Originally Posted by pilotscott
Are you an Admiral's Club member? If so, call your local AC club within 24 hours of your flight and they can give you a seat that is under "airport control". I did this for a flight I had today. I couldn't get anything but a middle seat and my seat showed "unassigned", so I called the EXP line. The agent there couldn't get me a seat, but when I called the AC, they could! I got seat 8A.
Wow! I had no idea about this! I didn't think that the Angels could help you unless you were standing in front of them. Can somebody else confirm independently that s/he was able to get an AAngel to go into a PNR over the phone and make changes?
That said, there are SOME seats that not even AAngels can release. For example, 17ABHJ on the 762/763. (except for UMs and handicapped, of course)