We were travelling TPA-LGW on New Year’s Day. 5 of us in 3 bookings with a sole (non status) passenger on their own seperate booking.

4 of us (with status) had pre-selected seats, then about 2 days before travel all seats showed full and wouldn’t allow pre-selection (even if willing to pay).

At T-24 tried to online check-in the sole traveller and got the not possible please try at the airport message. Rest of us checked on online no-problem.

We got to the airport early (at check in opening) and presented the whole party together. Check in agent looked at booking for sole traveller and said he is on standby. Thankfully she then went around to the back offfice and came back with a boarding pass.

So from this experience it seems like they had pre-selected who they wanted to bump (single travellers that hadn’t paid for a seat). If we had not have arrived together so early I imagine that they would have tried to bump him.