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American Airlines Is Making Its Standby List More Transparent

June 15, 2019
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3 min read
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American Airlines Is Making Its Standby List More Transparent
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If you've ever noticed that you were skipped on an American Airlines upgrade list or standby list, there's probably a legitimate reason for it — as frustrating as it may feel. The "out of order" passenger could be a crew member who's been cleared to fly in a jump seat or a passenger who's standing by for a different cabin (i.e. first class instead of main cabin).

Of course, the airline could tweak the system to make it clearer what happened — and now that's exactly what American Airlines' boarding system does systemwide. When a crew member clears the standby list into a jump seat, the initials "JS" should show on the standby list.

I noticed this for the first time earlier this month before a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles:

I was so excited to see this that I hurried up to the gate counter to take a photo — which seemed to startle the gate agents. I asked them when the change was made to use a "JS" instead of a check mark. After understanding that I was asking generally — and not upset about having been skipped — they mentioned they thought it was a fairly recent change.

I contacted an American Airlines spokesperson to confirm. He also initially thought that it was a new enhancement. However, it turns out that AA started rolling this coding out back in July 2018, but a recent fix was made in May so that this "JS" designation is now working properly systemwide.

While this is a seemingly small change, it simply and effectively clarifies the situation for the likely thousands of passengers per day who are on American Airlines standby lists.

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The next challenge: making the upgrade list more transparent. American Airlines' system still lumps business class and first class onto the same upgrade list. While the back-end system will clear the upgrades in order, it'll appear as if passengers are cleared out of order.

That's exactly what happened to TPG Lounge member Andrew M. back in September 2017 before his Los Angeles (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) flight. He was listed as #2 on the upgrade list and was livid that #4, #6, #8 and #9 were cleared "ahead" of him:

At the time, American Airlines looked into the situation and confirmed that the list was cleared in order but that Andrew was upgrading into a different cabin than the passengers who were cleared.

Despite this having been a problem for years, American Airlines still hasn't fixed this issue. However, an American Airlines spokesperson has confirmed that the airline is "looking at the three class situation to make it clearer so it doesn’t cause confusion to passengers who are looking at the mobile app or on the display."

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Featured courtesy of American Airlines

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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