Originally Posted by
mgcsinc
This. I think people are trying to make something out of nothing when it comes to this X vs. XN booking stuff. If you're XN-eligible (which, for right or for wrong, Explorer card people appear to be), and both are available, then it books you at its whim. There have been terrified posts in the past to the effect of "OMG it booked me into X, what am I going to do, I won't get any of my benefits!" But in the end, it seems not to matter, IIRC.
Sorry, not trying to make something out of nothing. Since I'm a GM now, I observed something I thought interesting enough to mention on FT.
Edited to add: first trip as a GM in about 8 years. Sat in E- for the first time in forever for the first segment. Did not select seats at booking and for the second segment ended up all four of us in E+. Much better experience than last summer on UAL.