I do feel that being upgraded to FC it is something that is offered for my loyalty, but not a right. Tonight I am puzzled about why Gold’s are getting seats instead of Plats. Is anyone else noticing this issue?

I am Plat, since the computerized automatic upgrade my chances for upgrades have been far less. This year I have been in FC on 9 times of 14 domestic segments this year. While this does not bother me, what does is I know of two separate times when friends of mine who are Gold got in FC. The only difference I see is that their ticket price and category was higher.

Because of international travel I just went over 45K seat miles with this flight, live in MSP so I will likely get Plat again and unlikely to use another carrier. I travel primarily on price and arrival times.

My memory is a little shaky but I only have gotten the automatic computerized upgrade 5 days in advance only about 3 or 4 times, the others were at the gate.

I understand the travel market and am a good project manager so I book my seats 3-5 weeks in advance and pay the change fee ($100) if needed. My flights are usually 1 or 2 midweek overnights, but because I book in that window I rarely pay more then $500 a ticket. One of my gold friends (not my company) does not book until a week or less before flying. He is a gold confirmed by my seeing a NWA mileage mailing. We were on the same msp-sea flight yesterday (Monday), he got a FC seat in was in coach. He booked his flight Friday (stated he paid $1300) and got an automatic upgrade at the time of booking, I booked my flight in mid March. I was not upgraded on Friday but 6 FC seats on the 737 were open. Should I have been already assigned a seat (5 day rule)?


I know of one other instance, I chalked it up she was coming in on a connecting flight.

No one on the elite line can explain it to me (upgrades are computerized and they do not give out other passenger information), nor can anyone confirm or deny the practice what I see.

Are any of you seeing these items or is it just me?