Originally Posted by RoboBR
This has been talked about before here. However, just this week I asked a PC rep at IAH to explain this as it happened to me yet again. I was upgraded at 72 hour window, changed to 1A, then moved to 4B when I checked in online(737-800). I was told that 1B is the 1st class handicapp seat. To make a long story short seats 1A and B can be pre assigned with the understanding that they can be pulled at any time to accomodate a disabled or elderly 1st passenger. Seems fair to me!
This is true...but the system will still automatically remove you from 1A (and probably 1B) just before the 24-hour check-in opens up - regardless of whether a handicapped person has requested that seat it seems.
You can't secure 1A until you actually check-in.
I started a thread on this awhile ago - you can do a search for it.
-RM