Wow - so much anxiety over nothing important.

NSX - I'd agree that it would be nice if WN was more transparent about such things. But WN is already more open then most, under RR 2.0 you know exactly what it will cost to book your award flight and don't have to worry anymore about when and if inventory control will release more award seats on a given flight. On other airlines its a complete crapshoot. And don't get me started on upgrades (of course nobody worries about that issue on WN )

Honestly if you are not paying BS fares you should just assume that you will get your first choice of seat type - i.e. aisle, window, front or rear - but not necessarily an exit row or bulkhead. Sorry but any number of factors can intervene to deny you one of those few crown jewels, from handicaps (in the front bulkhead) to BS flyers, not to mention "through passengers" on most flights except the first one of the day.

So if you somehow get that exit row aisle with your $29 ticket, well, consider yourself lucky. It's not guaranteed. And if you want to switch carriers, be my guest. You'll find that you are not guaranteed exit row on other carriers, though often times you can snag one with elite status and the right timing (I find they often open up as the elites get upgraded). On some carriers you can also guarantee more legroom in E+, but even then if you fly often enough you'll find yourself going standby on some flight due to a cancellation (or a meeting that ended early) and end up in a middle seat. That's the breaks.

As for fairness, it does seem fair that elites who pay the highest fares should get the best seats. Again, you'll find that's usually the case on other airlines too, at least for free upgrades.