I have an even split of trans-Atlantic and non-trans-Atlantic. I have gotten GUC upgrades to PEK, PVG, JNB, and SYD and a plethora of European destinations. China cleared beforehand and a few European ones. Most have gone to the gate which is more than fine for me. An opportunity for an empty D1 seat is a heck of a lot better than the 99% of people on my flight who don't have that opportunity.

There is nothing more exciting than staring at the monitor during pre-boards for ATL-JNB and seeing your name pop up as cleared. It certainly beats anything I have ever done in Vegas. Before you say "But I can't handle that flight in coach"...there are about 254 people that do it every day and live to talk about it.