Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
"He who gambles his travel comfort on the possibility of an op-up dooms himself to frequent disappointment."
Wise words, indeed...^^
To the OP: Do some research on the airline with the most buy-ups at the gate (UA comes to mind), use some of your leverage (Like the Amex Centurion, for example, there's gotta be some perks there...), and visit the Coupon Connection, to see if you can score some upgrades instruments on the cheapo....
Either way, good luck!