So I had to call Alaska Airlines a couple of times. First time I called the agent said I was eligible for the immediate upgrade. However, she would not process the upgrade because my ticket is a mixed AS & NW itinerary and every time AS upgrades the AS segment it will screw up the NW segments. I hung up and waited a few days.

I just called Alaska again and after being put on hold for two minutes the agent came back and said she was able to upgrade me with no problem. I'm now in seat 1A, my favorite NWA.com shows the class as "U" for the AS segment and shows the NW segments with no problem. Hopefully I don't have any additional problems checking in above and beyond the no-fly list issues.

Long and short of it...Plats on NW are not eligible for immediate upgrades on AS assuming there's space available. Call AS and ask for the upgrade. If you have a mixed AS/NW itin I would recommend being polite and calling back if the first agent tells you that they won't process the upgrade.

-RM