As per SBM12, the gold/platinum privilege is available to select online exit row seating. I searched Continental.com for reference to this policy but could only find the following Sept. 15 '06 agency alert:
Continental revises seat assignment policy.
Effective September 15, 2006, Continental Airlines will implement two policy changes in regards to seat assignments booked via Continental reservations or continental.com. The policy changes are:
Seat assignments will be provided to ticketed customers only.
Exit row seats will now be assigned in advance to ticketed Platinum Elite customers only.
However, Continental will continue to allow Travel Agency professionals to assign seats for all customers, regardless of ticket status, through their GDS or by calling the Executive Accounts Desk at 1-800-451-1000. Continental will also allow Travel Agents to call the Executive Accounts Desk to obtain exit row seats for any Elite level customer (Platinum, Gold and Silver).
According to CO Insider below this policy was shortly rescinded (Nov '06) to allow Gold elites to book/change online the exit row seats. (Although there is no documentation on the Continental.com website to document/verify this fact - Maybe CO should add this to the Elite Status benefits page!.)
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...gold+selection
Exit Rows - New Policy for Platinums and Golds
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Well, just when this topic was sinking to page three, we're going to stir things up once again. I'd first like to thank many of you for your feedback regarding our Exit Row pre-assignment policy. The feedback from our customers, especially here on FlyerTalk, is something we do take to heart. As I'm sure you've read in many of the posts from this thread, there were a lot of good suggestions as to how we might re-shape this policy. In turn, we modeled many of the suggested scenarios, and ultimately decided on a change that shouldn't dillute this benefit and won't be complicated.
Effective today, we've updated our Exit Row pre-assignment policy to include our OnePass Platinum and Gold Elite members, Northwest WorldPerks Platinum and Gold Elite members and to SkyTeam Elite Plus members from our other SkyTeam Partners. All remaining customers will still be able to assign Exit Rows at check-in, including online check-in at continental.com. Here are some important details to note:
1. It's not yet available online for some of you. Until we're able to change this logic at continental.com (which will likely be Q1 2007), all OnePass Gold Elites, WorldPerks Platinum and Gold Elites and other SkyTeam Plus members will need make these requests over the phone. In the mean time, only OnePass Platinums will have access to assigning exit rows in advance online.
2. We've just started to communicate this change. This updated policy is very new and is still very much in the process of being circulated internally. As with any time we change a policy, it sometimes takes a little time for it to fully circulate to our front line. Please be sensitive to this when calling in, especially over the next week.
Thank you again for your feedback. We really do appreciate it.
I just completed my first flight segments as Gold in March '08 and I was able to select exit row seats for my 752 flights. Although the crew rest seats 16D/E/F did not open up until T-48hrs so I couldn't snag 16D until that time (note: aisle 15 is none reclining exit and I wasn't interested in those seats for the 752). Anyway I had complete access online to select the exit row seats from the beginning of my reservations which was T-3weeks as a Gold.