Pro tip: to guarantee you’re buying a full-fare ticket, select “refundable” under “fare preference” at the time of booking. You can also ask your corporate travel booker to double check on your behalf.
Assuming multiple passengers on a plane happened to be top-tier elites with full-fare tickets, there are four more tiebreakers that Delta can use. First is whether either flier carries the Delta Reserve credit card. That’s followed by business travelers whose companies are affiliated with Delta’s Corporate Traveler program. Next come Delta co-branded credit cardholders who have spent $25,000 or more on their Delta credit card in the current calendar year. And if there is still a dead heat, the date and time at which the upgrade request was originally submitted is the final decision-maker.
United
United’s formula is as convoluted as Delta’s, if not more so.
These days, you’re unlikely to qualify for an upgrade unless you have Premier Platinum status or higher and book full fares—cashing in miles or getting a discounted ticket will almost always take you out of the running.
Priority goes to top-tier Premier 1K elites, who have flown 100,000 miles or 120 segments and spent $12,000 on United tickets in a year—assuming they book full-fare tickets in the Y, B, or M fare classes. (Lower-tier elites qualify for upgrades if they book in Y or B fare classes only.)
United offers a sort of upgrade gift certificate when you qualify for the highest two tiers of status, so customers who want to apply those credits are next in line. And factors like time of booking or having a co-branded credit card can break ties in hairy situations.
American Airlines
Right now, American Airlines prioritizes elite upgrades based on two things: elite status and the time at which the flier is added to the upgrade waitlist. Status trumps upgrade sign-ups, but you can easily increase your chances at scoring an upgrade by booking tickets far in advance and requesting an upgrade immediately.
But along with major changes that recently hit the AAdvantage program—it now prioritizes dollars spent to miles flown—American recently announced that upgrade eligibility will be changing in 2017. While status tier (Gold, Platinum, Executive Platinum, etc.) will still be the first criterion, American will begin prioritizing upgrades based on annual spending. So if two Platinum elites have requested upgrades, the one who has spent more money on American Airlines tickets in the preceding 12 months will be higher up on the waitlist.