I just don't like how the requests have to be reinstated (and to add insult to injury, over the phone only!) In my one case when this happened, I ended up missing an upgrade on a vacation I booked in December for an April trip. The "Requested" info never left the ticketed reservation, and because I booked so long ago, I had no idea about the schedule change (never got notified).
They need to figure out a way to do this while automatically retaining upg requests.