So far so good (touching wood)....however the route/day/time thing is a major factor. For the past couple years, I have received either my Plat EUA, gate upgrade or battlefield promo on every mainline jet flight except 1, however I am aware that if I changed my schedule even slightly, my EUA success rate could dive by 50% or more. Since I know what works for me, I stick with the predictable flights that I take week by week...anything else is a crapshoot. If I was a transcon flyer, I know that CO would not work for me and I would change to NWA or AA, if I was unable to pay for Z fares.

Yesterday the DCA-EWR flights were a wreck due to wind-induced ground stops at EWR...I was able to switch flights, was placed on the u/g list, and although I didnt expect it, I got the u/g call just as boarding commenced. Another lady got a battlefield promo. The agent who was there did not seem to have any plan to clear the list before boarding and it was the red coat who showed up at the last minute and cleared it while the regular agent stood to the side seemingly clueless about what was going on or why.