Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
It’s not “as of late”, it’s been like this for years and years in J/Y+/Y (not F). Elites with sufficient status (BA or Oneworld) are exempted from the fees.
And apparently tickets bought by certain corporate clients. One of my few business trips was on BA and I was surprised that I could pick a seat without paying for it. As I recall, I found some explanation either in the BA forum or on the BA site. Of course, that doesn't help with award tickets.