mudrummer

I have tried searching the forum for the answer to this but could not find any information so I figured I would go ahead and post.

I am an AA Platinum and was recently on 1218 from COS to DFW. Because this is a short flight with no meal service in first I decided not to request an upgrade.

When I got to the gate it was clear the flight was going to be crowded. About 30 minutes prior to departure the GA called me to the desk with a new boarding pass for First and made the comment "It's good to be platinum." I had to agree, it is always a bonus to get a free upgrade from a GA.

I didn't think much more about it until I was checking my most recent mileage statement. I noticed that my account had been charged 2 of the 500 mile upgrades for this flight. I called the AA Plat desk to let them know that I had not requested the upgrade and the GA had upgraded me as a result of space issues. The rep at the plat desk agreed to refund the 500 mile stickers but said that typically if a GA upgrades you they will charge your account for the upgrade, whether or not you requested it.

I was wondering if this is correct. It seems silly to me. I am wondering if in the future I am offered an upgrade by a GA should I decline the upgrade if I don't want to lose the stickers. Advice would be appreciated - thanks!

nd_eric_77

that is rather odd... sounds like you were op-upped, but then the GA decided to charge you anyway

Good thing the plat desk agreed to give you back the stickers.

brp

Ask if it's an operational upgrade before accepting.

Cheers.

JDiver

For Platinums and Golds, TANSTAAFU - Seriously, as brp says, to be sure ask - or say something like "Hey, thanks a million for the op up; always glad to be of help!" with a smile, and see what transpires.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

This an operational upgrade. It happens when there are paxs trying to get on a sold out flight where Y is full but F (or J for a three class) has open seats. The GA will then UPG an elite flier form Y and place a standby in his/her original Y seat. I have gotten many of these as GOLD and PLT (I tend to fly when there are a lot of leisure travelers on routes like JFK/MIA and JFK/SJU). If you are UPG you should not be charged stickers (unless the GA advises you so and you constent). Call the PLT line (really not a PLT per desk per se, call just gets routed quicker) and politely ask that stickers be restored.

nako

You mean like the OP has said that they already did in the first post?

Mike

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

In other words, even though the PO may get another OP UPG in the future and think that stickers won't be taken, they might be-which would require another polite call to AA. His concern was should he accept future OP UPG-YES, NEVER SAY NO TO AN OP UPG^ On the brighter side, I have never had stickers taken on an OP UPG and would tend to think that normally will not occur.

Other FT might have different experiences with having stickers taken on OP UPGs.

WhoME

Each and every time I've had a domestic op-up (ok, both times but who's counting), I've had to write/call to have the stickers restored, but it's never been a problem. I suspect that, in the rush to board the flight, the GA just enters an upgrade rather than going through the presumably complicated business of entering an op-up. After all, if they're giving out op-ups at the gate, it's clearly a busy flight for them. The GA ought to do it right, but it's infrequent and low pain to have it fixed that I can't see it as a high priority.

Michael

Life_Platinum

This has happened to me twice, both with different consequences. The first time a CO agent working for AA at Midway upgraded me on a Fokker to LGA. When I found I had stickers taken out of my account, I called AA and they reinstated the stickers and gave me an extra one for my trouble.

The second time the agent at ORD offered me an upgrade to LGA and I refused. She then gave me the upgrade anyway and did not take stickers out of my account.

aamilesslave

If I was PLT or GLD or Reg, I'd take my chances and follow-up later if necessary.

mudrummer

Thanks for all of the advice!

I was thinking along the same lines regarding policy and future upgrades but was confused by what I was told by the AA rep on the phone. Good to know what the real story is!

Here is to hoping for more.

JGR01

Gate AAgents may not know everything that we know!

Last year an AA (mainline) Gate AAgent was checking me in on standby for an earlier flight. I asked about getting an upgrade. She then asked 'do you have stickers for the upgrade?'. My response was 'oh as EXP the domestic upgrades are complimentary'. To which she repeated NO.

I then suggested she check with a supervisor before doing anything and went to the AC.

Upon returning the gate I was handed my First BP and the AAgent said 'you were right'.

SuperSnoop

This happened to me once, too. I was called to the gate and handed a first class boarding. When I asked why, the agent told me she was trying to seat a family together. This was in 2004, dfw-lax, and I was only gold at the time. When I noticed the stickers had been taken, I called customer service, who asked me, "are you sure you didn't request the upgrade?" then credited the stickers back.

Orion

I took three voluntary bumps on Saturday on AA from Dca to Mia. My final destination was Mco. They put me in first class on the two rebooked segments. When the trip was over I checked my upgrade account balance and saw that they had deducted points for the first of two upgrades. This is the third time this has happened in the last three years under different circumstances each time. Once at Ord the gate agent called me up and gave me a new boarding pass and announced: "I think you will like this better". I assumed it was an operational upgrade. Another time at Ord I had requested an upgrade, it did not come in, but they charged me for it anyway.
Does this ever happen to you? I have emailed AA customer relations and asked to have my upgrade points restored which they have done twice in the past.

tom911

Do you mean AAdvantage miles or 500 milers?