Flying non rev on AA

[TPAA&P]

I bought a ZED fare ( I work for another airline) to fly non rev on AA in the next days, but my question is, How can you upgrade to first class if there is any seat available ?? Do you pay a fee ?? or Is it up to the customer service agent ?? Please AA guys, give me a hand with these, your help is going to be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance,


TPAA&P

 

[Garfield1966]

There is no way to upgrade the ticket. You will be at the mercy of the agent. My guess is that it will not happen unless the flight is sold out and the only seat left is in F class (happened to me on a BA flt). Your best chance in my opinion is to be dressed properly for F class, be very nice to the agent and see what happens.

Good luck.

 

[TPAA&P]

Thanks for your response, but yeah, the flight seems to be pretty full on coach and has some seats available on first class, that is why I am trying to find out how to get an upgrade on first class.....

thanks again,

TPA&P

h34r:

 

[Hackman]

Thanks for your response, but yeah, the flight seems to be pretty full on coach and has some seats available on first class, that is why I am trying to find out how to get an upgrade on first class.....

thanks again,

TPA&P

h34r:

Good luck, even AA employees are having a hard time flying right now, the planes are pAAcked!!!

You'll be lucky if you get on, let alone 1st class.

 

[TIME FOR CHANGE]

Bad time to travel. Especially during the holiday sesason.
You would have been better off buying a ticket 6 months ago.
I even bought tickets on SWA and jet blue to get to and from NY.

Flights are sold out
Good luck

 

[Wretched Wrench]

Agree with the above, but the only way go get on an airplane is to dress up and show up. Luck is where preparation and opportunity coincide. Good luck.

 

[lpbrian]

Agree with the above, but the only way go get on an airplane is to dress up and show up. Luck is where preparation and opportunity coincide. Good luck.

Unless a deadheading pilot shows up! They are truly first class individuals. They go abov e all the simpletons! Rank has it's privlidges!!

 

[Mach85ER]

Unless a deadheading pilot shows up! They are truly first class individuals. They go abov e all the simpletons! Rank has it's privlidges!!

Any deadheading employee will/should ride in First before a ZED fare.

 

[kirkpatrick]

Any deadheading employee will/should ride in First before a ZED fare.

I agree completely. But most importantly, the established procedure should be followed consistently. At TWA, seniority within a pass classification was the rule. At AA, it's the time you verify. I can live with either system, but it must be followed at all times with no exceptions.

MK

 

[galleyguy4u2]

I agree completely. But most importantly, the established procedure should be followed consistently. At TWA, seniority within a pass classification was the rule. At AA, it's the time you verify. I can live with either system, but it must be followed at all times with no exceptions.

MK

Mark I liked our system at TWA. Seniority governed the boarding priority for general pass riding. J/S was first come first served and if two people showed up at the same time for the J/S then again seniority governed and if a f/c seat was available you could have it and the flight did not need to be full.

Deadhead was a different story. We could meal list for f/c but the seats were assigned by rank, i.e Capt-F/O-FSM- <AA's Purser> and then f/a's.

 

[Wretched Wrench]

I will agree with the TWAers that seniority is a better system. Mainly because it isn't as easy to fiddle or convert to a T at the last minute.

 

[jimntx]

There's nothing wrong with the sign-in time priority system, per se. (In some cases, it's the only way I could have gotten to work in STL from Dallas.)

Changes I would like to see to the non-rev system in my perfect world.

1. No changes to travel category within 48 hours of departure (i.e., people booking at D2, then changing it to D1 just because they don't want to have to get up at 2am to sign-in for a 6am departure. Or, they get up and see that they are way down the D2 list; so, they cancel their D2 reservation and put it back in as a D1.)
2. No booking of D1 travel period within 48 hours. If it's a family emergency, your supervisor can get you on the plane.
3. No signing in for a flight when you are at 36,000 ft. This is done all the time by flight attendants in two ways--having someone else log on as you and sign you in (a violation of corporate computer security policy) or having an amenable agent at your departure station sign you in once the 4 hour window is reached even though you are long gone. I've also seen a case where an LAS agent signed in an SLT flight attendant for their commuter flight as a through passenger (D2T)--even though that f/a was WORKING the flight from LAS to STL and just commuting to DFW from STL.
4. No booking on a flight that you cannot possibly make just so you will roll over on top of standby list for the flight you intended to catch anyway--i.e., booking 2 legs as separate reservations. First leg arrives at DFW at 0800, but second leg is scheduled to depart at 0745--or 0830 for that matter . Technically, this not possible because agent is supposed to remove anyone from NRSA list who does not physically present themselves at the gate prior to departure. However, the agents are so understaffed and overworked these days that most of the time they just roll over to the next flight any names remaining on the standby list. And, yes I know that this will also get the people who had a flat tire/got stuck in traffic/etc on the way to the airport. But, how often does this really happen. And, if you live in a high traffic city, you should know better than to wait until the last minute to leave home.

Any of these changes could be easily programmed into the NRSA system. However, since none of the problems affect those people who get to travel pos space all the time, it probably won't get changed.

No system is perfect or fair to everyone, but deliberately breaking the rules just because you can't be bothered with signing in 4 hours in advance or taking your chances is just wrong.

 

[MCI transplant]

I will agree with the TWAers that seniority is a better system. Mainly because it isn't as easy to fiddle or convert to a T at the last minute.

<_< -----TWA system worked for what it was, but how would you implement it with the "Kasher" seniority debacle?

 

[nbmcg01]

<_< -----TWA system worked for what it was, but how would you implement it with the "Kasher" seniority debacle?

It went by Co seniority, not craft and class seniority. Selfishly, I like AA's becauce retirees are treated the same as active. Even though I don't use my passes, it was a factor in my decision to retire.