I'm a 1K on UA, which translates to Star Alliance Gold. I'm traveling LAX-TPE on AC this week, pretty much last-minute, to attend a funeral. The lowest fare offered by my travel agent is a consolidator on AC. I'd like to upgrade if possible, although I know the odds are probably stacked against me. I did try some research on the AC site and a search of the archives here, and a call to Aeroplan was on hold for 15+ minutes.

Can I upgrade using miles from my UA account? Are there any other options available to me?