26 for 30 ytd.

The level of premier really doesn't seem to matter much anymore since the upgrades are sorted by fare.

Welcome to Flyertalk, but what makes you think that??

Upgrades are processed by status then by fare. The only exception is Y/B, which lower level elites can jump ahead of higher level. But if a silver is buying a Y or B fare, IMO they should be jumping ahead of a 1K on a low fare.

What if it is a Silver on a government Y-fare, which likely didn't cost any more than a non-government employee S-fare?

I actually cleared 3 of 4 segments (including IAD-SFO) today, on an L fare, at the 1K window. Then I had to cancel the trip. C'est la vie. Well, at least a mid-week, off-peak-time-of-day trip finally cleared--I'd had a spate of them fail of late.

+1. SFO based. I can count on one hand the number of times an upgrade has cleared this year. And these days I don't even get upgraded on SFO-LAX, which used to be a layup (last year). I would say it's getting worse as they "calibrate" the TODs and improve the yield on their offers. I have even been reduced to buying the TODs a couple of times, which I suppose is exactly what's intended. Other than the bonus miles and the upgrade certs (which in the case of CR1s are few and far between these days), my 1K status has become pretty useless.

Once I hit 1MM in a few months I will be free. Future longhaul flights this year and next are on LH, SIN and ANA. Shorthaul are Virgin (thanks for the match and easy requal). Medium haul (say, SFO-ORD) are AA/Virgin. I might take the occasional UA transcon flight if it's the cheapest. We'll see. But UA international? No way if there's an alternative.

They're ahead of anybody who doesn't have a Y fare (except maybe GS?).

Find me more than 2 or 3 YCAs that are less than S fares and I'll happily change my post.

This is beyond misleading. Upgrades are sorted by Premier status. There is a minor exception for Y/B fares, but even within that space, a GS Y overrides a 1K Y.

Let's not start with anti "government Y" discussions. (I'm not one of those employees).

Ok, then W fares, which you can't buy last minute or one-way like you can with government fares.

Exactly why not?

As a 1K on a B fare, that government employee on his once a year flight to DC gets upgraded ahead of the 1K.

I think s/he was just confused.

He does? But he's not premier.

I stand corrected. Make them a silver government employee member on his infrequent cross-country trips.

That's more like it

Why have they not changed this yet! It's ridiculous that someone spending $2K a year gets ahead of someone spending $15K+. (Yes I know some get 1K cheaper - most don't). The major beneficiaries of this scheme are VX and AA.

It's not exclusive to government fliers. Plenty of negotiated corporate contracts provide travel in full Y for a deeply discounted price. @:-)