The seats I’m referring to appear as blocked on expertflyer with an X on them. I’ve tried numerous times over the phone to secure 6AB but every time the agent says they cannot assign these seats, they can only be assigned at the airport. I also tried live chat yesterday but to no avail.

However, I’ve noticed that sometimes the blocked seats are already allocated weeks in advance. So I was wondering how some passengers manage this. Could skywards status be a factor?