I'll be graduating law school this summer, and I want to take a post-bar trip. I'll have enough miles to upgrade from economy to business class from lax to nrt. Since I don't really have any set dates, if I tell the United people that I can leave at any point during the first week of August will that increase my chances of getting an upgrade? I don't fly often, so my membership status is very basic. Some people have said it's better to just "pay" for a business class seat with miles alone, but for me to accumulate that many miles would take awhile, and I'd really like to travel to asia in style.