Even when I was Global360 for a year, they made it clear that I had to purchase the class of service below D1 (premium select on most flights now, but some comfort+ is out there still), and then use a certificate.

I got a status upgrade to D1 once at the gate in Atlanta on a flight to Dubai in the 2013/14 timeframe, but that was the last time I've ever seen that happen.

So, not saying it's impossible, but in my experience, it has been a long time since I've seen it.

Plus... the fact that he mentions 2 seats in D1 suggests he burned the 4 annual certs on round-trip upgrades for 2 people.