As an EXP, this whole free upgrade thing is almost not worth it these days. I usually travel from San to DFW which I don't think is a major business rout. However, all the upgrades seem to be gate upgrades which many a times means bulkhead seats and also feels like as if I'm waiting around for a "free handout". Isn't the whole point of sitting up front is knowing that you will get a comfortable seat with enough time to board etc?
I realize that AA has to make money by selling F seats but many of us pay extra almost everytime to select AA over other carriers (I can say this very matter of factly that the last 20 or so trips that I booked on AA have all been more than everyone else's fares but i still did it due to the AA status/perks).