Seat shifters - what’s going on here?
 

Stuck with a crap seat? You've got a choice of half the cabin ?

DYKWHI ?!?

Maybe the seat was blocked by staff?

I imagine our intrepid traveller was in such a rush that we didn't get many details so couldn't check what was going on. From the timing it could have been the JFK service, which would be G-VIIO and that's one of the refurbs. Assuming on assumption here, but if it was Club World there are just 8 window seats since there are only 32 seats in CW. Hopefully the CSM sorted something out but I wouldn't say no to a middle pair, and 4E/F would be good seats in my book - this is the one on the only bulkhead (since CW is one cabin) and has direct aisle access.

I got an email earlier this morning telling me I'd been seat shifted. Expected the worse as I've got some CW (64K on a 747 etc.) bookings coming up, but just moved from 10a to 24a on a DUB-LHR flight.
At least I ended up remaining in an exit row rather than some random seat, although I've someone in the aisle with nearly every other seat empty (including 3 exit rows).

I wonder if it's got anything to do weight distribution for take off. And then afterwards you can sit wherever you like.

or is that an urban legend?

That happens a lot, usually when we are coming to the end of the season. We regularly are told not to move anyone on lightly loaded flights . They are free to move seats in the cruise phase but have to sit in thier assigned seats for take off and landing. Whether it happen here, no idea. (I don't work for BA just another airline)

I concur: I took a fairly empty 767 to ARN last year, sitting in the Y cabin window seats. As soon as the tannoy came across "cabin crew that's boarding complete" several people leapt up and moved, only to be politely scolded by crew who asked them to return to their original seats until after take off.

Seen some QR seatmaps recently going out with the entire front part of Y blocked and everyone shifted into the rear cabin...

I'd always thought that was in case the worst happened, and would aid identification.

Back in the days when seat assignments were done at the checkin desk by selecting sticky tabs from a diagram of the aircraft cabin and attaching them to your boarding pass there were rules displayed on the diagram regarding the distribution of passengers around the cabin. After 50 years or so I cannot remember the details.

Passenger weight distribution can be important, even in the cruise. I recall a student charter flight where most of us had gathered around a guy with a guitar, who happened to be sitting towards the rear of the cabin. After a while a message was relayed from the flight deck asking if some of us could move forward, as the weight at the back was affecting the trim. But that was on a Super Constellation in 1960 and similar considerations may not be so important on more recent types.