Originally Posted by
Lux Flyer
IWhat you're proposing is they give premium customers in coach two seats for the price of one. This is the same attitude as people who think the airlines shouldn't so aggressively sell their FC seats so they can get their free upgrade from coach. And the response to that is the same, if you want an extra seat empty next to you, there is an option to pay for that, but expecting the airline to set it aside just because you're flying in coach, which is what you paid for, is a bit of a stretch. Just like WFBF, want an extra seat, buy an extra seat.
No one is demanding that UA withhold seats from sale so elites can fly with empty middles. The point is that if you have a bunch of empty E+ seats, fill the ones next to the GS and 1K last. For many years, UA proactively blocked those seats so they were the last ones assigned, and it was something many of us took into account in directing most or all of our air travel spend to UA. UA has now stopped doing that, along with various other things that helped build customer loyalty, which is why UA is now my last choice among airlines - despite having the best schedule on my primary route.