Originally Posted by
Jasper2009
True, but it's not necessary nearly as often as it used to be for most people.
Also, upgrades worked very differently 4-5 years ago:
It was pretty much "first come first served" and you could increase your upgrade % substantially if you knew the trick described above. Then AC started zeroing out R availability at T-168h (the infamous R games), so knowing this trick became even more valuable.
Nowadays, I often find it makes little/no difference whether I request my upgrade at T-168h or T-160h. I'll only set an alarm clock to wake me in the middle of the night if I have reason to believe availability will be R1 (or R2) at T-168h.
I remember upgrading YVR-HKG last year, and it was R5 when my window opened, and I snagged it right away.
There was another SE FTer on the flight, who was not able to upgrade before T-6 (so still only the SE window) because it had gone to R0. I think 5 SEs (and companions) had taken the seats. So it did matter.
But I somewhat agree. I've had flights for EYW that were R9 when I went to bed, knowing my window opened at 3am, and I just waited until morning.
Whether I set the alarm depends on R space and how important the upgrade is.