Generic Question for you AS Experts

I'm trying to figure out fare structure and the reason behind the business decision.

 

I'm an MVP on AS.

I also have their BoC card for travel companion ticket. I also understand that FC tickets can no longer be purchased with companion fares.

 

My question is this

No matter what dates I look at and however close or far out I want to go, mileage upgrades are not shown to be available on the return trip from FLL.

Any ideas as to why this would be?

I can purchase mileage upgradeable fares to FLL, but not return.

 

Thanks for any insight.

I'm trying to figure out fare structure and the reason behind the business decision.

There's your first problem. Unless you aced your "airline revenue management" classes at Hogwarts, trying to "figure out" airline tariffs is a hopeless quest.

 

I'm an MVP on AS.

I also have their BoC card for travel companion ticket. I also understand that FC tickets can no longer be purchased with companion fares.

 

My question is this

No matter what dates I look at and however close or far out I want to go, mileage upgrades are not shown to be available on the return trip from FLL.

Any ideas as to why this would be?

I can purchase mileage upgradeable fares to FLL, but not return.

 

Thanks for any insight.

My only "insight" is that AS flies planes with pretty small FC sections, and the frequencies on transcons (typically one per day, sometimes two) are so low that they can confidently sell all the F seats as revenue seats most of the time. Trying to get a straight F award on AS transcons is a huge joke in my experience.

 

Upgradeable fares might appear shortly before flight date, when the computers have told the wizards that they aren't going to get F walk-ups, but then again they might not. I guess the only road to take would be to lock in what you can, and hope for the best going forward. Either that or buy enough AA miles (sale going on at present) or US miles (2-for-1 sale at the moment, leading to about 1.88c per mile) and turn around and redeem miles for the trip instead of playing Russian roulette with AS.

 

Or, just buy a one-way FC ticket and upgrade the other way. AS's one-way fares are typically 1/2 the round trip fare, so you don't lose anything.

Thanks

 

The fact that there is only 1 flight from FLL to SEA on AS plus it's a morning flight arriving in Seattle late morning/early afternoon, makes sense in that AS feels they can sell those FC seats at full revenue to the business traveler.