every so often i decide to attempt to burn miles for a domestic transcon upgrade. as usual there was no availability for an april ewr-san diego round trip. i asked to be put on the waitlist and it appears on my reservation record. does anyone have any recent experience with the domestic upgrade waitlist or is it for cosmetic purposes only?

I've had pretty decent success with snagging them for domestic. I mainly go to leisure destinations, so the success is better. Most of the time they don't get released until the day of the flight, so I head to the PC a bit early and ask them to check the waitlist. Mileage upgrades trump all elite upgrades, so make sure you let them know it is a mileage upgrade and you'll be at the top of the list. The PC won't be able to do the boarding pass but one will be waiting at the gate for you.

If you don't have PC access, just be nice to the GA's and they usually take care of you. A little niceness goes a LONG way with the GA's, if you see a red coat they are usually much better. All in all, I've had good luck with CO's airport staff no matter where I fly, except EWR.