Originally Posted by
fumje
You will not get a bill for 7 E+ seats, but if there is a seat shuffle, for instance because of tail swap, then the other 7 will be reseated without E. If you're still on the same flight at that point, you can call to ask that they be put back with you, assuming you're still in E+. (An agent might not make that last distinction but probably would.)
gold23 should not need to outlay for the E+ seat 'cost' given 1K/Platinum status, and the seat stays assigned until an upgrade clears.
Thank you. This is what I was hoping. I am going to book myself into an E+ seat, then try to upgrade into J (at which point they'd separate me from my companions). Wanted to confirm they wouldn't be hit with the E+ charges after the fact.