Originally Posted by
110pgl
OP -
Let us know how this turns out... other have said if the USAIR Silver is on the record, they DONT clear with the Chairman. (I am not saying it should or should not clear with Chariman, just repeating other threads. The "rules" say it will clear with Chairman, but, I know sometimes the rules don't filter down to the actual process.)
The only time I do not clear when it's me (CP), another elite of any level, and a non-status traveler is when there is not 3 seats open for upgrade inventory. A lot of folks misinterpret the elite benefits and assume that because there's an empty seat in First (or 3 of them) then they will automatically, always get it, and I think that causes some people to mistake "lack of availability" for "I didn't clear because the Silver was on my itin." I may not always get the upgrade for 3, but the system does start trying right at my CP 7-day window.
Depending on the route, you might never see 3 upgrade seats open at the same time. CLT-Vegas comes to mind.