AA and BA systemwide reciprocal upgrades

[Seagull]

Interesting story on OMAAT yesterday about AA members being able to use their systemwide upgrades on BA now:

https://onemileatatime.com/news/american-british-airways-reciprocal-upgrades/

There are a number of rules including needing AA and BA metal in the flights and mainly just for trans Atlantic.

Is also reciprocal and BA elites can use on AA flights. It says that all Golds will receive 2 systemwide upgrades, but I haven’t heard anything about this. Someone in the comments suggests this isn’t additional upgrades being given to Golds, it’s just the GUFs they may already have.

Either way, I presume this means that there will be more pressure on the BA award seats that AA elites can now upgrade in to.

[Lady London]

It’s very bad news from the look of it.

[VerdantBacon]

Is it really that bad? The AA upgrades must be used on a mix of AA and BA metal AND only applies to TATL or intra Europe. Considering AA metal doesn’t fly intra Europe as far as I know, this means they will need to fly AA on the TATL leg, leaving no difference to the BA metal reward availability right?

[PGW]

VerdantBacon wrote:

Is it really that bad? The AA upgrades must be used on a mix of AA and BA metal AND only applies to TATL or intra Europe. Considering AA metal doesn’t fly intra Europe as far as I know, this means they will need to fly AA on the TATL leg, leaving no difference to the BA metal reward availability right?

What about an itinerary where there’s a AA operated US domestic leg prior to a BA operated TATL flight? That looks to be all upgradeable with a single AA SWU.

[VerdantBacon]

PGW wrote:

VerdantBacon wrote:

Is it really that bad? The AA upgrades must be used on a mix of AA and BA metal AND only applies to TATL or intra Europe. Considering AA metal doesn’t fly intra Europe as far as I know, this means they will need to fly AA on the TATL leg, leaving no difference to the BA metal reward availability right?

What about an itinerary where there’s a AA operated US domestic leg prior to a BA operated TATL flight? That looks to be all upgradeable with a single AA SWU.

Ah yes, that’s a good point, I hadn’t considered adding on a domestic AA leg to get BA on the TATL

[Mouse]

Seems odd there’s been no HFP article on this…?

[Rob]

The article is untrue, that’s why (from a BA perspective).

BA flyers get nothing.

[tiriavpo]

I don’t think it is totally untrue, maybe just inaccurately written. We don’t get ‘system wide upgrades’ but we do get Gold Upgrade vouchers which, since March, have been usable on AA flights as well as BA. I think this news is just the eventual deal the other way, using AA terms, for them to be able to upgrade on BA flights.