Originally Posted by eerich
The EUA process runs as has been described (5 days PLAT/ 3 days GOLD/ 1 day SILVER). If you do not secure an upgrade within your level by the 24-hr mark before the flight, those who checkin on-line at CO.com can secure upgrades regardless of their level of status based on the time they checkin. If a silver checks in at 1pm on Monday for a flight slated to depart at 1pm on Tuesday, that person can grab an upgrade whether there are Plats or Golds in the que or not. ...
If Golds and Plats did not get the EUA upgrade at the Silver window, it means there were no F seats available. Chances for (many) F seats to clear between the Silver window and the 3-hour window are very slim.
Anyway, this is no different than what it has always been - on the day of flight, when F seats is available, it's a first come first serve. There hasn't been any change in this. The only change was that the check-in window was enhanced from 3-4 hours at the airport to 24 hours online. Before online check-in, you could still call an agent and bag for the upgrade - on the day of flight you would probably have gotten it.