IIRC-If you book via a travel agent, you cannot select your seat on EK website unless you check in 24 hours before. If you book on Emirates, you choose your seat straight awya.
To Pickle1This is the Emirates Skywards Forum-related to Emirates only. If you have any queries about IB then you should go post in the Other European Airlines Forum where more people will be able to help you. And yes, Iberia will feed you on the NYC-MAD service, although food isn't that great from what I hear, especially in Economy.