I was going to post the same thing.

The "common assumption" is that it's ordered by status, then fare class, then time of check in.

However, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to indicate that it's much more likely previous travel time on the itinerary, then status, then fare class, then time of check in.

There's also anecdotal evidence to indicate that a S100K nominated by someone else will be below a P25K using their own credits.

Personally, I wish it were fare class, then status, then check in time, with no exceptions for previous travel time or nomination status, as this rewards high-spenders, then "frequent fliers", which is good for AC (and me with my FP ).

But we have no idea how it works.

I would hope a concierge would have a general idea about how it should work, but I also believe that if it was common knowledge among any level of front-line employees, we would have found out by now.

My guess is that you were legitimately at the bottom for whatever reason (as hydrogen suggested, maybe because you were nominated), but the concierge thought you should get the upgrade because of your status.

That being said, we've all seen AC's IT. And as long as status trumps all for upgrades, I don't have a problem with them bumping a S100K to the top of the list, regardless of other circumstances.