As most everyone else is saying, I don't think you have a case, erikpascal. But you can try anyway, it won't hurt to ask.

I use miles or certs to upgrade because, as already mentioned, it gives me a guarantee. The operational upgrades are a sketchy thing to try to predict. But I try anyway. There are just some flights where this is likely. For those flights, sometimes I deliberately don't use my miles/certs to upgrade ahead of time because I'd rather roll the dice. Most of the time, I lose. Yes, I said *most* of the time. There are still other times when I don't think I'll get upgraded either way, but they manage to surprise me. So it all evens out in the end.

If you want to know my opinion, don't ever pay full fare just to pay less miles for the upgrade. It's just not worth it.

Happy trails.