UA does upgrade - no matter the ticket type and does not charge extra. I've even been in business in jeans! On another note, AA does not upgrade OA staff, only their own. CO is good about upgrading anyone. I've been on 8 or 10 CO flights over the last 5 to 6 years and have been upgraded more than half the time. On a recent flight from EWR a cust svc agent even came aboard the plane after we had boarded to find us so that he could put us up front!