Mag,
So let me get this straight, YOUR AIRLINE STAFF ? If so then you should understand why airlines cancel due to weather/delays etc.
As for upgrading - I would love to upgrade airline staff to get them on the flight and have done so in the past but the company policy now is no upgrading. These days the Capt. doesn't even know who is being bumped off flights as the check in staff deal with it and the dispatcher doesn't usually mention it so as with allot of things now it's out of our hands.
Then again if it was up to me I would only upgrade the one's who don't come on PPrune and spout off about the Airline who have just granted them a CHEAP STAFF TICKET.