".

 

http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/one-way-upgrade-chart.jsp

[tgmtgm]

I'm not an AA expert, but I doubt that you're being offered this on a Q class fare. AA says that you can only upgrade with miles from economy on Y or B class fares.

 

AA is returning fares for your itinerary at about $1,645, but these are booked in B class. I don't know how that compares with what you're paying.

 

On other sites, I can also see some fares that are constructed by combining a Q class fare from LAX to MIA, and then other (more expensive fares) from there onwards.

 

So I wonder whether, when you say you've bought a Q class fare, that actually only applies to your first sector? If you look at your reservation on aa.com, it ought to show you the booking class for each sector of your journey. That would help to try to work out what is going on.

 

 

Sorry for any confusion. All three flights are booked in Q class, with the last flight being on Iberia. Total cost of the flights was $539 all in. I called AAwards and was wait listed for a business class upgrade on the MIA/MAD flight only for 25,000 miles + $350. The domestic flight requires a separate upgrade of miles/money.

 

I guess I answered my own question by calling AA. Good thing to know though is that even deeply discounted economy class fares are upgradeable on AA. Hopefully that knowledge alone might help the next cruiser who sees a good one way fare and wonders if it qualifies.

 

Thanks for all the replies- happy cruising!

 

Tony

[greatam]

Sorry for any confusion. All three flights are booked in Q class, with the last flight being on Iberia. Total cost of the flights was $539 all in. I called AAwards and was wait listed for a business class upgrade on the MIA/MAD flight only for 25,000 miles + $350. The domestic flight requires a separate upgrade of miles/money.

 

I guess I answered my own question by calling AA. Good thing to know though is that even deeply discounted economy class fares are upgradeable on AA. Hopefully that knowledge alone might help the next cruiser who sees a good one way fare and wonders if it qualifies.

 

Thanks for all the replies- happy cruising!

 

Tony

 

Oh, no. I certainly hope you didn't pay the upgrade and NOT get the business class upgrade from MIA.

 

This is the way it works (and I book a lot of Q fares, all upgradable with miles and money).

 

To get a CONFIRMED upgrade at time of booking, ALL sectors MUST be available for upgrade. This means the LAX/MIA and MIA to MAD sectors. IF they are NOT all available, you are put on a wait list. AND you have paid your money already??? (NORMAL course of business). So you can elect to NOT upgrade on segments that have no availability and STILL get a confirmed upgrade at time of booking.

 

For FUTURE reference, subscribe to Expertflyer ($5.00 per month and you can subscribe for ONLY the months you need), which will give you a clear view of what upgrades are available on what flights so you can mix and match. You MAY have been far better off flying LAX to JFK, then to London, THEN a non upgraded flight on Iberia to AGP (short flight). These are the options EF will give you with a little bit of research.

 

I am going to guess that you paid the money for the upgrade but are on the wait list for MIA to MAD. Can I ask how you got that routing out of LAX??? From the AA website???

 

Don't hold your breath. I know this could be a disappointment. BUT you MAY only get upgraded on the LAX/MIA flight and NOT on the MIA/MAD flight. I hope otherwise. BUT this is a possibility.

 

For future reference, NEVER book an upgrade where you have to pay miles and money (NON REFUNDABLE) WITHOUT a CONFIRMED upgrade. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I sure hope it works out. Wish you would have come here first before you booked the flights and paid your money.

[Gardyloo]

Sorry for any confusion. All three flights are booked in Q class, with the last flight being on Iberia. Total cost of the flights was $539 all in. I called AAwards and was wait listed for a business class upgrade on the MIA/MAD flight only for 25,000 miles + $350. The domestic flight requires a separate upgrade of miles/money.

No. Phone back. Your 25K miles and $350 entitles you to be upgraded on any one-way trip to Europe consisting of up to 3 AA segments. So if your itinerary is LAX-MIA-MAD (-AGP) you'd be put in first class between LAX and MIA (assuming it's a 2-class plane, in business class if it happens to be a 3-class 763 or 777 from LAX to MIA.)

 

I too would be concerned that your co-payment would be wasted if MIA-MAD doesn't clear.

 

May I ask what your travel dates are? (I know your cruise is Nov. 7.) There are a lot of upgrade-eligible seats on AA to Madrid (from Miami, Dallas or JFK) all around that date; if you say when you're flying and how many are traveling, we might be able to help you get confirmed upgrades right away, rather than trying to sweat it out for 9 months.

[tgmtgm]

No. Phone back. Your 25K miles and $350 entitles you to be upgraded on any one-way trip to Europe consisting of up to 3 AA segments. So if your itinerary is LAX-MIA-MAD (-AGP) you'd be put in first class between LAX and MIA (assuming it's a 2-class plane, in business class if it happens to be a 3-class 763 or 777 from LAX to MIA.)

 

I too would be concerned that your co-payment would be wasted if MIA-MAD doesn't clear.

 

May I ask what your travel dates are? (I know your cruise is Nov. 7.) There are a lot of upgrade-eligible seats on AA to Madrid (from Miami, Dallas or JFK) all around that date; if you say when you're flying and how many are traveling, we might be able to help you get confirmed upgrades right away, rather than trying to sweat it out for 9 months.

 

 

My travel date is Nov. 5th. and traveling solo. I chose not to be waitlisted on the LAX-MIA flight for that very reason- it's not worth it to me to use 25,000 miles and pay $350 for a slightly more comfortable seat on a domestic flight. If I don't clear the waitlist on the MIA/MAD flight, then no charge to my credit card- that was one of the first issues I wanted clarified before committing to anything. So at this point, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

The res agent stated that it is still quite early in the year, and that additional upgrade seats stand a good chance of opening up between now and then. But if you do know a method of securing a confirmed seat beforehand, I'm all ears and much appreciative! :D

[Gardyloo]

My travel date is Nov. 5th. and traveling solo.... But if you do know a method of securing a confirmed seat beforehand, I'm all ears and much appreciative! :D

Nov. 5 is a Saturday, one of the poorer days of the week for upgrades to open. However, as of right now there's one seat in "C" bucket (mileage or elite system-wide upgrade category) between Dallas and Madrid on Nov. 5.

 

AA might make you pay a change fee to re-route LAX-DFW-MAD instead of LAX-MIA-MAD, but it's worth a shot. Ask about AA 2436 or AA 2440 for LAX-DFW (an hour apart) connecting to AA 36 on the 5th. AA ought to be able to confirm the upgrade bang-bang.

 

FWIW there are seats available (more, actually) via JFK on the 4th and also on the 6th, if you have a little flexibility.

[greatam]

OP,

 

Rereading this thread-are these 3 separate tickets??? Or one ticket with three segments???

 

There are various references in your posts about "separate" upgrades and fees (or at least that is the way I read it).

 

As Gardyloo posted, 25,000 AA miles and $350 co-pay will get you upgraded for your entire trip. However, separate segments may not have upgrade availability. And separate tickets would require separate upgrades and co-pay.

 

And there was waitlist for LAX to MIA???

 

Getting totally confused (or is it me???-no sleep-there was another earthquake here in Chile yesterday-people at my hotel in Vina totally loosing it.)

[tgmtgm]

Nov. 5 is a Saturday, one of the poorer days of the week for upgrades to open. However, as of right now there's one seat in "C" bucket (mileage or elite system-wide upgrade category) between Dallas and Madrid on Nov. 5.

 

AA might make you pay a change fee to re-route LAX-DFW-MAD instead of LAX-MIA-MAD, but it's worth a shot. Ask about AA 2436 or AA 2440 for LAX-DFW (an hour apart) connecting to AA 36 on the 5th. AA ought to be able to confirm the upgrade bang-bang.

 

FWIW there are seats available (more, actually) via JFK on the 4th and also on the 6th, if you have a little flexibility.

 

 

Thank you Gardyloo for the great suggestion. I'll call AA on Monday and see if there is a shot at the LAX-DFW-MAD routing. I'm unfortunately tied into my current travel dates due to work constraints, so I can't entertain the possibility of departing on alternative dates.

[tgmtgm]

OP,

 

Rereading this thread-are these 3 separate tickets??? Or one ticket with three segments???

 

There are various references in your posts about "separate" upgrades and fees (or at least that is the way I read it).

 

As Gardyloo posted, 25,000 AA miles and $350 co-pay will get you upgraded for your entire trip. However, separate segments may not have upgrade availability. And separate tickets would require separate upgrades and co-pay.

 

And there was waitlist for LAX to MIA???

 

Getting totally confused (or is it me???-no sleep-there was another earthquake here in Chile yesterday-people at my hotel in Vina totally loosing it.)

 

 

All three flights are on one ticket, one locator number. I apologize if I didn't explain properly what was communicated to me by the res. agent. There is no waitlist on the LAX-MIA flight. The waitlist is on the MIA/MAD flight. That being said, I realize and was told that I am entitled to an upgrade on up to 3 segments of a one way flight to Europe with the use of 25,000 miles and a fee of $350. I opted not to include the domestic flight in the upgrade due to the risk of the international flight not clearing the waitlist. So the bottom line is, if the MIA/MAD flight never clears, I am charged nothing, and I fly economy on all three segments.

 

I could easily upgrade the domestic flight as a seperate award for less miles and a smaller fee, but not worth it to me.

[Gardyloo]

Thank you Gardyloo for the great suggestion. I'll call AA on Monday and see if there is a shot at the LAX-DFW-MAD routing. I'm unfortunately tied into my current travel dates due to work constraints, so I can't entertain the possibility of departing on alternative dates.

I wouldn't wait until Monday if you can spring a few minutes free before that. The first rule of thumb on award/upgrade availability is to pounce on seats when you can see them.

[personnext]

My travel date is Nov. 5th. and traveling solo. I chose not to be waitlisted on the LAX-MIA flight for that very reason- it's not worth it to me to use 25,000 miles and pay $350 for a slightly more comfortable seat on a domestic flight. If I don't clear the waitlist on the MIA/MAD flight, then no charge to my credit card- that was one of the first issues I wanted clarified before committing to anything. So at this point, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

The res agent stated that it is still quite early in the year, and that additional upgrade seats stand a good chance of opening up between now and then. But if you do know a method of securing a confirmed seat beforehand, I'm all ears and much appreciative! :D

 

Miami-Los Angeles uses a lot of widebodies, the same exact planes and seats on Miami-Madrid.

 

You are entitled to an upgrade on LAX-MIA. You can call American Airlines and request that the international segment must clear first; that way you don't waste the miles and co-pay.

 

Rest assured your Miami-Madrid upgrade will almost certainly clear. "C" bucket availability will open up between now and November; the only thing that stops your upgrade from clearing is people ahead of you on the waitlist, which is unlikely this far in advance.

[greatam]

the only thing that stops your upgrade from clearing is people ahead of you on the waitlist, which is unlikely this far in advance.

 

Your place on the waitlist PLUS status is how the waitlist is cleared. Two upgrade seats on the plane, you are #1 on the waitlist. Two AA Golds put in for upgrade the day before the flight. You just lost your seat with no status.

[personnext]

Your place on the waitlist PLUS status is how the waitlist is cleared. Two upgrade seats on the plane, you are #1 on the waitlist. Two AA Golds put in for upgrade the day before the flight. You just lost your seat with no status.

 

The OP does not have to worry about that so far in advance. Her upgrade has a 95%+ chance of clearing. Furthermore, AA has a loophole for this - sometimes availability will open up and waitlisted passengers will not auto-clear. At that point, if there is a J fare bucket available, anybody can call and ask for the upgrade, skipping ahead of those on the waitlist.

[tgmtgm]

Miami-Los Angeles uses a lot of widebodies, the same exact planes and seats on Miami-Madrid.

 

You are entitled to an upgrade on LAX-MIA. You can call American Airlines and request that the international segment must clear first; that way you don't waste the miles and co-pay.

 

Rest assured your Miami-Madrid upgrade will almost certainly clear. "C" bucket availability will open up between now and November; the only thing that stops your upgrade from clearing is people ahead of you on the waitlist, which is unlikely this far in advance.

 

 

Thank you for the encouragement. I did call AA earlier today to super-clarify all the details, and yes, it is noted that both segments are in the upgrade loop and that if the MIA/MAD flight doesn't clear, then all bets are off. They will either email or call me when/if they clear to verify that I am still wanting the upgrade.

 

Thanks everyone for all the insight and information.

 

p.s.- I did a quick check of sold/claimed business cabin seats on the MIA/MAD flight via AA's website(767 aircraft)- only two seats in the entire cabin are occupied. That may not mean much, I know, but it's a start!

[FlyerTalker]

p.s.- I did a quick check of sold/claimed business cabin seats on the MIA/MAD flight via AA's website(767 aircraft)- only two seats in the entire cabin are occupied. That may not mean much, I know, but it's a start!

If you got this "information" via the seatmap, know that they are HIGHLY unreliable indicators of load and availability.

[Gardyloo]

Thank you for the encouragement. I did call AA earlier today to super-clarify all the details, and yes, it is noted that both segments are in the upgrade loop and that if the MIA/MAD flight doesn't clear, then all bets are off. They will either email or call me when/if they clear to verify that I am still wanting the upgrade.

 

Thanks everyone for all the insight and information.

 

p.s.- I did a quick check of sold/claimed business cabin seats on the MIA/MAD flight via AA's website(767 aircraft)- only two seats in the entire cabin are occupied. That may not mean much, I know, but it's a start!

Did you ask about the LAX-DFW-MAD option I mentioned earlier?