Originally Posted by
Robert Leach
That is just not true.
For years, there have been multiple configurations of the 757 (long before NW was even a consideration). Some of the 757s had 22 in F, some had 24, some had 26. There was a generic seat map for advance seat assignments that included all of the seats common to all three versions, but when the ship number was actually assigned to the flight (usually somewhere 4-12 hours out), the seat map would change to reflect the actual F configuration.
Many a time I was in a less desirable seat, or was split up from a traveling companion, but I would be able to grab 6A/6B (or 7A/7B) when the seat map updated once a ship number was assigned.
So, from personal experience, I know that Deltamatic can handle this function. Perhaps that function has been removed now that IT is being tinkered with, but historically it was something that was done.
I would guess is they can't have different seat maps for the same model -- no problem with 757-300 being different than a 757-200 but here we have the same model -- 319 -- with two different seat maps. They could have invented a 319A model to handle the unmodified planes but that raises other issues.