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Most folks are not going to be too happy about this one. American Airlines is revising one of its most valuable elite benefits by introducing a new upgrade process on select premium domestic routes that feature three cabin classes. Beginning August 25th, AAdvantage® elite members traveling in the Main Cabin on eligible flights will become eligible for complimentary upgrades only to Premium Economy rather than moving directly into Business Class.
The new policy applies only to domestic flights equipped with three cabins: Main Cabin, Premium Economy, and Business Class. Travelers who purchase a Premium Economy ticket will continue to be eligible for complimentary upgrades into Business Class based on their elite status and upgrade priority.
The revised upgrade process will apply on the following routes:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Kahului Airport (OGG)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Keāhole’s Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) - New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
Flights without a Premium Economy cabin will continue to follow the airline’s existing upgrade procedures. Under the revised system, complimentary upgrades will occur one cabin at a time. That means passengers booked in Main Cabin can be upgraded to Premium Economy if seats are available, while Premium Economy travelers may then clear into Business Class.
As a result, elite members booking the lowest cabin on these aircraft will no longer skip directly to Business Class through the complimentary upgrade program. Customers who purchase an Instant Upgrade into Premium Economy before departure will still be eligible to receive a complimentary upgrade into Business Class if seats remain available.
American says any Business Class upgrades that have already been confirmed before the policy takes effect will remain valid as long as the itinerary is unchanged. Beginning August 25th, the airline will also update existing complimentary upgrade requests on eligible flights so that Main Cabin passengers are placed into the Premium Economy upgrade queue. The airline also notes that some Premium Economy cabins include middle seats, which means travelers receiving complimentary upgrades could be assigned one of those seats depending on availability. The change creates a stronger incentive for travelers seeking a complimentary Business Class seat to purchase Premium Economy rather than the Main Cabin.
Anthony’s Take: While elite members will still receive additional comfort through complimentary upgrades, the likelihood of moving from Economy directly into the airline’s top domestic cabin will effectively disappear on these routes. Systemwide upgrades, however, are unaffected and will continue to operate under the current rules to allow eligible travelers to upgrade into the next available cabin.
(Image Credits: American Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
That seems like a smart business move from AA.
For an airline that’s claiming that the value of AAdvantage is critical to the value proposition of their business model they sure do keep screwing over engaged loyalty members a lot. Maybe I missed the classes back in college that said that you should work hard to alienate your best customers instead of keeping them loyal through service and value. I guess I shouldn’t expect better from more of the AmericaWest ULCC posse that still runs things at American but it would sure be nice if AA made some actual positive changes for us for once.