I don't think some of you understand this. Before this, you could not book your seat in advance, except for the 24 hours before your flight. You can still book our seat for free if you check in online in the 24 hours. IF you want to book your seat before that, then you pay. It's an added option. Something you can use if you want to, but don't have to if you don't want to. I don't see how this is worth changing airlines for...