Originally Posted by destone

This is incorrect: I was charged £29.99 for a standard seat selection (MAN -> JFK) on an upcoming BAEC-booked Avios booking.

I decided to bite the bullet as not having a seat booked increases your chance of denied boarding during school holiday periods (oversold) as you can’t check in online (BAEC & Avios) and you need to arrive at the airport some 4 hours ahead of flight time.