diver: In my previous post I was refering to Continentals actions in previous years.
The Elite level step-up being offered for 1999 is just an effort to soothe the feelings of elites who are being expected to fly more miles for what are essentially the same three elite levels. The names have changed but the benefits are the same or less for the three elite levels.
The upgrade policy has changed, however I think the real limiting factor is going to be the number of avialable seats. That is to say if certain flights are full in first now they will still be full regardless of how many elites are eligable for "unlimited" upgrades