I apologize if my title sounds like some sort of bad joke. I'm flying to BUD in a few weeks with the gf. We're both on the same locator as I bought the tickets together.

We're leaving IAD to FRA and then transferring to an LH flight to BUD. I was able to pick the seats on the UA 777, but not on LH. My two questions are....

1) What are the chances of getting into E+ as a *Gold without paying?

2) When can I pick my seats for my LH flights?

Thanks, and good luck with the merge...