My husband and I have used ExpertFlyer now close to the beginning of our journey of points and miles. And although the product languished for a few years in the early 2020s, a dedicated team has been working for the past few years to support and improve it.
I sat down with this team in Puerto Rico at the end of January to learn about some of their upcoming features. Today, the team is launching two of these features: searches for broader American Airlines system-wide improvements and detailed seat maps. However, these features come with the introduction of a new Elite membership level and slightly higher prices for the Premium and Basic levels. So, here’s what you need to know.
American Airlines system-wide upgrade availability for 330 days
if you have American Airlines Elite Status and choose system-wide updates With your loyalty point rewards thresholding at 175,000 or more loyalty points each qualifying year, you know how long it can take to find a valuable way to use these valuable certificates. After all, while you may be on a waitlist for system-wide upgrades on flights you’ve already booked, it’s best to book a flight with system-wide upgrade availability and apply the upgrade immediately after booking.
ExpertFlyer has long been the go-to tool for many elite AAdvantage members looking to use system-wide upgrades. Up to this point, my husband and I have used ExpertFlyer to find long-haul availability for 61 system-wide upgrades over the years (with the shortest flight being from New York to London).
But whereas in the past you could use ExpertFlyer to search for just a couple of cities at a time within a seven-day period (and ExpertFlyer Premium members who don’t upgrade to Elite will still find this their best option), ExpertFlyer Elite members can now see system-wide upgrade availability on hundreds of routes over the next 330 days.
ExpertFlyer Elite members can start their search for system-wide upgrade availability broadly (for example, for flights from North America to Europe) and narrow the results from there.
Or they can jump directly to the detailed list view of a specific route.
Despite the longer “Last Updated” periods in the screenshots above during a beta test, ExpertFlyer told TPG that the results are now updated daily. Since the data is cached, the results may still be out of date. But a one-click confirmation button lets you verify that the space you see is still available before you book.
Even with the “Check” button, I also recommend logging into your American AAdvantage account and looking to confirm that system-wide upgrade space is actually available on your flight before you book.
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Related: How to Get an Upgrade on American Airlines Flights
Detailed seating maps
The second new feature is a partnership with AeroLopa that incorporates detailed aircraft configuration data into ExpertFlyer’s seat map results.
Premium and Elite ExpertFlyer users can now view detailed seat maps by setting up seat alerts and viewing seat maps. This is important because some airlines operate multiple versions of the same aircraft type (such as American Airlines’ 787-9, which can include the new flagship suite or the old Super Diamond seats in business class).
Additionally, Premium and Elite members can now view pitch, width, layout configuration, and other details they are accustomed to seeing on AeroLopa within ExpertFlyer, along with live availability.
However, if you prefer the old ExpertFlyer seat map view, there is an option to toggle between the new detailed view and the classic experience.
Related: How to use ExpertFlyer alerts to get a better seat on the plane
New ExpertFlyer prices and levels
In addition to the announcement of these two new features, ExpertFlyer is also introducing a new Elite membership level and slightly adjusting the prices of its current membership levels. This is what changes for each level:
| Previous cost | New cost | Other notable changes | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
None |
None |
N/A |
|
|
$4.99 per month or $49 per year |
$7.31 per month or $72 per year |
50 alerts at a time (instead of four) |
|
|
$9.99 per month or $99 per year |
$16.96 per month or $132 per year |
250 alerts at a time (previously 200) |
|
|
N/A |
$240 per year |
N/A |
ExpertFlyer says the new Elite tier is designed for American Airlines elite members who have system-wide upgrades. And with a host of system-wide upgrades due on March 31, it is expected that some Premium members will want to upgrade their ExpertFlyer membership to Elite.
Fortunately, ExpertFlyer told TPG that “existing annual Premium members who upgrade to Elite will receive a prorated credit for the remaining balance of their current membership.”
Related: How to use ExpertFlyer to find the real reason your flight was delayed or canceled
In a nutshell
If you’ve been struggling to find uses for American Airlines’ system-wide upgrades, this new ExpertFlyer feature may be good news (and potentially worth the $240 per year Elite membership fee).
Meanwhile, Basic and Premium tiers receive more alerts at a time for a modest annual increase in cost. And the new AeroLopa partnership for detailed seat maps is a big improvement over the Previous partnership with SeatGuru.
