At least on paper, upgrades are one of the best perks of airline elite status, and if you’re traveling with someone, then companion upgrades are also kind of important (after all, it’s not exactly ideal to leave your spouse in economy).
Anyway, in this post I’d like to talk a bit about how American’s companion upgrade policy works, both when it comes to complimentary upgrades, and also when it comes to upgrades using other instruments, like systemwide upgrades.
In this post:
Complimentary American elite companion upgrades
American Airlines offers AAdvantage elite members complimentary upgrades when traveling within North America. This doesn’t just apply to the elite member, but also applies to one travel companion. How exactly does this work?
- If you’re traveling on the same reservation as your companion, the upgrade request should automatically be made (just make sure you only have one companion, or else you’ll have to split the record); if you’re traveling on separate reservations, you have to contact American Airlines to link your reservations
- The companion will clear their upgrade based on your priority, whether in advance of the flight, or at the airport; this correct priority is applied automatically, so there’s no manual intervention required
- If a single upgrade seat opens up in advance, note that you’ll be skipped on the upgrade waitlist if you have a companion
As a reminder, complimentary AAdvantage elite upgrades are prioritized as follows:
- First by elite status — Concierge Key clears first, then Executive Platinum, then Platinum Pro, then Platinum, and then Gold; Alaska Atmos Rewards elite members are also eligible for complimentary upgrades on American
- The tiebreaker within each elite tier is your rolling 12-month total of Loyalty Points, which is also the metric by which you earn status; the higher your Loyalty Points total, the higher your upgrade priority, so yes, even credit card spending can help your upgrade priority
Is American’s elite companion upgrade benefit fair?
American actually only rolled out complimentary elite companion upgrades in 2022, so they’re still a relatively new aspect of the AAdvantage program.
On the surface, unlimited complimentary companion upgrades sounds like a positive. After all, sometimes you travel with a loved one or friend, and it’s nice to be able to treat them to a more comfortable experience as well.
The catch is that first class upgrades are a zero sum game. American has gotten much better at selling first class seats, leaving a lot fewer seats for upgrades. Companion upgrades are probably good for the highest priority elites (Executive Platinum and Concierge Key members with high Loyalty Points totals), but they’re probably not great for most other people.
For example, say you have two first class seats remaining on a flight, and:
- The first person on the upgrade waitlist is an Executive Platinum with 250,000 Loyalty Points and a companion
- The second person on the upgrade waitlist is an Executive Platinum with 240,000 Loyalty Points and no companion
- The third person on the upgrade waitlist is an Executive Platinum with 230,000 Loyalty Points and no companion
In this case, the Executive Platinum and a companion would clear the upgrade, leaving two other Executive Platinum members in coach. That’s not a system everyone is a fan of, though it goes both ways. On the next itinerary, the top Executive Platinum on the list may end up in economy when a Concierge Key clears with a companion.
What about systemwide upgrade priority for companions?
Through the American AAdvantage Loyalty Point Rewards program it’s possible to earn systemwide upgrades, which can be used to upgrade flights globally. This is different than American’s complimentary upgrade program within North America.
There are often questions about how upgrade priority works when using systemwide upgrades, so let me clarify that:
- If you use a systemwide upgrade for a companion on the same flight you’re traveling on, they’ll receive your higher upgrade priority, even if not on the same reservation
- If you just gift a systemwide upgrade to someone else, and they use it for a flight you’re not traveling on, then they won’t receive your higher upgrade priority
Bottom line
American Airlines elite members receive free companion elite upgrades within North America. This is useful for those situations where you’re traveling with someone, though the catch is that a companion upgrade may lead to another elite member not being upgraded. Generally companions have the same upgrade priority as the elite member, assuming they’re traveling with them. If there are any questions about companion upgrades that I missed, please let me know.
What do you make of American’s companion upgrade policy?
I have been EXP for about 14 years now and I can only say that this system does not work unless its a flight outside of Hub Cities. From MIA, all seats are usually sold or upgraded far in advance. So, when we travel, it is necessary for me to separate our flights so at least one can have a chance of an upgrade domestically.
My partner will be confortable for the few minutes in MCE/ Exit Row. Domestic travel is easy breezy so never an issue.
You've got a better chance at winning the lottery than you do getting yourself and a companion upgraded.
kinda true 'nuf
On a recent AA flight, my wife and I were booked on the same reservation on a coach award
And we were both placed on the upgrade list automatically. Prior to boarding my upgrade cleared but hers did not. Reading your post it sounds like that should not have happened or did I misunderstand something?
One thing I’ve been wondering about is what happens when you travel with more than one companion in this situation: I’ve read data points about splitting the reservation, but have not seen data points about what happens when the other companions themselves all had status.
In my case what happened was we all appeared on the upgrade list. And when there was an upgrade available got called over to the desk at boarding and...
One thing I’ve been wondering about is what happens when you travel with more than one companion in this situation: I’ve read data points about splitting the reservation, but have not seen data points about what happens when the other companions themselves all had status.
In my case what happened was we all appeared on the upgrade list. And when there was an upgrade available got called over to the desk at boarding and the agent manually split the reservation to process the upgrade.
Just a data point.
I'm an EP and can hardly get a SWU for a domestic flight to clear so lol
I would imagine that other than short flights, particularly on E175/CR7 and CR9s two upgrades ahead of time are nearly impossible. Other than misconnects and no shows it seems that at most one premium seat is held back for gate control.
If sitting together is highly desirable best advise is just to purchase the upgrade outright.
For the one year I was Ex Plat I did receive a fair number of upgrades. But that was 6 years ago. These days I routinely take advantage of the cash offer upgrades. Just got one for $110 on DFW>LAX in a few weeks. If you want First, just pay for it. It's too heart breaking to go years with no benefit to being Pro Plat.