I've seen that when paid F flyers are expected and missed the connection due to IRROPS. I suspect AA is generally unwilling to tick them off by giving away their seats for upgrades, and a gate upgrade is less likely to occur as the door is closing.
Originally Posted by
astanley
Two empty seats in F on my BOS-DFW flight last week, I was first on the upgrade list and sitting in 21B. I was a bit miffed. Other than that, I've only missed 3 upgrades in the past 3 months.
Cheers,
-Andrew