I was talking to a concierge in YYZ this morning, and while I had his attention I asked again about the "Frankfurt Scenario" -- specifically, does the act of boarding remove you from the upgrade wait list. Concierges & gate agents in FRA say yes, a concierge in YYZ has previously told me no, and I've personally seen people get upgraded after sitting down in Y ... no wonder there's confusion.

Anyway, the answer I got today was clear, and also explains all that I've seen. The short answer is "yes, the act of boarding will remove you from the upgrade wait list". This is true in every city, not just FRA ... once you board, you have accepted the seat you've been given, and you're no longer an official candidate in the system for an upgrade.

"However", he said, "what most most concierge's and gate agents will do, is print out the upgrade list prior to starting the boarding process - and then run upgrades based on that list". In other words, you're officially off the list after boarding ... but the agent/concierge processing the list has the option of doing "the right thing", including going onboard to upgrade someone who's already taken their seat in Y if that person was next in line.

So, there's still no easy option for what to do when playing aerolotto at Frankfurt ... if you wait to board, you lose the chance to get bin space ... but if you board early, you're officially off the list - and then you're at the mercy of the concierge who may (or may not) go by the original upgrade list.

I may not think it's a good system, but at least I think I understand it better now.