How to Upgrade American Airlines Flight: What You Need To Know

How to Upgrade American Airlines Flight: What You Need To Know - Want to upgrade your next American Airlines flight? If you’re not a top elite member of the American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer program, your chances may seem less than optimal.

But you shouldn’t give up hope. Although upgrade demand is high and availability limited, there’s usually a way to fly in the front of the plane if you:

• Understand how the upgrade process works.
• Know how to leverage your frequent flyer miles for upgrade opportunities.
• Take advantage of premium flights when pricing is discounted.

Let’s take a look at American Airlines’ upgrade flight policy for allocating upgrades to its top elites and how non elites stand a chance of flying in premium cabins.

Types of American Airlines Upgrades

The American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program rewards its top elite members with complimentary upgrades and the ability to earn worldwide upgrades.

All travelers who have AAdvantage miles can use them to upgrade their flights when upgrade space is available.

• Complimentary Upgrades - All AAdvantage elite members receive complimentary upgrades on all flights within the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. These upgrades can include 1 companion on the same flight.
• Systemwide Upgrades - You can choose systemwide upgrades annually as part of the Loyalty Point Rewards system starting at 175,000 Loyalty Points. Million Miler members also receive 4 systemwide upgrades when they reach 2 million miles and at every Million Mile level after. These upgrades allow for up to 3 segments in each direction of travel (outbound or return) to be upgraded from Basic Economy or Main Cabin to business class or business class to first class.
• Mileage Upgrade Awards - Use your miles to upgrade American-marketed and operated flights worldwide. Depending on the destination, you can use a combination of miles and a cash co-pay to secure an upgrade to the next higher cabin. For example, a domestic itinerary within the continental U.S. would require 15,000 miles and $75 to upgrade.

How To Find Out if Upgrade Space Is Available?

One of the greatest challenges of securing an upgrade on American Airlines is finding available seats. Just because you can purchase a business class seat does not mean that the seat is available for an upgrade. If you have ConciergeKey or Executive Platinum status with American Airlines, you can see the availability of systemwide upgrades or mileage upgrade awards when you search for a flight on aa.com.

Others have to call to find out if upgrade space is available and if they can use miles to upgrade on a particular flight.

Another way to find out if upgrade space is available is to subscribe to a third-party service such as ExpertFlyer and search for C (business class) or A (first class) award space.

• When upgrading from Basic Economy or Main Cabin to domestic first, you need C inventory.
• When upgrading from business class to Flagship First, you need A inventory.
• When upgrading from Basic Economy or Main Cabin to Flagship Business, you need C inventory.

Upgrade Priority: Who Gets the Upgrade First?

The upgrade hierarchy for American Airlines is similar to other airlines’ upgrade rankings in that elite status is the most important factor.

This is the order in which upgrades are processed, as well as their code when listed on the internal priority list (known as the PALL):

1. Elite Status Level: Highest to Lowest

ConciergeKey (UPG1)

Executive Platinum (UPG2)

Platinum Pro (UPG3)

Platinum (UPG4)

Gold (UPG5)

2. Upgrade Type: Highest Priority to Lowest Priority

Systemwide upgrades (listed as VIP) and mileage upgrade awards (listed as MLG), tied for the same ranking

Complimentary upgrades (formerly 500-mile upgrades) on purchased tickets

Complimentary upgrades (formerly 500-mile upgrades) on award tickets (only for ConciergeKey and Executive Platinum)

3. 12-Month Rolling Loyalty Points

The number of Loyalty Points the elite member has earned in the previous 12 months.

4. Date and Time of Upgrade Request (Tie-Breaker)

The only way for nonelite members to secure an upgrade is with mileage upgrade awards (or a gifted systemwide upgrade from an elite member), and even then, all elite members have higher priority than your request on the upgrade waitlist.

The Importance of AAdvantage Elite Status

Elite status is the primary factor determining which travelers are upgraded on American Airlines flights. Top elite members, for example, can earn systemwide upgrade (SWU) certificates that, when used, outrank most other upgrade requests.

Here’s how elite members fare when it comes to securing an upgrade:

• Concierge Key - This top status is by invitation only at American Airlines’ discretion. It includes all of the upgrade benefits of Executive Platinum plus upgrade priority over all other elite members.
• Executive Platinum - You can earn 2 systemwide upgrades on the way to Executive Platinum status (at 175,000 Loyalty Points) plus the ability to earn extra SWUs at 250,000; 400,000; 550,000; 750,000; 1 million; 3 million; and 5 million Loyalty Points earned. Complimentary upgrades are available on flights within the U.S. (including Hawaii) and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, or Central America.
• Platinum Pro - Achieving Platinum Pro earns complimentary upgrades on flights within the U.S. (including Hawaii) and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, or Central America.
• Platinum and Gold - Achieving Platinum and Gold status earns complimentary upgrades on all eligible flights. However, your upgrade requests are prioritized below all other elite tiers.

Final Thoughts

A definitive process for allocating upgrades rewards AAdvantage elite members whose loyalty is strongest with American Airlines. For others, just like with any airline, directly purchasing premium class tickets to fly in premium class is becoming increasingly necessary.

Flying in premium class can be accomplished quite easily by purchasing a business or first class award ticket with miles or with paid flights offered at discount prices.