So, right now my decision is to go for the upgrade on the return HKG - EWR, but not the outgoing segment. I think 30k CO miles/45k SPG pts / $1,000 is too much for just the chance I get the upgrade. I would hate to transfer the SPG pts to CO and then not use them.

The flight coming back was easier since we have a CO account with 60k miles. We also have $1,000 in southwest gift cards from a recent promo they did. So if we get the upgrades I'll sell the gift cards to fund the fee.

So now that I've committed to economy, can anyone speak to that experience? How many meals do they serve back there?