Hello, I just made ExPat in December and I now have 8 VIPs to use for upgrades. I am planning on using 4 of these for a trip Europe in March. Expert flyer shows only one of my flight options as having class C availability.

My question to the board is does AA typically open up availability closer to the flight (meaning my chances of upgrading are pretty good) or am I too close to the flight dates to realisticly expect an upgrade (meaning its similiar to trying to find a Business class award)?

My most likely routes include DFW-LGW, RDU-LGW(currently available), and MIA-MAD.

Also, I remember from my non-reving days that MIA-MAD was always full, does that still seem to be the case?

Thanks all.