youll more than likely get the upgarde at some point before the flight. if not, as you board the plane.

i fly this route all the time as a gold. i am usually upgraded, but the time frame in which they occur are always different.

iah-msy-iah is a very very busy route. i have many, many times volnteered my seat to msy in iah, only to be told, "not to," as the flights were 100% sold out for the remainder of the week.

in that case, you know FC was sold out as well. its a great flight for segment junkies. FC, msy-iah-msy is pretty cheap and gives you double points and 150% EQM's.

not to mention msy is quite laden with elites. i would say, per capita, one of the more heavily elite travelled routes.