Originally Posted by
nk15
Is it true that all PG passengers have access to their lounge for free, even without status? Also, does anyone know if seats designated as "preferred" (with an asterisk) on their seatmap have extra charges and why they are preferred? I have reserved seats 1abc on the all economy 320 which are not preferred, but for some reasons seats 1def are designated as preferred (but they look the same), does anyone know why?
Don't expect too much from the lounge, but yes you'll have access if the departure airport has a lounge. It can be very crowded but it's a place to sit with wifi and a modicum of liquids and snacks.
I've never noticed any indication of preferred seating but typically the first 3 rows of Y will be blocked for Premier members, of which I've been for the last 6 years. I just did a few dummy bookings and needed to get pretty high up the fare class listing just to choose seats in front of the exit row (not signed into my account). It's rather surprising you're able to see seats that far up front without either status or a full Y fare.
As for row 1, the seats are generally identical straight across. There's a subset of A319s that have great bulkhead legroom but the rest of the fleet is decent enough.