Originally Posted by
bostonflyer14
So I am new to Alaska MVP Gold, as I was a Virgin America elite... can someone explain why they have seats available but don't issue the upgrades as they say they do on their website?
(Flight is 7am on 8/30 - BOS to SEA)
AS (like pretty much every other airline that offers upgrades) typically holds back at least a seat or two in first class until the gate in the hopes that they'll be able to sell it at the last minute. (Handling paid F customers who want to change flights voluntarily or due to irregular operations is also a consideration.) They have a (proprietary) algorithm which calculates the odds of selling F seats which informs the timing of releasing seats into upgrade inventory.