OLCI for a MR with a Same-Day Turnaround??
 

I have a MR this weekend from DCA-LAS. Right now the outbound upgrade has cleared but they are still holding 6 seats for revenue for the return red-eye flight. At this point I am getting the vibe they will hold all of them until the day of departure at the gate. Usually I would check in 24 hours in advance to secure an upgrade. Does anyone know if you can check in for the return flight without flying the outbound flight? If not am I screwed at an upgrade on the return?

On a side note how many seats does HP usually hold back? 6/12 seems like a lot. It seems I always have a problem getting upgraded at the 7 day window on HP, but on US its usually never a problem.

I was able to do online check in both ways on a same day RT, but I had booked it as two one-ways ... actual business trip PHX/SAN, not a MR. Why don't you upgrade the back leg with miles if they'll let you.

Interesting about your experience with US vs. HP ... I've had just the opposite experience getting upgraded at the 7-day window: works well with HP, but not US. Maybe it's because -- living in PHX -- I'm an HP Elite and you're a US Elite.

Well, problem solved. A call to the HP Plat. line resulted in an upgrade!! :)