I flew from Lyon To FRA to CLT to GSO yesterday. When I checkedin with Lufthansa in Lyon I asked if I could activate myself on waiting list for Envoy( I had been trying to do it for weeks, it was no problem on the way over). They told me no, I would have to do it at the US Airways gate in FRA. Ok, I get to FRA, both flights are in terminal C ( yeah I think, better than last week when I had to run from terminal to terminal in FRA). Well, the C gates are segregated and I had to go through security again and passprt control. This took 30 minutes ( I will stop complaining about TSA after yesterday). Finally get through, try to find some US personnel. I am told by a friendly AA rep that they are all either at the outside ticket counter ( can't get there, already past passport control) or at the gate. I start to head to the gate. There is a MASSIVE line at another security point for gates C7-C9. Why? there is a flight to Tel Aviv from gate 8 , CLT flight is gate 7. So, I decide to try the lounge. I tried calling US directly, got told too bad so sad, go to the ticket counter ( We can't , we have already gone through the passport control). The lounge( which was very nice) is staffed with United people who try calling the ticket counter and the gate for me. They are told" we are too busy to help our customer, tell her to come to the gate" The united folks were apologetic ( there were about 5 of us with the same problem,some were on the Philly flt. )Anyhoo, it is still 1.5 hours to the flight but I decide to go the gate. It was an hour to get through the additional security.
The real problems started at the gate. The US agents were on the verge of hysteria. I was told that if I wanted to upgrade I should get my name on the list earlier in the day ( umm, I know, I tried). Then those of us who were wanting upgrades were put together in holding area. 10 minutes after scheduled departure they told us too bad and put us on a bus to the plane. On the bus our names were announced to see the agent. We thought, yeah, but helas, they just wanted our tickets. The gate agent had mistakenly given them back to us. If course at this point, there was almost no overhead room left and a completely packed flight.
all in all, I learned a few things.
1.A code share with some of their partners ( Lufthansa in this case) isn't seemless. Lufthansa could not activate my " day of departure" upgrade.
2.Status doesn't mean squat to the US agents in Frankfurt, the three of us ,a CP, a GP and a guy with no status ( just miles) were all told the same thing
3. The FRA gate arrangement is trickier than it seems. I landed in C councourse from LYS but I couldn't get to the rest of it!

Sorry to vent, it was a long, long, flight in the back