NOT a complaint - just an observation.

Flew LGA-BOS today on the DL Shuttle, and it was my first experience with no assigned seating. I had cleared for upgrade at my medallion window. I still like the idea of no assigned seating, but boarding was kind of confusing.

On GIDS, a ton of people were on the cleared list, maybe three people were still not cleared. GA announced that there was no assigned seating. She said they would board First class first, but didn't call it yet.

As I approached the gate there was basically a mass of people around the gate and then also kind of a vague self-made line. I wasn't sure if these were just gate lice, or a lined up group of Coach passengers, or First (including people who just cleared). I kind of stood to the back of this line. GA then calls First Class. People in front of me don't move, so I scoot past them to the mass of people kind of hovering around the gate. GA is scanning tickets, but no one really makes a line yet. I politely say "excuse me," then a third of the people move aside and the rest move forward en masse. Then it is kind of like a traffic jam merge as eventually it gets to single-file before the GA.

I board and all FC seats are taken except all four bulkheads and one window in the last row. I take a bulkhead.

So, what were my key take-aways?
1. With no assigned seating, gate lice activity is amplified and you don't know who is waiting around for what.
2. Better be quick if you don't want the FC bulkhead or if you want an exit row in Coach