I wish this could improve for status pax. Situation (for me as a DM):

1.) Seat block cannot be requested beforehand. Sure, MPC will "request" the seat be blocked for you, but I've found that to be about as reliable as finding WMD in Iraq.

2.) It seems seats are "automatically blocked" for me when the flights have pitifully low yields. At check-in: "Your seat has been blocked for you Mr. XX". Translation: Flight has around 7 passengers on it.

3.) Seat blocks are not automatically assigned during flights with crucial loads, like the 60-90% range. Which leads me to 4....

4.) Seat blocks are not automatically held next to me even after I do on-line check-in. This is the critical flaw, in my opinion. Like yesterday PEK-HKG....when the load in Y was about 60%, yet the seat I selected in the first section of Y was taken and checked-in by another pax by the time I got to the airport. It wasn't selected when I did OLCI, but was gone about 24 hours later when I got to the airport.

5.) In order to actually guarantee myself a seat block I have to show up at the check-in counter very early and have them do it for you manually. Why? Well, since they can only do it via staff on the ground it seems, you want to make sure you get to the airport/Airport Express before not too many pax have checked in, to give yourself ample seats left to choose from in hopes that there are still a pair together and you can switch (so you can snag one and tell them to block the other). I would say I have to move my seat between OLCI and arrival at the check-in counter 75% of the time in order to secure a seat block. The way they do it is someone has to call "control" - whatever that is - at the Airport Express station in Central, where I frequently check-in (or at PEK, where I find myself frequently also, the lady with glasses at the far left-hand side of the check-in desks, to the left of the first class check-in. Btw, ditch the first-class check-in and go talk to her...far more productive).

6.) When I can't show up at the check-in counter early (approx 2 hours should usually do it), I find myself playing roulette and often SOL if the flight is pretty full. Inevitably it's just a probabilities game there. Of course if it's overfull I get the op-up usually, but I just find this a tad frustrating. UA has something that auto seat blocks the seat next to premier pax, and it seems to unlock them automatically based on status (based on not-very-empirical evidence with colleagues and family, of different status levels with UA Mileage Plus).

Hence.....

This is the major annoyance. Knowing that a seat block is very feasible as a DM, but that it has nothing to do with when you check-in, select your seat, buy your ticket, whatever whatever. It ONLY has to do with when you actually physically arrive at the check-in counter. Ironically, the days when I have an easier day and am flying to PVG, PEK, SIN etc. I can arrive at check-in 2 hours early, and get the seat block. But days when my schedule is packed with meetings, I'm busy as he!! and it would be really nice to have the extra room (but unfortunately can't spare an extra minute to show up to the check-in counter early) I am SOL!

Mind you, these are minor travails of someone who is on CX or KA multiple times every week. So this could very well be minutia. But has anyone else (consistently....) had this experience as well? Seems like something rather easy to fix