The website and the customer service person tell me that I can only get a seat assignment at the airport for the HNL-AKL route. Yet I can use the website for seating on the AKL-HNL route. Both are 777-200. Both PE.
Does anyone know the answer to this mystery?
How soon till the flight? If within 48 hours, then you can't reserve a seat as control of the flight has been handed off to airport operations.
Alternately, if it is a full flight and you're one of the last to try to reserve a seat, then you won't be able to. Apparently around 10% of all seats are kept "unallocated" for discretionary assignment by airport staff. Usually not a problem as it's uncommon for 90% of pax to reserve seats, but if in this instance they have, then that could explain it.
(PS - Don't hold me to the 90% / 10% split ... I might have the exact number wrong).