Originally Posted by
ethernal
I was repeatedly told that it was a Diamond medallion that cleared into F. They could still have been on a RUC of course, but I really don't think that was the case. A RUC would have cleared on this in advance, and given that they were in a C+ seat already (11D was the seat that they were upgraded from), so they were not a last minute booking. Of course, they could have applied it after check-in or a day before the flight, but I am playing probabilities here.
One other thing I'm not sure you have considered. It was ex-ATL on Monday after the superbowl. I am making a bold assumption that every single seat (or at least a very great number versus other days) to every destination was booked as Y-fare. That isn't to say that all tickets were the same price, but it's the fare class that defines the upgrade priority, not the actual ticket price. When Indy hosted, they had 747s flying in and out and the only fares available months in advance were Y or F. No discounted tickets at all.
I switched to a connection in ATL yesterday to avoid weather in MSP. It was re-booked as Y fare with fare difference and everything. As a DM on Y fare I was
#4 on the upgrade list on a regional jet to Des Moines. At first I was shocked - then I realized that if every seat on the plane was sold as Y, then yeah ... I booked it later than other diamonds, so I would be lower in priority.
It may not have mattered in your case, but the use of RUCs is probably of no materiality to this discussion.