I agree. The "shenanigans" here is that some GAs play it one way and others do it the other way. And they don't tell the customers which way it is going to be for a particular flight. I'd prefer a system-wide single standard for processing upgrades at the gate. As an alternative, they could post something saying how they are going to do it. I think we can live with either upgrade method, but we want to know what to expect for each flight. I don't want to have to ask each time, "If I board, will I lose my place on the upgrade list?"

For me, the primary factor in airline loyalty is access to the upgrade system. But having to play the guessing game as to how it will work for any given flight is extremely annoying. There is comfort in consistency.