Great to see that AC will take a more proactive role in the forum. Ben - your participation is welcome and needed. A brand's lack of consistent, open and timely participation leaves it vulnerable in today's times. With that said.....I don't quite get the rational behind the unwillingness of explaining the upgrade system. Explaining a process is not "limiting" and does not preclude making changes to it in the future (some advance warning is always helpful...a frequent concern raised in the forum). The upgrade system is potentially a great asset for AC....but too often it seems arbitrary and inconsistent and a source of frustration for many frequent travellers. Some great suggestions here to deal with Canadian privacy restrictions.