Originally Posted by
Xero
I was able to help a family member on a SWU with no status jump the upgrade list when I noticed that there was A inventory 40 minutes prior to departure. I called the EXP desk up and the AAgent was able to clear it. My family member went to the Admirals Club to get it re-ticketed.
So it is still possible to jump the list if A inventory appears and you call in, even if it is super close to the flight.
As long as there is inventory in the appropriate fare class, (X or A in this case), anyone willing to pay the currency can request the upgrade.
However, once the flight is F? A0 X0 etc where ? is presumably > 0 though not necessarily > 0 due to misconnects/no-shows, then status and date of request and any special circumstances are the metrics by which the list is ordered, not the currency being used by those on the list.