I just booked a flight to LAX, and for both legs of the trip, only preferred seats were available, beginning at $29 per trip. I declined to select seats and only paid the cost of the flight.

I will make sure to check within 24 hours of my flight to see if any "free" seats open up. In the case that there aren't, and I get to the airport on the day of my flight without a seat assignment, will I be forced to pay for a preferred seat?

The flight is this weekend, so I did purchase it in short notice.

Thank you!