I am elite with Continental. Since I have recently been flying almost exclusively on ERJ's, I don't get the opportunity to upgrade, unfortunately.

BTW, I didn't mean to hit a nerve with anyone. I was truly wondering if my tactics were appropriate or not. As I said, I don't "claim" the seat next to me until it is clear that the seat is unassigned, and I don't think I would have the nerve to turn someone down if they tried to take the seat. So far, what I've done is move the items UNDERNEATH the seat in front of me to UNDERNEATH the seat in front of the unoccupied seat and stretch my legs in a way that they are kind of between the seats to discourage anyone from trying to move there.

Analise, I read the linked thread about the woman who wanted you not to have a seat because she wanted her child to sit in your seat - I would never do anything like that, and I think you handled it beautifully.