Wow, that’s certainly bad luck (more properly, ATL luck) right there. Are you requesting the upgrade immediately when booking? I’m guessing you are but if you were waiting until check in you’re going to be behind others because of the “upgrade request time” tiebreaker.

The other factor too is that even if you’re 10+ on the list, a lot of folks may have opted in for the aisle or window only option when checking in, so you may still clear when the agent looks at the list if you’re ok taking a middle seat (keyword: may). Also remember some C+ seats will likely open up as DMs and others get upgrades to F.

That being said, I can understand a lot better why you are frustrated. Even as a silver im usually never that far down the C+ list, even when I’m in and out of ATL and I’m on cheap coach fares. What days and times are you flying out of curiosity? Obviously busy routes at all times but I’d imagine that could be a factor