Hi,

while I don't mind paying the published First Class fares, I noticed that using a coach ticket + paying the $250 for an upgrade is substantially cheaper (< 50%). However, I generally prefer to be fairly certain to fly First Class.

Not knowing much about Virgin America, I have a few questions:
-- Upgrades are only possible through payment on the day of check-in, correct? Or are there other paths to upgrades?
-- My friend who flies Virgin America frequently said upgrades to First Class on the day of the flight are virutally always available. Is that true? What is people's experiences with the availability of upgrades to First Class. I am primarily looking at the routes SFO<->BOS and SFO<->JFK.

Thanks.