Flew Miami to Seattle last night. A couple of observations. Firstly, to secure the second upgraded seat in advance, I had to pay considerably more than I would have on, say, Continental, where I'm Plat. It would have meant a connection, and we had our dog, who has to travel in the hold, so nonstop is better, although AS is handled by some independent ground services outfit (Swissport), so who knows where they get their ramp people (potential for misloading the little guy, which could be dangerous). While I'm waiting off to the side, for TSA to check out the kennel, I overhear many conversations. About 60% of those checking in ask if they can go on a list for upgrade. It's way more than I have ever observed at any other carrier. Result of my non scientific polling: a)Alaska is charging more than other carriers for similar upgrade benefits, and b) a carrier that awards elite status at the 15,000 mile level, and then starts flying 2700 mile segments, is going to have a lot of disappointed customers.