2 F Class Seats Left , 20 Upgrades.. Who Paid the Most $$$? AA agrees.

American Airlines will join Delta and United in basing its loyalty awards on the amount spent for a ticket, rewarding elite passengers who pay more.
The shift from awards earned by miles flown will occur in the second half of 2016, American Airlines Group Inc. said in a statement Tuesday. Travelers with higher standing in the AAdvantage frequent-flier program will earn more credit for each dollar spent.
American joins Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc. in adopting such a change, a move the carrier put off while focusing on its 2013 merger with US Airways. American’s loyalty program is the largest in the industry, with about 100 million members.

The airline last year sweetened awards for passengers buying the most-expensive tickets under a one-year plan that rewarded discount-fare buyers as well as elite passengers.

Taking the downward spiral with the other 2 majors.

I can't decide how I feel about the changes. My husband always buys fully refundable tickets for work but earns the same miles as someone who buys well in advance so it will benefit him but there are many others whose companies require the lowest fare and they will be penalized. Anyone know how this has worked out for DL?

Appears to be an Auction War - no matter how many miles you have or metallic status - the one paying the most gets the seat.
Or put into another contex - "If you want the First-Delta One-Business cabin seat "BUY IT" otherwise it goes to the highest bidder !
No bids - N/Rs may still get the seat but unlikely - International and Delta One flights excepted !
And the new Comfort + Economy seat ('W' fare class) is not being given away so easily to the 'Elites' making a better seat available
to N/Rs - but don't depend on it ! I would suspect that Gate Agents are being given more tools to clear the standby list faster thus
resulting in an "On Time departure - with less musical chairs (seats) scenarios - You with the money you get the seat no matter how
many miles or metallic Frequent Flyers status one has - gavel slams the podium - auction closed - seat sold to highest bidder !
All that much better and even better when it comes back to haunt American Airlines the instigator of the Frequent Flyer program circa 1981.
There were other programs prior to this but AAs was the first to award upgraded tickets from frequent "Y" class passengers to "F" class.

Well it is not so much an auction but someone with more miles and metallic status paying for the least expensive ticket is not getting the
'F'ront Seat when there is another having paid more for say a Comfort class seat and is eligible for the upgrade.

*** Metallic Status = Silver - Gold - Platinum - Diamond

Why the Airlines could not have left well enough alone instead of all this grief #$@%& !
And why of course I am prejudice in this matter as a N/R - airlines tinkering with my SPAV seat - selling it to the highest bidder ! LOL !

I think that says alot, RMA. I love how your auto-correct types metallic vs medallion! One more reason I don't have an iphone! My sister sends all sorts of cryptic msgs I have to decipher. I have enough trouble wondering how those "great" seats disappeared--Houdini?

This one is for you, mrs767er! Warning: language. http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/archive/

I gave up after the first few pages--laughing WAY too much!