Hmmm, well I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you about broken seats and such-like. A little while back we had 1A & 1K on a 747 service from JFK to LHR. At on-line check-in we’d been shifted to 5E & 5F to accommodate a party of four (non-status pax) who were now occupying 1&2A and 1&2K.
Doc Copper