i thought i would add my 2 cents to this discussion also. i recently flew ROC-SFO and got treated to some fantastic E+ seats i didnt even ask for. In the first case the wife and i had booked A and C of a 3 seat row assuming the middle would stay empty. it didnt despite the plane having 10-12 empty seats. when i asked if we could be put together she took all 4 of my tickets and tore them up. she gave me back not only E+ but E+ EXIT ROWS. on both legs of the flight. i was shocked. i honestly did not ask for them.

but the return trip is an even better story. SFO to IAD as you guys know is a long 5 hour flight. the wife and i booked an a/b row. they made us use easy chicken at SFO and first the machine asks if i want E+ for $100 each. that was crazy since the tickets were only $300 so i passed. but then the machine spit out B and G seats. so at the gate i asked if there was any way we could sit together since i booked it that way. i showed her my confirmation e-mails and everything. she took my coupons and said give me until everyone is on board and then come back and see me. i said ok.

we waited the 15-20 minutes and wham there it was again. A and B in E+ in an EXIT ROW.

trust me these were very enjoyable flights. i am not a 1k or anything close although i do usually fly united and have the united credit card which may have scored the necessary points for me but i was still shocked and happily surprised.

for those of you who know they gave us 30 A and B on the 777 from ORD to SFO. those seats are about as good as you can get if not in one of the 2 classes above it

not sure what it all means. like i said just adding my 2 cents.