Complimentary upgrades
AAdvantage® status members may receive a complimentary upgrade on American if eligible seats are available:
We’ll automatically request the upgrade for you. Upgrades will be confirmed before departure based on status, if possible.
You can check the status of your request on the app, or by finding your reservation in the ‘Manage trips’ section after you book your flight on aa.com.
Not all seats are available for complimentary upgrades. The number of seats eligible for complimentary upgrades is determined by American for each flight and depends on seating limitations and capacity controls.
Some seats are only available for sale as a paid upgrade or ticket. These seats may not be offered as complimentary upgrades during the complimentary upgrade window before departure. If they’re still open when you arrive at the airport, they may be assigned based on upgrade priority.
Checking in with another airline?
If your first flight is on another airline, you won't automatically be added to the standby list. You'll need to see an American team member to be added to the list.
As a status member, you have access to unlimited upgrades on eligible flights*, including award tickets. You and a companion** may be eligible to upgrade as early as:
These times are the earliest times upgrades may be confirmed.
Seats eligible for complimentary upgrades may not be available for your flight. However, they may become available closer to your departure time or at the airport.
If you're not upgraded right away:
We'll keep checking for upgrade availability. If you’re not confirmed by check-in, we’ll automatically add you to the airport upgrade list.
How upgrades are confirmed:
We’ll send an email to the address in your AAdvantage® profile to let you know you've been upgraded. You’ll also find confirmation on aa.com and in the American app.
*Upgrades on American are valid on American marketed and operated flights, within and between the U.S. (including Hawaii) and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central America (based on availability). Upgrades are valid from the Main Cabin or Premium Economy to the next class of service.
**Your travel companion can be booked in the same reservation or in a different reservation when traveling on American Airlines marketed and operated flights. If your companion is booked in a different reservation, call American Airlines Reservations to link the two reservations. If there are more than 2 passengers in your reservation, or you are traveling with an infant in lap or 10 or more passengers in your reservation, you must call Reservations to request an upgrade.
Call your AAdvantage® status service desk if you don’t want an upgrade.
Systemwide upgrades
Systemwide upgrades are available to:
Systemwide upgrades can be used:
*On American, Business tickets will upgrade to First. For Economy tickets, it depends on the aircraft and destination:
Starting March 1, 2025, systemwide upgrades will be valid through the status membership year, which begins when you reach status and will last through March 31 of the following full year.
For Loyalty Point Reward choices
The sooner you choose a systemwide upgrade as a reward, the longer you have to use it. For example: If you unlock a Loyalty Point Reward on March 1, 2025, and choose a systemwide upgrade anytime between March 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, that systemwide upgrade will remain valid until March 31, 2027.
For Million Miler™ status holders
Once you earn 2 Million Miler™ status or higher, you can use your systemwide upgrades from the time you earn them through the status membership year.
For example: Systemwide upgrades will be valid through March 31, 2027 if you earn them from reaching 2 Million Miler™ status or higher between March 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026.
Waitlist
If an upgrade isn’t available, we’ll waitlist your request. We won’t deduct your systemwide upgrade from your balance until it’s confirmed.
If your upgrade hasn’t been confirmed by the time you check in, we’ll automatically add you to the airport upgrade standby list if you have the required number of upgrades in your account.
When to contact us
Keep in mind you may need to contact us when:
Keep track of your upgrade balance in your AAdvantage® account.
Upgrades on Alaska Airlines
Alaska will automatically request a First Class upgrade if you meet the criteria. To be eligible, you must:
The usual AAdvantage® upgrade windows apply, except AAdvantage Executive Platinum® members and AAdvantage Platinum Pro® members may be upgraded as early as 120 hours before departure.
If you booked with Alaska:
You’ll receive an email when your upgrade is confirmed. Visit alaskaair.com to reserve your seat in First Class.
If you booked with American or another source:
You can check the status of your upgrade on alaskaair.com using your Alaska Airlines confirmation code.
If you booked through American, you can also check the status of your upgrade on aa.com or the American app.
AAdvantage® status members receive complimentary access to Premium Class seats, but it works a little differently from how you access Main Cabin Extra seats on American.
If space is available, you’ll have immediate access to Premium Class seats a few minutes after your ticket for an eligible fare is issued. Otherwise, you’ll be waitlisted.
If you book your trip on alaskaair.com, find fares that are eligible for immediate access to Premium Class using the ‘Upgrade fare type’ filter on their website. Here’s how:
Whether you book on alaskaair.com or another source and visit Alaska’s website later, you can reserve a complimentary Premium Class seat. Here’s how:
Keep in mind:
Find your Alaska Airlines confirmation code in your booking confirmation email. If you booked your trip through American, you’ll find it when viewing your trip on aa.com or the American app.
If your ticketed fare isn’t eligible for immediate access or seats aren’t available, Alaska Airlines will try to move you to a Premium Class seat based on your AAdvantage® status window.
Alaska Airlines will check for upgrade availability up to 1 hour before your flight. You can also ask an airport agent to add you to the standby list.
Call Alaska Airlines if you don’t want a First Class upgrade or a Premium Class seat.
AAdvantage® status members who opt out of a Premium Class seat are still considered for an upgrade to First Class (unless you opt out of a First Class upgrade).
Upgrade with miles
Learn about using your miles for premium cabin upgrades.
Upgrading with a companion
Status members traveling with a companion
If your companion is booked in a different reservation, you need to call Reservations to link the reservations.
If seats are available, you and your companion will be upgraded at the same time.
In some cases, a complimentary upgrade will only be awarded if there's a seat for both you and your companion. If you prefer to split your reservation because only one seat may be available for an upgrade, please contact us.
If you do split your reservation, your companion may not receive a complimentary upgrade or other status benefits for that trip. This would apply to both the departure and return flights.
2 status members traveling together
You will be prioritized together on the airport priority list based on the member with the higher status or Loyalty Point value over the last 12 months.
3 or more passengers
If you have 3 or more passengers in your reservation, complimentary upgrades won’t happen automatically. Please contact us to make your request.
If you and a companion are waitlisted for the same type of upgrade, you can sponsor them to receive your priority level. You’ll stay prioritized together, even at the airport.
Companion and sponsor qualifications:
Companions don’t have to be AAdvantage® members – the upgrade can be deducted from any account.
To sponsor a companion for a new or existing trip, contact Reservations.
AAdvantage® status members can upgrade 1 companion traveling on the same flight and in the same reservation.
Upgrade priority
If an upgrade isn’t available at the time of booking, we'll waitlist your request.
Upgrade requests will be prioritized by:
If the upgrade type and 12-month Loyalty Point value are the same, we’ll look at the booking code then date / time of the request to determine priority.
Type of upgrade
Before you get to the airport, requests for systemwide and mileage award upgrades are processed separately from complimentary upgrade requests.
At the airport, upgrades are prioritized in this order:
Loyalty Points earned in the last 12 months
Your 12-month rolling Loyalty Point value is updated daily and different from your Year-to-Date (YTD) Loyalty Points, which is used to track your progress toward AAdvantage® status.
For First Class upgrades and Premium Class seats, AAdvantage® status members are upgraded in this order:
AAdvantage® status members are also upgraded in order of status level, fare and time of booking.