Need upgrade advice from Ohio based elites
 

I am finalizing my move to Japan early in June and want to take as much as I can this time as checked luggage. I'll be able to fly out of CMH preferably or CLE as a fairly easy alternative.

Can the Ohio elites give me some advice as to the best upgrade chances for a Plat on a T fare out of CMH or CLE? This way I get 3 checked bags rather than 2.

I see the CMH-EWR flight is a DH4 so that is out of the question.
CMH-IAH is a 735
Looks like the early CLE-EWR flight is a 738 and CLE-IAH is a 739, but I assume more plats fly from CLE??

I don't know what day of the week I'll be going yet, Saturday would be nice but its starting to look like I may have to make it a monday (darn double EQM promo, why does it have to end on monday, lol).

Just some general plat upgrade advice from CMH or CLE would be helpful... PIT is even a very remote possibility though the fare is a bit higher.

I can't give advice as a plat, but as a gold I'm 9/10 on upgrades this year including 2/2 CLE-IAH segments. It just depends on the day.

You will still earn dEQMs on that Monday. I think your best day (assuming the plane type does not change) is the Saturday.

CMH-IAH upgrades clear on the 5-day mark pretty regularly, but can be difficult on days when there's only one mainline plane (especially when it's a 735) on the route.

I think if I can go out on Saturday the 13th I may risk the CMH-IAH and hope for the advance upgrade. It is like you said a 735 during that whole week, and Saturday is only 1 mainline per day.

If I go on Monday the 15th I think I'll just take the CLE-EWR option since for some reason even economy pax going to NRT via EWR get 3 checked bags free.

I really prefer CMH to CLE since the place I'm going to be in Ohio is about 2 1/4 hours closer to CMH than CLE but since my 3rd checked item is actually a bike, I really don't feel like paying the $135 extra item fee on top of the $100 I'm already going to get tagged with for taking a bike.

Thanks for the advice from those of you who fly from those airports, gives me a better idea what to expect. I'm used to getting upgraded about 100% of the time on the rare mainline flights we have here out of MCI but I rarely go east so wasn't sure what to expect over there.