AA KUP subject to same day flight change fee?

[wumpyr]

Are AA KUP fares subject to the $50 fee for confirmed flight changes for the same day? (I understand if you want to catch an earlier/later flight, you can request standby for free.)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Are AA KUP fares subject to the $50 fee for confirmed flight changes for the same day? (I understand if you want to catch an earlier/later flight, you can request standby for free.)

you can check this by creating a dummy booking and then checking the fare rules (there's a link with something like 'view fare rules' or similar). The rules look fairly daunting (lots of small text crammed in) - but it will give you all the info you need.

 

[wumpyr]

righteo, seems like K is subject to the fee:

2. SAME DAY CONFIRMED FLIGHT CHANGE -
PASSENGERS HOLDING CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS AND
TICKETS IN K/M/L/W/V/G/S/N/Q/L/O INVENTORIES
MAY CONFIRM TRAVEL ON AN ALTERNATE FLIGHT FOR A
NONREFUNDABLE USD50.00 FEE WITHIN 12 HOURS OF
THE ALTERNATE FLIGHT/S DEPARTURE TIME BASE ON
THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS -
[snip]

I might give standby a go if needed. If you request standby on KUP, does that mean they only fill your request with a first class seat?

 

[TheInsider]

Any good SC runs lately?

 

[Mal]

If you request standby on KUP, does that mean they only fill your request with a first class seat?

I experienced this previously. Waitlisted and was hanging around the gate. Got paged and went to the counter. Was told "I can put you on this flight, but it will be in a middle seat Economy - and I'm not sure you want that".

I laughed and agreed. Hung around the gate, but no further waitlists (or upgrades) were actioned.

 

[dk4]

I might give standby a go if needed. If you request standby on KUP, does that mean they only fill your request with a first class seat?

I explain the NoChargeStandby procedure (based on my experience), for "instant upgrade" ticket holders in my rather long answer below.*


I too have wondered about the "Same Day Confirmed Flight Change" option on AA, with discount first class fares.

Unfortunately, as you are finding, the whole question is far more complex, than the simplicity implied within the OP.

However, my guess is - yes, but not necessarily into a first class seat.


Let me explain...

So the question becomes - if I make a change, and pay $50 will I still be in first class?

I continue to guess that the answer will vary, depending on local conditions.

First up though (as mentioned by other posters) some discount first class tickets (mAArketed as Instant Upgrade) and including KUPxx_... tickets, have flexible fare conditions and some don't. (In the past, I have certainly made changes over the phone to a KUPxx_… "ticketed" itinerary without penalty or problem, and been confirmed directly into an available [P or A] first class seat.)

The next point to remember, is that AA bends over bAAckwAArds for their high status frequent fliers; in terms of waiving fees and bending rules, so the "call-back if you don't like the first AAgent’s answer" rule, always applies.

To help understand the SDCFC (SameDayConfirmedFlightChange) $50 offer, I think that it helps to understand how it evolved: Basically it was a rework of the NCS (NoChargeStandby) offer, to exclude non-status customers.

As NCS is a significant part of the AAdvantage higher-status loyalty hook, I think that it is safe to assume that SDCFC is capacity controlled. And additionally, as this offer is targeted at non-flexible economy class ticket holders, rebooking would be into an economy fare bucket.

BUT... as an "instant upgrade" ticket holder, a passenger has the right to be "instantly upgraded" once confirmed onto a flight (in economy) where an “upgrade fare bucket” seat is available (typically P or A class).

HOWEVER... as the SDCFC occurs at a point in time after AA starts allocating status based waitlisted upgrades, all the seats in the (pre-airport-controlled) upgradeable fare bucket MAY have been exhausted.

So, this leads to next issue - if an “instant upgrade” is not available once a SDCFC is confirmed into Economy for the new flight, can the holder of an "instant upgrade" ticket (independent of any frequent flier status) join the upgrade queue at the airport (and if so, at what priority level will they enter the queue)?

*To understand this a little more clearly, I can only offer a comparison to the NCS procedure for an “instant upgrade” ticket holder. (As I have been through this process a few times.)

No Charge Standby with Instant Upgrade

With NoChargeStandby – on request, your name is added to the standby monitor list (with “appropriate” queue-jumping priority), but NOT the upgrade monitor (as you have not yet been confirmed onto the flight, you are not eligible for an upgrade at the moment). The upgrade list is the cleared, as per the monitor, which in turn empties up seats in Economy, and then leads to those listed on the standby monitor, being cleared into Economy.

Next, if there were still some first class seats vacant on the flight, after the first round of upgrades cleared from the upgrade monitor, those newly confirmed into economy (who are eligible for upgrades) will now appear on the upgrade monitor list, and be progressively cleared into first class, until the list is empty or first class becomes full. (The revised list is still priority ranked, and cleared in that order. However, I am not sure how "instant upgrade" ticket holders rank in comparison to "status holders". In my experience, I have always seen my name move to first place on the standby list, when I have asked at the gate, and then once confirmed onto the flight, my name has always moved to top of the upgrade list… HOWEVER, I have always checked with the gate AAgent, before asking for standby assignment, if there will be first class seats left over once the original upgrade list has cleared: otherwise I haven’t bothered to standby for the flight.)

BUT to get on the airport-controlled upgrade monitor list, passengers have to physically request it at the airport. (i.e. my name has got on it via the NCS procedure, when I have requested it at the airport.) So the question would be, would a SDCFC “instant upgrade” ticket holder (one who missed out on a pre-airport upgrade) be automatically transferred to this list, or would they need to ask at the airport?

I am certainly interested to hear others take on this (rather complex) question as well!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

righteo, seems like K is subject to the fee:

2. SAME DAY CONFIRMED FLIGHT CHANGE -
PASSENGERS HOLDING CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS AND
TICKETS IN K/M/L/W/V/G/S/N/Q/L/O INVENTORIES
MAY CONFIRM TRAVEL ON AN ALTERNATE FLIGHT FOR A
NONREFUNDABLE USD50.00 FEE WITHIN 12 HOURS OF
THE ALTERNATE FLIGHT/S DEPARTURE TIME BASE ON
THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS -
[snip]

I might give standby a go if needed. If you request standby on KUP, does that mean they only fill your request with a first class seat?

Not exactly sure how KUPPs work... but I have done plenty of YUPPs.

YUPPs (and I guess KUPPs too) work that you must have a Y or K seat AND an A or P seat available for upgrade in order to change flights.

For example, I was in STL one time and wanted to change to an earlier flight. That flight had empty First class seats (in A class) but was sold out in Y class - so I couldn't change the flight.

In the case of irregular ops, as happened a couple of times in ORD, I'm not sure how the priority worked because as a full Y basis I was pretty high up as I had paid the most of those standing by.

So I cleared the standby list PDQ, then of course I was number 1 on the upgrade list out of 45. That would have included EXPs etc etc.

Thankfully the last two F seats remain unsold and we got the upgrade.

With KUPPs, I'm guessing for a change in advance you'd need to have both K and P availability. A first class seat won't be enough to confirm the change.

For irregular ops or standby I guess as K class you would be lower down the list once on standby, and would then be trumped for upgrades by those on YUPPs for example?

 

[dragonman]

Any good SC runs lately?

Yes. Look at LAS-SJU

 

[JohnK]

I was on a KUPxx fare ~3 1/2 years ago and I missed boarding for MIA-DFW flight due to a funny incident. Wes told to go to the sales desk and they put me on the next direct flight MIA-ORD in First Class and no need to pay any change fees. Oneworld Emerald status may have helped.

 

[wumpyr]

Requested standby for a couple of later flights when checking in for the first leg of the KUP fare. Instead, the AA lady just changed the confirmed flights without hesitation and at no charge. She even was kind enough to change my return flights as well (though was handy to have the alternate same day (same routing) flight info ready to go for her). Thanks AA.

 

[serfty]

Yes. Look at LAS-SJU

... or HNL to Port au Prince, Haiti - if you dare :shock: (~800 SC's for USD1365)