Earlier this year, American Airlines promised to allow online use of system-wide upgrade certificates.
Well, the year 2024 is (almost) almost over, and the Fort Worth-based carrier is finally making good on its promise — at least in a limited way.
Starting Monday, American began a limited-time beta test of online redemption to improve the overall system. Select Advantage members with unused system upgrades in their accounts were notified Monday via email that they are part of the beta test.
The test, which will take two to three weeks, will determine whether the United States needs to make any changes to the Internet development site before rolling it out more widely, a company spokesperson told TPG.
“This feature is something our members have been asking for for a long time, so we’re excited that the results of this test will inform how we can continue to make it easier for our members to get involved with the AAdvantage program,” said a company spokesperson.
Unfortunately, the carrier did not say when it would roll out the feature globally despite initially promising that the functionality would be available by the end of the year to all AAdvantage members.
For now, at least the carrier seems to be making progress toward its goal.
If you are one of the lucky Advantage members who received an email from America, the online redemption process is very simple.
You need to navigate to the linked website and enter your last name and verification number. You will then be asked which flight you want to prioritize in order to progress. American recommends choosing the longest flight in your itinerary to maximize your comfort on the direct end of the flight.
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If a flight is available for immediate confirmation – here’s how to check – your trip should be upgraded quickly. Otherwise, American will put the flight on a waiting list. The airline said it would also try to confirm or waitlist any upgrades on short-haul connecting flights after the part of your choice has been upgraded.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether you can choose which system upgrades will be released when your upgrades are confirmed. (It may be the one that expires soon.)
While this functionality may seem basic, it is actually very powerful for elite members who have spent countless hours on the phone over the years with the AAdvantage service desk using upgrades for future bookings.
Even if you got the beta invite, I’d still recommend calling American if you have complex development requests.
Still, this is a long-awaited technological improvement, and I, for one, can’t wait to use it on an upcoming flight.
It is interesting to note that American’s technology development still pales in comparison to what Delta and United offer. United has long been a leader in this space with a great web and mobile interface for using and redeeming PlusPoints.
Delta rolled out the first ability to use online upgrade certificates at the end of 2022, and that functionality is now live for any eligible guest.
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