<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RustyC:
I'm an unabashed low-revenue, low-yield frequent flyer, piling up miles almost exclusively on leisure trips paid from my own limited funds, and at gold or higher status on one airline or another for 11 straight years now.
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The question depends to some extent on the status level. No status has already been discussed.
RustyC seems to have lower- to mid-level status. I would vote United high for upgrade chances at the Premier Executive and especially 1K levels (as a 1K it's almost assured domestically, I find). UA's first class seats and food are generally better than other carriers, and if by some fluke you don't make it, there's always E+ with 36-inch pitch. Many airports have elite security bypass lines for PEs and 1Ks. This past year, 1Ks have received 10 confirmed international upgrade certs (6 are fare-restricted but transferable), and 8 domestic roundtrip confirmed upgrades if flying is spaced through all the quarters, plus 4 500-mile certs for every 10,000 miles flown on UA.