Data point: I note that policy wording regarding waitlisted Economy awards has slowly been disappearing and there have been reports of failure - today I was able to get an XN award waitlisted for a better routing (one-stop to nonstop). Just used the words "add a waitlist segment" and got it on the first agent
Now to outlast Gemini in a game of chicken.. 24 days out with the seatmap booked 18/64 in Y, but the flight is Y9 E9 H0. Either there are a huge number of already-sold BE fares or this inventory is dumb.