As someone who still flies in a lot of MD-80s, the loss of the early upgrade is a bit of a pain. Getting an upgrade at T-4 is better than not getting an upgrade at all, but holding back 13 seats until T-4 is a bit much. It's just another small annoyance added to all the others.

Just had an upgrade clear---20 hours before flight tomorrow to DTW from PHL. FC cabin on an 175---still 4 available seats. Crazy and a huge change from before.

flying ORD-MIA on the 1st and MIA-SJO on the 2nd.. my MIA-SJO flight got cleared 100hrs before the flight, so 100hrs window still exist in my case, at least for that route.. but my ORD-MIA still havent cleared yet, expertflyer still show 4seats left the last 48hrs i checked..

I've still get them on a somewhat regular basis. Often for 500-700 miles flights (MIA/ATL/CLT/MSY). On longer transcons its becoming rarer, and rarer to even get an upgrade. I remember years back on the 762 JFK/LAX/SFO flights upgrades clearing at T-100 like clockwork. With Revenue Management being forced to justify their means of existence this is the new normal.

That, and I'd imagine people are more willing to pay the big bucks for J on the 32T than the 762.

I feel like most people in this thread don't understand what (my own paraphrasing) "potential for a free upgrade up to 100 hours prior to flight" means.

That's because many FTers stress themselves out worrying that god forbid they might actually have to fly in Y, the cabin they actually paid for.

I got my upgrade SFO-CLT-MIA at T100 (departure date was 6/6), and I got it for both leg at the same time, so the second leg got upgraded T105 +or-.

For me the only upgrades I care about anymore are the JFK-LAX/SFO transcons (when I am not already booked in J because AA is matching Jetblue), and recently, I've just been using SWUs to confirm the upgrade a few days before the flight. I have too many, and I have so many other things to worry about.

Other than the transcons, I really could care less about an upgrade since EXPs get free food and drinks in Y, and I find the F seats on LUS planes to be physically uncomfortable.

As a Plat - SJC-ORD on Tuesday am cleared 12 hours prior. ORD-SJC for today cleared 4 hours before with 2 seats having been open for about 4 days. Guess they figured they weren't selling them :)

My BOS-PHX tomorrow cleared at 05:30 CDT today also. Annoyingly, 23:55 before departure, just inside the meal pre-order cutoff.

Seat map showed 5/16 seats occupied for at least a week. (Yes, I know it's not a reliable indicator...)

Upgrade window or not, there is almost no chance they will upgrade someone when Y is sold out, unless they are doing that thing where they will couple Y and F inventory, relying on gate upgrades to clear out any Y oversells. The best flights for early upgrades are those with a low history of sales of F and plenty of Y inventory open.

I think that's about the only attitude you can take these days. The elite perk game was fun while it lasted, but if someone can't stand flying in economy, they best not book economy.

FTers often have a sky is falling attitude (not talking about the quoted poster specifically) when there are perceived devaluations to elite benefits. I would argue, though, that rather than the game being over, it just means you have to play the game differently.

I've still been able to maintain a relatively high EXP upgrade percentage, because I have found other ways to ensure I'm in First. My flying is now a mix of paid F (usually P fares), miles/copay or SWU upgrades, and complimentary upgrades, and I still rarely end up in Y. By the way, the majority are actually still complimentary EXP upgrades.

Free SDFC, for example, a relatively recent EXP benefit, has allowed me to switch to flights with more F availability on the day of departure (admittedly, it did really hurt when AA took away the ability first to change number of segments and then eventually connection city). Cheaper P fares have caused me to make the decision to just pay for F (or upfare my already purchased Y ticket). Miles/copay and SWUs are self-explanatory -- it can be painful to have to do it, but sometimes you have to pull the trigger and use an instrument when a flight where you thought you had a shot a clearing suddenly doesn't look so good for the free upgrade.

Going forward, the people who are willing to be the most flexible/creative with FF programs are the ones who are likely to find the most benefit in them. Expecting T-100 upgrades on every flight will likely be met only with disappointment and frustration. On FT, it will inevitably lead to threads about "Will [Airline X] match my status" and "I'm done with EXP," but the grass probably won't be any greener, or at least it won't be for long, as FF programs continue to copy each other.

It still happens occasionally, the upgrade on my flight from DFW to LAX on the 5th just cleared and the email timestamp puts it 99 hours and 58 minutes out. Close enough to 100 hours for me ^