The way I read the post, there is no mention of anyone checking in or requesting an upgrade prior to queuing up, checking in and requesting at the ticket counter, sensu stricto.
Originally Posted by
mvoight
Are you sure about this? The AA website indicates check-in time matters for standby and upgrades. If I checked in 24 hours before flgiht time and you checked in at the airport 2 hours before, wouldn't I get the upgrade, if we are both PLT? Of course, there is some other misinformation in your post, so that does prove that AA employees are not always the best sources of information.
Another example, this one from
hharotz at Airline Forums:
Agents are supposed to work the PALL list (also known as the Priority List) from top to bottom.
If you are holding a "Y" (or other economy class ticket) which has been upgraded to First Class and choose to standby for an earlier flight, then you are on the priority list as an "SB" for a Y class seat (ticketed cabin) and not a "UP" (upgrade to f/c).
The priority list looks something like this (and in this order, bear in mind there are more classifications):
FLIGHT 637 PHL-BWI
G*L637/PALL
MR USCREWA 9A
MR USCREWB 9B
MR USCREWC 9C
OS1 HAWKINS
OS4 LEE
OS4 CHAN
V1 SMITH 6A
UP1 PINEYBOB 17C
UP3 HOWARDS 19D
UP3 JOHNSON 14E
SB2 HHAROTZ
SB4 CALDWELL
SB4 HOWARDMAN
SB4 COWANS
S3 LIGHTYEARS
S7 COHEN
S7 DOBBS
MR= Mustride crew...we will InvolDB pax to accomodate such crewmembers.
OS1/2/3/4= Customers on an oversold flight without seat assignment. OS1=US1,OS2=US2,OS3=US3,OS4=all nonstatus
V= Volunteers. Can be a V1 or V2 or V3 based on the volunteers 'expense to US for reaccomodation. V1 is least expensive, V3 most expensive. Determined V1/2/3 at gate agents discretion. Not correlated to status
UP= Pax waiting for upgrades. UP1/2/3/4 based on status. Place on list within dividend miles status is determined by checkin time, not time palced on the list. Based on this list, Pineybob is first on the list for an u/g because he is a US1. Howards and Johnson are number 2 and three on the list as US3s. Howards would get the upgrade before Johnson because he checked in first.
SB= Revenue Standby pax, based on status (SB1=US1, SB2=US2, SB3=US3, SB4=everyone else).
S= Non-revenue standby...S1/S2/S3/S4/S5/S6/S7/S8/S9 based on various criteria.
According to this list (working the list from top to bottom), if FC has 2 open seats, Pineybob (a US1) and Howards (a US3) would get the FC seats because they are confirmed on the flight. HHarotz would get a coach seat (even though he is a US2 because he is further down on the list and was not originally confirmed on the flight). If a third FC seat opened up at last minute, it would then go to Johnson because he has higer standing on the priority list. If (by chance) a 4th FC seat would open up at last minute, then HHarotz could get the seat ony if there is no one else higher than him on the priority list eligible for the upgrade (in which case there isn't)...but this would be done only after he has recieved a coach seat assignment for the flight first.