Just had an odd experience using, on one itinerary, an MVP Gold Complimentary Upgrade Coupon in one direction, and the standard MVP Gold 72-hour upgrade in the other direction. I'm wondering if anyone can cast light on what happened -- eveything worked out fine, but it took some explaining by me at the airline counter.

I had used an MVP Gold Upgrade Coupon (one of the four that Golds get every year) to ensure a first-class seat on my outbound flight to Orlando. As expected, my Web check-in document indicated they had to collect the complimentary upgrade certificate at the counter. They did, and that went fine.

For my return flight, I received a normal MVP Gold 72-hour upgrade automatically (no coupon involved). However, when I got to the Orlando airport to get my boarding pass from a kiosk, the boarding pass indicated to also collect the complimentary upgrade -- even though no coupon was used. The American Airlines personnel at the counter who work the flight in Orlando had no idea what to do (they couldn't figure out the record), but they were able to reissue me a boarding pass that didn't say to collect the complimentary upgrade.

I have at least two other upcoming flights where I have used MVP Gold complimentary upgrade coupons for ensure first class seats in one direction. If I am automatically upgraded on the 72-hour MVP Gold upgrade in the other direction, will I have to deal with this odd situation every time and try to sort things out with the counter staff?

Or, put another way -- was this a one-time glitch, or a system issue?

Any insight appreciated -- I've also emailed Alaska customer service just to see if they can shed any light on it.