Quick update to my earlier post.
My mom ended up getting 10k miles, and AA basically confirmed she should have been upgraded from J to F. The agent even knew which seat it was, so they clearly looked into it.
Apparently a standby passenger was given that last Flagship First seat by mistake. They said it’s rare, but still… not great.
Does make me think it’s worth keeping an eye on standby lists too, not just the upgrade list.
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