Originally Posted by
DYKWIA
I believe all seats (other than exit row) are free once OLCI opens.
The seat map may be empty because not many people have paid for their seats... they're all thinking the same as you
However, I think that EK pre allocates seats to everyone when OLCI opens. I am not 100% certain that this is the case, but I have heard that it happens.
So in that case, the choice can be pretty limited, especially if the load is high.