Sounds strange. I'm booked on a PNR to AKL next year with another person and we have both been allocated a seat next to each other. I called QF to cross reference another PNR with another two people, and it was all just done on the phone.

On the AKL-MEL trip, it's a little harder (744 over, 738 on the way back) so we can't get 4 seats, but both PNR's did have the people on each respective booking seated next to each other. That was without intervention from QF. The MEL-AKL seating allocations also had both people seated next to each other originally. We just requested the middle 4 seats which was accommodated.

One PNR has a SG and PS, the other has both AA no-status flyers.

Who knows...