Originally Posted by dwh
It scares me, however, sometimes, to have strategies as well deliberated and explained as these so publicly available (both in case there might be policy consequences from FT-reading airline programmers
, as well as the potential for day-to-day competition from my dear fellow elites
for the odd upcropping F seats). Maybe the "search" function should be permanently disabled to help promote occult savvy clubbishness among upgrade-seekers. In any case: great advice and insights from all who have responded to this thread!!!
It seems FT's popularity is growing by leaps and bounds, but the vast majority of elites on NW don't seem to be FTers. I avoided a lot of the "tin elite" syndrome when I first became Silver thanks to having lurked on FT for a few months, but I've seen plenty of people who are clueless to the most basic things--like asking an FA if they can move to an empty seat in F (us FTers all know, of course, that only the GA can move someone to F; FAs can be disciplined for doing so). If most people are that clueless, they aren't getting tips from FT.
I've been helped a great deal by a number of posters, all of whom have been generous with information, so I figure it's only fair to share whatever I know. Besides, the odds are relatively slim that you'll be beaten out of an upgrade on a specific flight by someone who read a tip on FT.