No 'Premium Upgrade' offering with 'Earn partner' segments?
Apr 27, 2024, 3:30 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan; Formerly SEA
Programs: AS MVPG | oneworld Sapphire
Posts: 582
No 'Premium Upgrade' offering with 'Earn partner' segments?
Edit: To clarify, title would be better as "No 'Premium Upgrade' offering when itinerary includes 'Earn partner' segments?
Before I call AS about this, I'd like to ask for The Collective's insight here: Is this an IT snafu or reflection of a stated policy I can't find?
As an elite, if I search routes like ORD/SEA, DEN/SEA, OGG/SEA, I see (as expected) search results with Premium Upgrade options, with Premium being the same price for me as Main cabin would be without status.
But if I start from a Southern Express Airways "Earn partner" location, my search results include only "Main" and "First Class", and I'd have to pay extra for Premium on the AS segments. Is this a known issue (and I'd need to call Reservations for a fix after booking) or Just The Way It Is?
Examples:
Before I call AS about this, I'd like to ask for The Collective's insight here: Is this an IT snafu or reflection of a stated policy I can't find?
As an elite, if I search routes like ORD/SEA, DEN/SEA, OGG/SEA, I see (as expected) search results with Premium Upgrade options, with Premium being the same price for me as Main cabin would be without status.
But if I start from a Southern Express Airways "Earn partner" location, my search results include only "Main" and "First Class", and I'd have to pay extra for Premium on the AS segments. Is this a known issue (and I'd need to call Reservations for a fix after booking) or Just The Way It Is?
Examples:
- ORD/SEA vs. MKG/SEA (first segment MKG/ORD on Southern Express Airways)
- DEN/SEA vs. CDR/SEA (first segment CDR/DEN on Southern Express Airways)
- OGG/SEA vs. HNM/SEA (first segment HNM/OGG on Mokulele/Southern Express Airways)
Last edited by Ford Fairlane; Apr 27, 2024 at 4:30 pm
Apr 27, 2024, 5:05 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: On a plane or a beach
Programs: Yes
Posts: 3,170
In the brief searching I did (and toggling 100K / Gold Guest options), this seems to occur on both the old and new UIs. It may be worth reporting it to Customer Care, as I am certain AS will quickly move to fix things which are causing a loss in potential revenue.
Old UI:
New UI:
Old UI:
Spoiler
Spoiler
Apr 27, 2024, 5:20 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Marriott Plat, ICH Plat, HH Gold
Posts: 4,385
I think it's just a limitation of AS's website. Same happened when I booked SAN-SEA-KEF, though it turned out I ended up in a rather high fare class anyway so it didn't matter.
BTW: after re-reading OPs post, isn't that what can happen here (if the main and premium upgrade fares are the same)? If the AS segment already books into a 'free PE upgrade' booking class, it shows as main, but you can select premium seats without any additional fee during the booking process. There's only a problem if it books into a lower class, then the only way to get around is to call in.
BTW: after re-reading OPs post, isn't that what can happen here (if the main and premium upgrade fares are the same)? If the AS segment already books into a 'free PE upgrade' booking class, it shows as main, but you can select premium seats without any additional fee during the booking process. There's only a problem if it books into a lower class, then the only way to get around is to call in.
Apr 27, 2024, 6:08 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan; Formerly SEA
Programs: AS MVPG | oneworld Sapphire
Posts: 582
But the other thing is that MKG/SEA searches present me with mostly crappy results, including lots of "+1 day" options. It looks like I'll come out ahead overall just booking MKG/ORD and ORD/SEA on separate itineraries.
I do still wonder if the types of search results I encountered are by design, though.
Apr 27, 2024, 7:29 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,410
it may have to do with the fare filings … not every AS inventory bucket may map 1:1 to a Southern bucket, and not every bucket may have the same combinability rules
I also see this with AS/AA fares: Main Cabin only appears in a middle-level bucket, and F is astronomically high — recent example was SEA-LAX-DCA-SYR ($375 in N, $2000+ in F)
I also see this with AS/AA fares: Main Cabin only appears in a middle-level bucket, and F is astronomically high — recent example was SEA-LAX-DCA-SYR ($375 in N, $2000+ in F)
Apr 28, 2024, 12:02 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan; Formerly SEA
Programs: AS MVPG | oneworld Sapphire
Posts: 582
- It seems the AS search results provide access only to Southern's equivalent of Saver fare, the cheapest/non-refundable bucket.
- Southern has five MKG/ORD flights per day, seven days a week. AS results only ever include three of them. The one I think would appeal to lots of passengers, not just me, is never included in the results.
I see now that GRR/SEA search results (GRR/ORD segment on AA) are also favoring only Main/FC in results and often requiring payment for Premium. After several years of flying SEA/GRR a couple times a year, this is the first time I've ever seen this. Something's changed, it would seem.