Hi all,

Nobody else has mentioned it, but I am pretty sure the rules for battlefield (at-the-gate) upgrade rules have changed. Flying later today, I'll be at 0 for 8 for this year (or maybe 10? either way it's still zero) in terms of upgrades on any segment involving SFO.

I usually check in with the conventional wisdom of F.T. -- online checkin 24 hours should put me on top of the list of plats. Which is what I did when I flew out from SFO on Thursday.

When I got to the ticket counter, they told me I was number 15 out of a list of 18 plats standing by for F.C. on the 757. Same situation with another round trip last month, I checked in exactly 24 hours out ex-SFO and was at the bottom of the potential upgrade list.

What I guess has happened is that NWA has quietly modified the rules for battlefield upgrades from being "first checked in, first upgraded" in ones Elite tier, to now being "fare class first" in the Elite tier. Since this round trip was repriced down to T class, it doesn't make sense to get an upgrade versus a Plat who bought a M, Q or V ticket.

Anyone else notice this happening (esp. on the West coast flights)? Should I just give up on OLCI at the 24 hour point and do my checkins whenever/wherever?