As an NW Plat, I have been fortunate to have great success with companion upgrades for fiancé/now wife. In the one instance where I was upgraded but she was not, I took her coach seat and put her up front. My reasons:

1) I travel in F most of the time, she does not.
2) While I am away from home earning the miles to get to Plat, she is home alone.
3) It was nice to take a ride in coach to remember