Cheddar sprinkles with your popcorn?

Dear Pook123,

We understand your lament. What fare classes do you normally purchase? What routes are you flying?

It all boils down to this - the more Plats on your flight on higher fares than yours, the less of a chance you will get a complimentary upgrade. These are awarded in the order of status, fare class and then booking date (or check-in number). If you book lower fare classes on Elite-heavy routes, your upgrade chances are very low.

Either try buying a higher fare class (sometimes bumping up a couple fare levels is only a $20-$50 difference), or select flight dates and times which are less Elite-heavy, like weekends, mid-week or off-hours.