I just recently wrote in about a perceived case of upgrade shenanigans and got a very helpful and detailed response from customer care. On a JFK-SFO flight, I observed that 15/16 guests showed as checked-in to F about 15 minutes before door close, I was #1 on the upgrade list. I then witnessed the gate agent come and pull someone from the back of the plane and sit them in 1D. Their name then appeared on the awaiting seats list with their new seat assignment. I received the following response: In review of your flight on November 3rd and the First Class upgrade, you are correct that you were first on the upgrade list however the guest that was moved to 1D at the last minute, actually had been downgraded previously in the day, in error, so once the gate crew realized there was an open seat, they moved her back up to First Class like she had. We appreciate your patience while we worked though the issues with the First Class waitlist issues and we seem (cross your fingers) to have it fixed.

I'm quite appreciative that they took the time to actually investigate the specifics of this case.