If WN does this right, the lack of assigned seating could be seen as a plus for frequent flyers. Has anyone noticed how hard it is to get "decent" assigned seats on most airlines these days -- especially if you book in the last few weeks?

Heck, last week I tried to get 3 seats together on a NW flight 3 weeks in advance. As a CO platinum, I'm a "sky team elite plus" member supposedly entitled to "elite seating." The flight's not at a peak time, nor was it particularly busy. But because NW has subdivided their coach cabin into so many classifications (some of which they're trying to sell), it was impossible for them to find 3 seats together for me. I'm supposed to go on line 24 hours before flight time when more seats get released. Who needs that hassle?

Done right, "open seating" could be better. I just don't want to be confronted by dozens of people "camping out" on line an hour before my flight. I just want to relax and board when called (and still get a decent seat).