I agree with you about the first point (that they're not allowed to).

One time at SFO, I asked how the upgrade list was looking. This was a week after I had an incident with the system upgrading an E35K over me, so I really wanted to make sure the list was sane. The agent said there was one seat, and the first person on the list was Super Elite. I was satisfied with that answer, so I left it at that.

As for your point about concierges...I disagree. One time at YYZ, I asked how my upgrade looked. The concierge looked it up, then rudely said "WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE THE FLIGHT HASN'T CLOSED YET". Utter nonsense. She just didn't want to tell me that even as SE, I was something like 10th on the list. I at least had a lounge agent tell me I should go eat dinner before the flight (which is what I really wanted to know). The gate agent is the one who told me they had only processed one upgrade, there were a lot of Super Elites, and I was "in the top 10".

Wow, it was not your lucky day. This is a 7-sigma event that can happen only once in 2,479 years.

Yes it's absolute chaos at UA because the upgrade wait list is posted on the app as well as a screen at the gate. Mayhem ensues because people have a good idea as to whether their upgrade might clear or not.

^^^

LOL! But you know how 'sound' AC IT is... it would be utter chaos at the gate.

I recently had a frustrating experience because I was trying to book last minute on an M flight pass during spring break. No availability on any flights ATL-YYZ-YVR-YYJ, so I had to book terminating in YVR, I flew my first segment, and between leaving ATL and arriving YYZ M space opened up on YVR-YYJ. I was pleading with the concierge to do something to get me my final segment, which they couldn't/wouldn't.

Now to the relevant part of this story. I asked about the upgrade list on my YYZ-YVR flight and received a similar line to cow. "We can't tell you what your waitlist position is until the flight is closed at xx:xx, at that time ask the dragon if your upgrade cleared." But before that told me that they mentioned "unless a MM gets on the list..." Low and behold there was only one open J seat on that flight and I was the only one upgraded at the gate.

I'm wondering if this whole stance of yyz concierges not telling you list position until the flight is closed is a new policy.

The change fee on a flight pass is only $75, right? Not that I'd enjoy paying it in that situation, but it's not like buying a last minute YVR-YYJ fare. Or can you make ticket changes to flight pass bookings after departure?

It's funny, because the week before my little concierge story, the YUL upgrade system screwed up, and put me at the bottom of the list. I had a conversation with the YYZ concierge about it when I arrived, just to ask what I can do next time. She said "Oh just call us, and we'll tell you how it looks, and monitor it for you so you can be sure it will be done right!"

That is the impression I received. I think there was an 'issue' a few months back which caused the policy change.

I suspect a Joe Kickass raised a huge stink about something and now that rules is much more strictly enforced

Strange and I got precise info today from both concierges' in YUL and YYZ regarding two flights whereby "I can confirm as of now" I am #1 on the list....go figure.

Well, after departure you can't change the destination. Even though I wanted the same flights with one extra tacked onto the end. A reasonable request given the circumstances I thought but I guess there would be lots of room for abuse if you could just change your destination after you'd started a trip, for $75 a shot.

Moral of the story? Book SFO-YYZ-YUL if you want to fly to YYZ, but think you may want to go to YUL.

I don't really understand why a reasonable request would be refused though. Adding YYZ-YVR onto SFO-YYZ is very different from adding on YYZ-YGK.