Although I have 463k miles in the UA Mileage Plus programme and close to 150k with DL, I am quite new to the game of cashing them in for air tickets or using them for upgrades. I've just kept flying and flying and have actually been very fortunate quite often to be upgraded without having to use any miles. I found this web site about two weeks ago and have been checking in every day since. One thing I am not quite clear on are some of the abreviations. Can someone please clarify what SWU's are? I've just recently booked a trip to Australia departing LAX on the 22nd of December and have requested to upgrade using my miles. I have been waitlisted for the upgrade and I was wondering if this is normal and if so what the chances are of a seat in J coming open. Are the upgrades using mileage always placed on a waitlist or are they sometimes confirmed even months in advance? Thank you to anyone who can answer this virgins questions.