So I was under he impression that at gold level, previously unaccessable seats which came available when check in opens are available at time of booking. On a recent flight lax to lhr which was a last minute change, no exits or bulkheads were available even at bag drop. Now once on the plane there were at least 11 free seats on the top floor (surely not all no shows). Does anyone know why they block out these seats so not even flyers with status can get them?