I have news for the OP. If either pre integration AA or US had an unpublished benefit that enabled elites, even just EXPs, to upgrade award tixs there would have been a thread on FT running page after page. OP don't believe me. PMAA used to have a free snack and drink to EXPs in Y as an unpublished benefit-before it became a published benefit. The thread went on for pages upon pages and year after year. The whole idea of a blog is to talk about what you know that others might not. And FT is by no means an exception.