The freebie seats are already assigned. All that are left are those premium seats. All the airlines are doing the so you won't find another carrier with out the same process. Delta is even worse. If you look further out you will see that seats available. The seats aren't blocked. They are reserved. Generally people get upgraded so 4 days out start checking seat maps - you can get lucky. If you got kids the airline is pretty darn good getting you seats together for families.