OLCI should be first-come, first-served, as should the airport--apart from the occasional guaranteed seat for a last-minute Platinum customer. Unless the flight's monstrously overbooked, you should be fine.

I don't know how big a deal a trip to the airport is for you. I live about 20-30 minutes from LAX, so if I have a major seat issue (if I'm traveling coach to Europe on KLM, for instance, and want an exit row seat--they're only assigned at the airport) I sometimes run down to the airport to check in 6 hours early, then go home for a while. People think I'm crazy, but I'm batting 1000 on exit row seats for two years running.

Hey.....look at it this way...my refusal probably gives the bump to another FTer! Seriously, I wonder how many Florida bound Minnesotans would want to take a bump this time of the year. I swear I haven't seen the sun here in weeks

Thanks to everyone for the input. I've been a FT lurker for years who finally came out from hiding.

If you are holding a confirmed reservation you have as much right as anybody to fly. If the plane is oversold and everybody shows up they will ask for volunteers, and they nearly always get them. It is exceeeeedingly rare that an airline has to INvoluntarily bump anybody--chances are excellent that somebody will volunteer for the compensation. Chances are good that you will get a seat assignment at 24 hour check-in, and if you don't, then be at the gate about an hour early, because generally one hour to flight time is when the gate will be staffed to be sure that the gate agent knows of your seat-less-ness and will get you one.

For this Saturday's flight (AZO-DTW-STL), the upgrade was processed by Tuesday 6 p.m. even though I (Gold) haven't gotten the e-mail notification yet. I am sure that will come on Wed night/Thu morning, or 3 days before like the rules say.

This kind of early processing seems to be happening quite often.

I'm surprised many of you are getting advanced notifications!

Just got off with the Gold line and found out that the EUA hasn't yet run on my Saturday flight from BNA-MSP (continuing on to HNL), with R class availability! The agent checked the history of the flight's EUA (whatever that means).

Is this possible? We're less than 72 hours out from flight time now with 4/16 seats occupied on this A319 (apparently, more Airbii are shipping over to Nashville). I always thought the EUA ran in the late afternoon or evening of the night it's supposed to run. I guess this just reconfirms that there's no rhyme or reason to the workings of the elusive EUA.

Following the advice of this thread, I've been checking seat availability often and at differing times of the day. At 5:15, there was no availability. At 9:30, I snagged myself an aisle seat! Some lucky Gold obviously got upgraded earlier this evening. THANK YOU for your assistance and encouragement; I feel much more assured of seeing the sun this weekend!

By the way, I got seat 36-C with seat 36-B still empty. Of course, some couple joined at the hip will probably want to sit together in those two seats and will want to banish me to seat 38-E......oops, wrong thread

Thanks again, everyone.

Well, my first trip as an elite is Sunday. STL-DTW-LGA, leaving STL at 7am. It is 8:45 a.m. Friday and I just checked and found myself now seated in first class on both legs, so that is nearly a 48 hour upgrade. And that opens up a Row 5 seat on the DC9 and an exit row seat on the 320. I'm pretty pumped. Now just to get the upgrade on my Tuesday LGA-MSP flight, the only one that really matters.

Not a bad way to start off your elitehood.

Congrats and many upgrade wishes to you.

I agree with Slippahs, this is nice, congratulations.

Watch out, these upgrades are addicting. This whole elite thing really does work for loyalty.

The issue of taking a bump or not is really variable on what is important to you at the time. I took a bump once to Grand Cayman when I was the only one willing and they were desperate. I was a college student then. There, the prepaid condos/dive packages, etc., were more than the compensation so no one else could "afford" it. I was crashing on my grandmother's couch and had not much to lose with still plenty of time on the beach. Part of the deal was an upgrade which was the only time at the time I ever had that chance. The $500 I got was money I really couldn't get any other way so easily. I was pleased as punch.

Now, I am extremely reluctant to take a bump as I will very likely pretty much always lose MUCH more money than they would ever compensate me (read - have office overhead, but no revenue if I am not in the office, could have pissed off customers and referral sources with an unscheduled absence, lose goodwill - $300-$600 would hardly dent the loss). Now, it is not worth it and I will gladly leave the bumps to other FTers who very much want them.