US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Companion Upgrades?

I'm booked to go transcon to SFO in May (out 5/12, back 5/16). Since I've never been out to SFO, I decided to spend some extra time out there and fly out the girlfriend... using my DMX131 award cert. When I called to book her ticket, the agent told me that I would still be able to upgrade her as a companion even though she was on an award seat... After booking mine and getting put into the upgrade queue, I called to link her to me and get our seats next to each other. The agent called me back shortly therafter to say she couldn't be linked as a companion for upgrade purposes since her fare is an award fare. What's the correct answer here? If not technically "allowed", can a gate agent give her an extra seat if it exists?

... of course, this is all predicated on me actually getting upgraded as a SP... but on the A321, it's still F24 right?

well not to be a pain, but for my Sfo-PHL on march 20th didn't clear as a Gold, I did though for my SFO-CLT-PHL on march 27th. on march 20th, even a couple CP didn't clear! That had to suck for them I guess...
and for award, if it's a saver award no you can't upgrade. what you can do maybe if there are some seats left and the checkin and GA tells you no, you can always ask the FA once everyone is on board, if you can move someone upfront.

The A321 is actually F26. There is a program where award seats are eligible for upgrade at the airport, pending availability. I believe it's only certain markets with LAS, CUN, and DEN standing out for some reason. I'm sure someone can post the link here.

Other than this program, an upgrade of an award ticket is generally not permitted. Now, if an F26 cabin has 9 open seats, an agent could be forward thinking (gasp) and ok it, or charge you, or something. I think most would agree that, unless SFO were a part of this new "test program", it's unlikely.

To take this on a tangent, I used to fly several different places where there were open seats in F, regularly. I never understood why US was so resistant to selling them. At $50 per 500-miles, $200 or so on a transcon, that's a good chunk of revenue over a year. Granted, not every flight has open seats, and it's rare on a transcon. Still, like everyone, I've seen open seats in F. There are people who would pay to upgrade at the gate. In the bleak days long ago before I was preferred, I was one of them.

I've tried pleading my case with FA's in this situation as a CP on award ticket sitting in coach. One FA told me that there could be other CP's in coach as well and it's not fair to them, and basically feared other cp's would complain about FA's that did this. They now have a general rule that if the gate agent doesn't move you, FA's are not supposed to. Just remember you
may not be the only one in this situation.

Here's what I would do in your situation:

1) Reserve Seats 8 D&E (or 9 B&C). Put your girlfriend in the aisle seat.
2) If your upgrade clears, give it to her, and you sit in her aisle seat.

That's what I've done - put us in exit rows both ways (going out only row 21 was available, so we're probably staying back there...) Got row 9 going back since IIRC, that's the one with the door in front of it. She's in the seat that I'd want (so that I'll have it just in case). In an ideal world there will be a sympathetic gate agent....

We're going out on flight 201 (the 0815) on a Tuesday and back on the Red-eye Sunday night (flt 159). From what I can tell, both of those flights are pretty wide open... anyone flown them recently?