I am lifetime elite, so this doesn't affect me personally. But I have more sympathy for the OP than the "average" post here. I actually like the idea that they charge for *some* premium seats. That means, for example, the I can usually get a good seat as an elite, even if I am booking a little later. But, I have seen many seat maps that look a lot like what the OP is describing - no real chance for 2 together. (Let's assume that some people are traveling with a spouse or a child or a friend to whom they would like to be seated with). I agree, in principle, that the airlines have the right to set reasonable rules. But what if they said that the cost of any non-middle seat was $50 in advance? That would effectively be $200/round-trip for a connecting flight. Wouldn't that be deceptive if posted on Travelocity (or any other third-party) as $300 round-trip on Airline xx instead of $400 round-trip on Airline yy (which doesn't charge for seats).