Originally Posted by
WeekendTraveler
I have a likely upgrade at the gate coming up, and a tight connection.
Do I need to be at the gate when upgrades are processed (40 minutes before departure, perhaps) in order to get upgraded?
Or will I be upgraded even if I’m not at the gate, but as long as I’m #1 on the list and there is at least one seat available?
You don't need to be at the gate. If you're #1 and get the upgrade you should see your seat refresh in the app, or just stop by the gate when you get there to get your new boarding pass if you're not using the app.
That said, we did go through a phase several years ago where some bad GA's would in fact skip over you on the upgrade list if you weren't at the gate when they processed upgrades. This completely defeated the purpose of mobile boarding passes or the ability to hang in the lounge until boarding started, etc. Fortunately I haven't heard of any reports of this nonsense in a while.