Originally Posted by
thyeri
Do not look at the seat map, it has nothing to do with the number of sold seats. Not everyone selects seats in advance, especially when flying J. You need to have R class open in order to get the upgrade.
Availability for AC872 is J9C9D8Z0R0. J cabin has a good load factor considering that Z is closed and D=8. R=0 now, hence you are waitlisted.
Availability for your return flight seems better with J9C9D8Z5R0. You must have taken the last R fare that was available because it is now 0.
That is Correct. There are "Fare Classes" in each cabin- in Business class, there is J, D, C, Z and the upgrade class R. AC releases a certain number of R seats on each flight, hoping that people will instead buy the paid JDCZ fares. On some flights, they release lots of R space, but usually, they slowly release it in small numbers. Then they hope for last minute passengers to buy executive class seats. Finally, at the gate, just before departure, they release all seats and the Gate Agent can upgrade everyone that is waitlisted.