Originally Posted by
ZBigFam
That's what makes me think there is an algorithm in play as my eqd is very small right now , like 1k. I am still about 90 or even 100 percent flying through phx or DFW.
I really think it goes back to timing. This is where ExpertFlyer comes in handy for me. I take a quick look before I book flights to or through a hub; if the flight looks full compared to "normal" (*) then I might buy F upfront or use a BXP1, etc.; for my routine flights like DCA to SDF, MIA, etc., however, I just book Y. I have >90% upgrade success overall but that is skewed in my favor because a lot of my flights (see e.g. DCA-SDF) are on E75s with high F-Y seat ratio, and a lot of my DCA-DFW activity is on Tues/Wed/Fri rather than the busier Sun/Mon/Thurs. Note that I have pretty good upgrade success even when I'm on award tickets, which are prioritized after all EXP revenue tickets (but higher than PPRO).
Anyhow I very much doubt that there's an algorithm at play.
* "normal" above is hard to quantify--depends on how far out, day of the week, etc.