Guide To American Airlines Complimentary Elite Upgrades

One of the biggest perks of having elite status with an airline is being eligible for complimentary, space available first class upgrades. Admittedly these won’t always clear, but if you’re realistic and strategic, it’s possible to get lots of value out of this perk. In this post I wanted to take a look at American Airlines’ system for complimentary upgrades, to reflect the current reality.

American Airlines elite upgrade basics

All American AAdvantage elite members are eligible for unlimited, complimentary, auto-requested upgrades to first class on domestic flights, as well as to business class on select short haul international flights. Elite members aren’t just eligible to upgrade themselves, but are also eligible to upgrade a companion traveling with them.

The major catch, of course, is that a large number of elite members are generally competing for a fairly limited number of first class seats. The devil is very much in the detail when it comes to these benefits, so let’s cover everything you need to know.

Which routes are eligible for complimentary upgrades?

American AAdvantage elite members are eligible for upgrades on American marketed and operated flights in select regions. This includes:

• All flights within the United States, including to & from Hawaii
• Flights between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama)

Upgrades are valid from economy or premium economy to the next class of service, which will generally be marketed as first or business class. For flights with both first and business class (like premium transcontinental routes), complimentary upgrades aren’t offered from business to first class.

Upgrades are valid on both revenue and award tickets for all elite members, so you don’t need to book a ticket with cash to be eligible for an upgrade. Note that award tickets issued by partner airlines aren’t eligible for upgrades, so the reservation has to be ticketed by American.

How are complimentary upgrades prioritized?

How are American Airlines complimentary first class upgrades prioritized?

• They’re first prioritized based on your elite status; Concierge Key members clear first, then Executive Platinum members, then Platinum Pro members, then Platinum members, then Gold members
• They’re then prioritized by your rolling 12-month total of Loyalty Points

In other words, if two Executive Platinum members are requesting complimentary upgrades on a flight, the one with the higher Loyalty Points total would clear first.

It is worth noting the upgrade hierarchy beyond complimentary upgrades. Within each elite tier, upgrades “supported” with systemwide upgrades or mileage upgrades clear before complimentary upgrades. Whether you’re on a revenue ticket or an award ticket doesn’t factor into your upgrade priority.

When do complimentary upgrades clear?

American Airlines complimentary upgrades can start clearing at the following windows, based on your elite status:

• Concierge Key members can start to clear up to 120 hours before departure
• Executive Platinum members can start to clear up to 100 hours before departure
• Platinum Pro members can start to clear up to 72 hours before departure
• Platinum members can start to clear up to 48 hours before departure
• Gold members can start to clear up to 24 hours before departure

It’s worth understanding that just because upgrades can clear that far in advance doesn’t mean they actually will. Quite to the contrary, more often than not they won’t, even if the cabin is mostly empty. Upgrades can clear all the way up to 40 minutes before departure, and in some cases even after that, as onboard upgrades happen if there are no shows.

So consider it a blessing if your upgrade clears at the window, though certainly don’t expect it.

How do complimentary companion upgrades work?

All AAdvantage elite members are eligible for complimentary companion upgrades:

• Companion upgrades can clear the same time as the upgrades for the elite member
• If you’re booked on the same reservation then the companion upgrade can easily be requested, while if you’re on separate reservations, you’ll have to call American to link the two tickets
• The companion has the same upgrade priority as the elite member (they should be prioritized immediately behind them), regardless of whether it’s in advance or at the airport

How can you see the upgrade waitlist?

While American Airlines has a clearly defined upgrade hierarchy, the airline doesn’t generally make the upgrade priority list available in advance. In other words, there’s no way to know for sure how far down an upgrade list you’ll be well in advance of your flight. The best you can do is guess based on the number of seats assigned in Main Cabin Extra, since those are often seats filled with elite members.

However, the American app does show the upgrade list within 8-12 hours of departure, and there you can see your upgrade priority. Just keep in mind that the list only shows people who have already checked in for a flight, so the list will grow as the departure time approaches.

How do Alaska Airlines elite upgrades work?

Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have a partnership, offering reciprocal upgrades between the two airlines. How do upgrades work on American Airlines for eligible Alaska Mileage Plan members?

• Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold 100K, MVP Gold 75K, MVP Gold, and MVP members are eligible for complimentary upgrades on American, on all the same flights as AAdvantage members
• These upgrades are also valid for one companion booked on the same reservation
• Upgrades can be confirmed up to 72 hours before departure for MVP Gold 100K and MVP Gold 75K members (and are prioritized behind AAdvantage Platinum Pro members), up to 48 hours before departure for MVP Gold members (and are prioritized behind AAdvantage Platinum members), and up to 24 hours before departure for MVP members (and are prioritized behind AAdvantage Gold members)
• Flights must be marketed by Alaska or American to be eligible, and basic economy fares are excluded from this
• The upgrade process is automatic, and you can call American Airlines reservations if you want to opt out of this

How often do American Airlines upgrades clear?

While American Airlines’ unlimited upgrade policy sounds great, how often should you expect upgrades to actually clear? Big picture, the percentage of premium seats filled by complimentary upgrades at US airlines has decreased sharply over the years.

For example, the latest number we’ve heard from an executive suggests that American is selling about 80% of its first class seats. On top of that, American has gotten much more aggressive with selling upgrades for cash. Consumers know that upgrades are tougher, so the airline basically wants elite members to pay to confirm an upgrade.

There’s no easy answer as to how often upgrades will clear, but here are a few considerations:

• If you’re not an Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro member, don’t expect that you’ll see too many upgrades
• There are lots of factors impacting upgrade odds, like the routes you’re flying, the days of the week you’re traveling, etc.; for example, someone flying to Washington DC on a Thursday or Friday will have much better odds than someone flying to Washington DC on a Sunday or Monday

Back in the day, I found that as an Executive Platinum member I cleared upgrades a vast majority of the time. That’s not the case anymore. I’d say at this point my upgrade percentage is closer to 50%, and I’m generally traveling over pretty off-peak periods.

Now, don’t get me wrong, even Gold members will sometimes clear upgrades, but it’s definitely the exception rather than the norm.

Bottom line

American Airlines offers complimentary upgrades to all AAdvantage elite members, as well as their companions, on both revenue and award tickets. On paper, American has one of the most generous complimentary elite upgrade policies. The catch, of course, is that not all upgrades will clear. The more people that are eligible for upgrades, the higher the percentage of people who will be denied upgrades.

The above should give you a basic understanding of how upgrades are prioritized, though.

If you’ve an AAdvantage elite member, what has your experience been with complimentary upgrades clearing?