Upgrades
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If you have AAdvantage Status, you can only request a complimentary upgrade for yourself and one companion. You will have to request to split the itinerary. Note that passengers on the split itinerary may lose additional benefits such as bags.
For System Wide Upgrades (SWU) or Miles & Copay Upgrades (MPG), contact reservations to request an upgrade.
See also: How can my companion inherit my status for upgrades?
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At this time, American does not offer any type of upgrade to Premium Economy (P). The only type of upgrades that can be requested are:
- Economy -> Business (international)
- Economy -> First (domestic)
- Premium Economy -> Business (international)
- Business -> First (domestic & international)
Executive Platinum and Concierge Key members can request premium economy seats at the gate if they had requested an SWU or MPG upgrade and did not clear.
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If there is upgrade inventory available, upgrades will generally1 be processed automatically as follows:
FIRST by Elite Status
- Concierge Key
- Executive Platinum
- Platinum Pro
- Platinum
- Gold
THEN by Upgrade Type
- MPG (Miles & co-pay) & SWU (System Wide Upgrade) (both are equal priority)
- Complimentary domestic upgrades on purchased tickets
- Complimentary domestic upgrades on eligible awards
THEN by Earned Loyalty Points (rolling 12-month period)2
THEN by Booking Class
THEN by Time of Request
If the upgrade does not clear 24 hours before departure, the list will then go to airport control — meaning that only agents at the departure airport can process/clear upgrades.
Example Flight
| Passenger | Elite Status | Upgrade Type | Loyalty Points2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| George | Executive Platinum | Complimentary domestic upgrade | 81,620 |
| Marion | Platinum | Complimentary domestic upgrade | 42,786 |
| Claudia | Executive Platinum | System Wide Upgrade | 10,472 |
| Stephen | Gold | Complimentary domestic upgrade | 7,350 |
| William | Platinum | Complimentary domestic upgrade | 53,081 |
| Michelle | Gold | System Wide Upgrade | 2,108 |
Upgrade List
Based on the example list above, the upgrade list at the airport would look be:
| Position | Passenger |
|---|---|
| 1 | Claudia |
| 2 | George |
| 3 | William |
| 4 | Marion |
| 5 | Michelle |
| 6 | Stephen |
This list only uses the first three categories for upgrade priority as it’s extremely rare to break ties further.
1 There are situations where other passengers will appear higher on the list. For example, a passenger that had purchased first but was involuntarily rebooked will be higher.
2 As of March 1, 2022, rolling 12 month total of Loyalty Points is used. Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQDs) have been converted to Loyalty Points.
See “What order are upgrades confirmed?” section on https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-program/miles/redeem/award-travel/complimentary-upgrades.jsp
See also: How can my companion inherit my status for upgrades?
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To extend the primary traveler’s status benefits to others, they must either be on the same record locator, or if on a different record locator, linked by calling reservations. Note that linking is just a comment on the record locator.
Complimentary upgrades are for the primary traveler and one companion. For itineraries with more than two travelers, the reservation will have to be split by a reservations agent. When using other types of upgrades, the party does not need to be split.
If upgrades are not cleared 24 hours before departure, you can indicate at the airport whether you want to split or not split (in situations that there may only be one seat left). This note can also be added ahead of time by calling reservations.
Effective June 9, 2023, companions traveling with a companion that has AAdvantage status no longer has to remove their status to correctly inherit upgrade priority. In addition, they will prioritized at the same level as a revenue ticket (status, then rolling 12 month LP).
If the upgrade is not cleared within 24 hours and traveling with a companion that has AAdvantage status, it is advised to remove their AAdvantage number from the record locator to inherit the member’s status and priority on the upgrade list. This also applies if you have a higher status than your companion. This is due to a technical issue with AA’s upgrade systems. To receive credit for the flight, the companion can request missing mile credit.
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If there is available inventory, then an upsell offer will appear on AA’s website or in the AA app under your itinerary:
Note that after clicking these offers, you will be presented with the actual offer amounts (for multi-segment trips):
As of late 2024, you will also earn Loyalty Points on the upsell offer purchases.
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The only accurate way for the public to view inventory used for upgrades is through ExpertFlyer.com. This applies to using instruments such as MPG (Miles & Co-pay) or SWU (System Wide Upgrades). This method does not work for codeshares or on partners.
When contacting AA reservations to request the upgrade, ask the agent to only waitlist the international segments to avoid burning an upgrade on a domestic segment. Once the international segment clears, you can contact AA reservations again to extend the upgrade to the domestic segment.
After logging in to Expert Flyer, navigate to Awards & Upgrades.
Award & Upgrade Availability Search
Enter the specific segment that you would like to check availability on. For example, if you are flying STL-LHR through ORD, you will need to check inventory between STL-ORD and ORD-LHR separately.
Enter the Depart Date. Optionally, change Exact Date to +/- 3 days.
Select American Airlines – AA for Airline.
Except for flights with more than one premium cabin, you are looking for Business – Upgrade (Including 2-Cabin Domestic First) (C).
Select Direct/Non-Stop Only for Connection Preference.
Check the Exclude Codeshares field.
Optionally toggle the Results Page to Show tabbed results by date if you wish to see +/- 3 days in a week view.
Award & Upgrade Availability Results
On the result page, the available space will be displayed.
If browsing with multiple days, toggle the Filter Search Results and uncheck Show Flights with No Availability.
Lastly, even if there is space available, upgrades are cleared based on status. See How are upgrades cleared?
Learn more about the available upgrades here.
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Instant upgrade offers are a way to buy a premium cabin. They are promoted in the app and on the website. As of August 14, 2024, these purchases will also earn Loyalty Points.
Not all flights will have upgrade offers available. Offers are dynamic and may go higher or lower.
Offers will be presented to any reservations (including those with miles), EXCEPT if you have wait listed for a SWU or MPG upgrade.
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Reviewing the available inventory on your flight using tools such as ExpertFlyer will provide an indicator of how likely you are to be upgraded. For example, if the flight departs in one week and has J5, consider how many people will purchase a last-minute ticket or be offered an upsell in the app.
See also:
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American Airlines has various inventory buckets. These “buckets”, or fare codes, dictate what is available to be purchased or how many upgrades are available on a particular flight. Every flight is different.
A fare class chart from 2019 can be found here. This chart explains different buckets, their tiers, and what they’re used for.
For upgrades, the main inventory bucket used for economy to business is C. Note that AA has begun to also use C for revenue tickets. Read more on how to find availability here.
For revenue, each flight has a certain amount of each inventory bucket. As cheaper inventory buckets are sold, only more expensive (“full fare”) buckets are left.
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There are various upgrades that are available.
- Complimentary Upgrades (formerly known as 500-mile upgrades)
- Mileage Upgrades
- Mileage Upgrades for Partners
- Award Travel Upgrades
- System Wide Upgrades (SWU)
- Operational Upgrade (Op-up)
Upgrades are not guaranteed
You will be placed on an upgrade list and it will clear once inventory becomes available. Learn more here.
Complimentary Upgrades (formerly known as 500-mile upgrades)
Also known as “stickers,” these upgrades are used for upgrading on domestic routes. Domestic includes “within and between the U.S. (including Hawaii) and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central America.” This type of upgrade includes 1 companion traveling with the AAdvantage member. It does not have to be requested as it is automatic.
See more: How can my companion inherit my status for upgrades?
Mileage Upgrades
Follow the upgrade chart at aa.com.
When requesting the upgrade, an agent will request a credit card number. Once your upgrade clears, your mileage will be deducted from your AAdvantage account. If applicable, the copay and any taxes will be charged to your card at the time of departure.
Mileage Upgrades cannot be used on any type travel awards, free tickets, military or government fares or infant tickets.
You request mileage upgrades by calling AA reservations.
Mileage Upgrades for Partners
You can use AAdvantage miles to upgrade certain flights on British Airways and Iberia flights. Follow the upgrade charts on AA.com.
Award Travel Upgrades
Effective June 9, 2023, all AAdvantage members (plus companion) are eligible for upgrades on domestic award tickets.
See the “Upgrades on award tickets” section at aa.com.
System Wide Upgrades (SWU)
Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum, Concierge Key, and Million Milers can earn System Wide Upgrades to be used on revenue tickets on travel with American Airlines. These can be applied to any person traveling on AA flights. You must call reservations to apply a SWU.
System Wide Upgrades cannot be used on any type travel awards, free tickets, military or government fares or infant tickets.
You request a system wide upgrade by calling AA reservations.
Learn more about System Wide Upgrades at aa.com.
Operational Upgrade (Op-up)
In extremely rare circumstances, such as economy being oversold, AA may provide an operational upgrade. These are complimentary and typically occur within a day of departure or at the gate. A common op-up occurs on transcon flights from business to first.
AAdvantage members with OneWorld Emerald status traveling on a OneWorld partner have also seen operational upgrades.
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There are too many factors to predict when an upgrade will clear (loads, route, upstream delays or cancellations, revenue potential, etc.). American Airlines is a FOR-PROFIT business and will try to sell all seats (including paid in-app upgrade offers) before making upgrade inventory available.
Upgrade inventory must first be released before upgrades can be processed following the upgrade priority list.
See also:
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The upgrade list is available in the app at T-12 hours. You can always contact reservations to ask about your position on the list.
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Upgrades are based off available upgrade inventory, not seat maps. A seat map should never be used for guidance on upgrade chances. For example, the airline may block space due to other system issues, or there are passengers that have not chosen a seat.
Upgrades are never guaranteed, regardless of the type of instrument being used (SWU, MPG, etc.)
See also:
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The upgrade list displayed on gate monitors and in the app is a snapshot of available seats when the upgrade list becomes available (at T-12 hours). The number does not get updated as upgrade inventory changes or upgrades are cleared.
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Reservations
American Airlines has various inventory buckets. These “buckets”, or fare codes, dictate what is available to be purchased or how many upgrades are available on a particular flight. Every flight is different.
A fare class chart from 2019 can be found here. This chart explains different buckets, their tiers, and what they’re used for.
For upgrades, the main inventory bucket used for economy to business is C. Note that AA has begun to also use C for revenue tickets. Read more on how to find availability here.
For revenue, each flight has a certain amount of each inventory bucket. As cheaper inventory buckets are sold, only more expensive (“full fare”) buckets are left.
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