I just got off the phone after changing some tickets. I had a conversation wtih the 1K agent and she said I was mistaken about the waitlist priority for upgrades. My understanding was that once everything goes to departure management upgrades are cleared by status then fare class (I usually try to book M or H for this reason). She said that it clears by status and then how much you spent the prior year.

I believe she is mistaken, but just wanted to confirm that nothing has changed.