YYZ-YVR booked in December, itinerary shows A333, choose 12A/B. Actual aircraft is newly XM'd (AC 161 March 8), so Y starts row 18. Initially allocated separate seats, finally get two middle together. Boarding, second J cabin full of uniformed FAs busy settling in (could they not have boarded last and lessened the impact?)

The point of this thread is not to raise that old chestnut, irritating as it was, but to question why AC cannot find a better way to deal with its "preferred seating" customers when a configuration change occurs. Before the 777s arrived and the 333s were XM'd, AC went to a more uniform row/seat numbering to try to avoid this, but I see no sign of solving an annoying problem that has been around since the first 777 arrived and Y starts at 18 instead of 12. Why not move everyone back 6 rows (I know, too much hassle).

And I'll deal with the real problem on that trip in a separate email to AC - subsequent leg to YYJ cancelled, no space for the rest of the evening, told to take the ferry. Now to see who refunds unused leg/pays for costs incurred.