Well, the exit row on AA thing is great, but there are only so many exit row seats and a fairly good size E+ section on UA with row 6 on A319/A320 being essentially an exit row with a decent view out the window (not over the wing which always keeps me from wanting exit rows over bulkhead). I think AA still has limited upgrades (500 mile stickers?) for Golds so you might have a better chance snagging an upgrade on UA...I'm 2P on UA and I DO (gasp) get upgraded...there is entire thread on the UA forum about empty seats in F so although you don't get upgraded on every flight, it happens WAY more than people think....then there is channel 9