She

Thanks for the information.

I just checked the app again and we have been assigned seats prior to OLCI. Interestingly they assigned us into a row of 3 that isn’t marked as blocked on the seatmap.

Carol B

I'm flying LHR to EWR in WT+ next Monday. As a silver, I selected 20B (first row of WT+), with the bassinet seat next to me blocked at the time of booking. Today I checked expertflyer and noticed that 20A is not blocked, but appears to be taken. Does this mean it is very likely I will be seated next to a baby, or are these seats available to other groups before T-72. For clarity, I'm not against babies (I have 4 grandchildren) but I will be trying to work during the flight and I am concerned that I may be asked to move seat to allow a family to sit together, thus putting me in a difficult position.

firstlight

It's a bit early for someone (gold or ggl) to force a bassinet seat - normally this can be done only 72 to 36 hours before flight when FLY kicks in. It's always a risk booking a seat next to a bassinet so I suspect in this case it is either taken by a parent and infant or alternatively with someone needing extra legroom (for example assistance passenger with a leg cast).

At this point you could either select a different seat or stick with your choice depending on how lucky you feel...

Carol B

Thank you. The only other available seats are the middle of the middle or the other bassinet seat, but at least I can be prepared.

Trippelone

On my last flights in economy the seat next to me was not kept free. There were plenty of free seats further in the back. Is that perk for golds/ggl’s gone?

higham44

Hope not! Was it your magnetic personality?

TTmex

Other golds can sit in that seat with no issue and gate agents can override it and place someone in there. Morevoer this only kicks in at 72 hours. If someone reserved that seat earlier then there is no block.

PETER01

Also as the flight fills up and from OLCI onwards is full/overbooked-sold etc etc then Theoretical Seating re seat blocks goes out the window.

Maybe the empty seats were no shows or misconnects or other as described above?

That's my understanding anyhow.

orbitmic

I keep reading this on here and keep being puzzled. There has never been a perk of free seat next to ggl/gch as such. At pre allocation time, other gch/GGL’s can see and book the seat next to you without any issue. Of course few will pick a middle seat if they have a choice but they might and sometimes will.

when the flight goes to airport control things may change - seat next to a gch/ggl may or may not be blocked entirely depending on load but often, it will be the same as the pre assignment period with other gch/ggl/owe seeing it. It may or may not be available to pick to others that again depends on loads and on how many GGL’s/gch are in fact on the flight. If flight isn’t packed and you are one of the only owe your chances of the seat (or even seats) next to you not showing as available to anyone with lower status are definitely high but in other cases they may not be. Also, agents at the airport can always override a blocked seat, so if you are front row of y, seat next to you is not showing available but someone without status asks for the front row at the airport, the agent may assign it to them too.

xenole

I've had that a number of times where others around me have had no seatmates and I had as GGL.
Not just in bulkhead exit rows, but say the 2nd row of 2 seats near the back of economy with the 1st, 3rd and 4th having a single traveller.

Glancing at the odd BP they've had in their hand, no apparent mention of status on there.

Trippelone

In all cases there were plenty of seats available. The persons next to me had no status, did not even know that you can’t put bags under the seat in front when seated in an exit row.

PETER01

Maybe they asked at the gate if there were any exit seats going? Did you see their BPs?

KARFA

It definitely hasn't gone, but as you found it doesn't mean no one can select them. In particular, if it is an exit row, you may find people will ask for them at check in.

Tbh if I were sat next to you, and you started interrogating me on how I managed to get that seat, I may well pretend to have no clue either and say I flew twice a year

scottishpoet

theoretical seating is still a thing, it has not been removed

It is not a perk for gold/ggl, seat blocking also occurs for silver.

golds can pick seats beside other golds.
This means silvers further back may keep their blocked seats while golds lose theirs , especially on gold heavy flights

Free seats may also be from people who missed connections.

Best to keep an eye on the seat map in expert flyer from t-72

Finland Station

My humble view is that TS is not worth getting worked up about. Yes, it happens in the background from around T-72, and a seat block may consequently appear in seats next to or around yours. But, and it's a big "but", the instances where that seat block will be surrendered are so many and varied, that there is absolutely no point in wasting any emotional energy on whether any individual seat block sticks or not. Just take pleasure in the occasions on when the TS gods grace you with a free seat next to you, and worry not the process whereby that happened.