Originally Posted by
mridley2
I recall around 2016-2017 the upgrade rankings were 1 Medallion Status and 2 Fare class Y B M Q K L U…. These two categories were most important. Beyond that was time of request and maybe one other tiebreaker I cannot recall.
so yes not THAT long ago the main factors were fare class and medallion status. In fact I recall overhearing multiple business travelers booking higher class main cabin fares to increase their chances of First class upgrades.
But even earlier than that, Y tickets specifically were treated differently than all other coach buckets. They weren't just at the top of the fare class list, they were actually ahead of everything else. That is, the tie breakers were (simplified):
1) Y-bucket tickets
2) status
3) other non-Y coach buckets
that is, a FO on a Y ticket would get upgraded before a PM on a B.