I think that flyers like PremEx and auh2o rightly enjoy perks that are not normally available to the run-of-the-mill 1K flyer. To somehow infer that these can be naturally extended to the "unwashed masses" (one of which am I) strains credibility.

I used to routinely ask the Premier Customer Relations for help "shaking something out of the tree" with revenue/inventory/whatever management, and they responded by clearing every upgrade request. I haven't used this approach in the last 12 months as I only book/ticket flights where I can confirm an upgrade.