Now that the Department of Justice lawsuit has been settled, American is taking more steps to increase revenue, including selling upgrades.
Two weeks ago American announced that you could buy elite status. American is now offering upgrades to the highest bidder.
How It Works
You can make your upgrade offer 6 days before your flight, if you are 18 years or older. If your offer is accepted, you will get an email before check-in.
You chose an amount that you’re willing to pay (per person) to upgrade each eligible flight. You can adjust your bid up to 24 hours before your flight.
If you have a connection and both flights are eligible to upgrade, you can bid to upgrade both flights or just one flight.
You have to enter your credit card information, which will only be charged if your upgrade offer is accepted.
You’ll get an email confirmation, and will get an email 24 hours before your flight if your bid was approved.
If upgraded you will get all the benefits that come with the upgrade such as: Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding, Priority Baggage, an upgraded seat, and food and drinks.
You will not get additional miles. You will only get miles based on the fare you bought.
Not all flights are eligible for upgrades.
Only For Some
The bidding for upgrade option is only available for non AAdvantage elite members.
If you have Gold, Platinum, or Executive Platinum status, you will not be eligible to bid for an upgrade.
American is stating that:
“Rest assured that elite status member upgrade requests will continue to be given priority and will not be impacted by this program.”
I’m not 100% confident that this won’t disrupt the elite upgrade process. I’m tempted to book a cheap flight for my boys (they don’t have elite status) to see how the process works.
If you buy elite status, you pay through eBay and bidding for items, in this case, upgrades, is very much eBay.
Will the “Buy It Now” button soon follow?
Plusgrade
Instead of eBay handling the bidding for upgrades, it’s run by Plusgrade.
Thirteen other airlines have implemented Plusgrade successfully.
Other airlines using Plusgrade
Here’s how Air New Zealand is using the program, which they call OneUp
Summary of the fine print:
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- You must be 18 or older to bid.
- American has sole discretion to accept or reject your upgrade bid offer.
- You can revise or cancel your bid within a specified time frame as long as your bid hasn’t been accepted and your credit card has not been charged.
- Your offer is valid until your scheduled departure time, or, if your flight is delayed, when the airplane doors closeIf American has to rebook you on another flight, your bid will be transferred to your new flight
- If American accepts your offer, your credit card will be charged, and a new ticket will be issuedYou agree not to dispute the charge on your credit card
- There are no refunds if your offer is accepted
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If you change your ticket, American does not have to upgrade you, unless you pay the standard upgrade cost
You can read the entire fine print here.
What do you think about American offering upgrades for sale?
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