I just completed an utterly frustrating call with a perfectly pleasant customer service agent whose hands were tied by BA's rigid policies. I was asking the agent to allow me to select a seat, rather than wait for the day prior to boarding. If BA had status matching, they would avoid such requests. What I'm learning is that it is painful to switch alliances with an inflexible carrier. I'll have earned BA Silver by the time I board the flight in question, but the system will not have had time to recognize my newly earned status, so for now, I am subject to Blue-level treatment. The failure of the company to reciprocate my commitment, since I have already booked and paid for flights that will eventually accrue BA Gold status, is perplexing. It feels a bit like hazing and, as such, does not entice high status flyers to switch to BA. While none of this comes as a big surprise, somehow I thought the airline would be reasonably flexible once I demonstrated my commitment. Oh well, others beware!