I don't think this is a biggie for us non-status pax either. You can still select seats on check-in, and as I'd assume most people are not ready to pay the fee, this should only mean a wider selection if you do an online check-in.

That is except the Flybe ATR:s though (I assume they are going to apply this to those aswell), I think they should simply go with free seating there, to avoid the constant moving people towards the back show.