I am trying to arrange a transcon less than 4 days off for a good friend and come up with the best seat I can get him. It doesn't look good for a number of reasons - in Y on the two flights he could take, it isn't pretty, with mostly middle seats according to the .bomb, those toward the back of E+ and E-; he has no status, so flying alone he isn't entitled to E+ and I don't know if there will be a buy up opportunity for E+; can't confirm an upgrade at this time; the F cabins are small, with the .bomb showing most seats already gone. Anything clever I can do to improve his chances?

- upgrading to F. Book the 6:30 AM flight though it has a smaller F cabin, figuring there is a better chance of no-shows and upgrades on the first flight of the day? Or go with the flight a couple of hours later which has a substantially larger F cabin with more seats showing as open per the .bomb, but a higher percentage of the total apparently gone? (I think the later is the better bet for an upgrade, though I imagine lesser likelihood of no-shows.) I assume one flight won't have a greater or smaller % of 1Ks looking for the upgrade, affecting his chances off the waitlist using one of my CR1s. (Priority goes according to status of upgrade grantor rather than status of the grantee?)

- E+. Nothing I can do to affect that unless I am on the plane with him, right? If I were on the plane with him, how likely that together we would do better than what seating chart now shows, which again isn't pretty? In other words, is it likely that they could do anything to accommodate a 1K and their travel companion that they wouldn't ordinarily do?

- my 1K status as a variable in this. Any way that my status comes into play other than in those already mentioned? Won't matter whether I go to airport with him or not, right, it isn't going to make something happen that wouldn't otherwise?

Tried to get some advice about seats from a reservationist, but they told me they couldn't see seats until after purchase, and then they still saw less than I do as a 1K looking for myself. Is that the case, that they don't have the big picture with respect to seating there in front of them?

This is someone who has done and continues to do a great deal for me, so would like to come through for him, if I can. Good ideas welcomed.