If this has been answered in this thread, feel free to chastise me.

Are there any free upgrade availability tools? I've been to the KVS site but, at this point, can't justify the, admittedly, nominal fees. And the free demo doesn't help a lot since I need to see how it works with AC flights.

Secondly, how can one see before actually purchasing an AC ticket, exactly what flight code it will be booked under? Specifically, how can I figure out if the flight will qualify for a SSWU upgrade? I still haven't used any SSWU certs from 2008 so I didn't select any for 2009.

I'd be interested to hear if it is possible, even common, for people to book an SWU-upgradeable flight, successfully get the upgrade and then, within the SSWU window, try to book and secure an SSWU upgradeable fare, finally cancelling the original booking. Or, is it that people just gamble that they will be able to use the SSWU certs and if they have to sit in economy, they live with it.