C'mon empty middle! PRG-JFK
 

I've been Op-Up'd a couple times TATL over the years and my days of hoping are over. But dammit-- gone are the days of 2/3 full planes and no oversell situations to get my PM butt up front. (Sorry to all the DYKWIA haters of international upgrades devaluing your paid BE seat).

Therefore, I'm resigned to hoping for an empty middle seat next to my aisle. And that has even failed time and time again. The front of Y cabin middles are usually "preferential", not allowing general pop passengers to select them until 24 hour check in. So I get the smelly dude in the middle who needs to get up 6 times.

Wednesday I'm on DL211 from PRG to JFK on the 763. As of right now, Expert Flyer shows a ton of availability. Seat map: 18 available BE seats. 22 seats available that are either window or aisle, most on the 2x2 edges. I am currently in 18C (not sure if configured for Economy Plus or whatever it's called) with open middle.

This is more a rant than a question...but can it really be possible that one of 22 people will want that front middle seat before choosing a window or an aisle on the edges over the next 2 days? It seems that crazy things happen in short times. Even if tomorrow's flight is cancelled, the chances of me being in the top 18 in rank (I'm PM on a U fare) to be op-up'd is pretty low. So I'm sure I'll get "that guy" in my middle again...

Wish me luck!

good Luck! Flew PRG-JFK-PRG last week and on the way back, people were racing around right before takeoff trying to grab open seats.....open being next to an unoccupied one....

Out of JFK a PM on a U fare is probably very high up on the op-up list. GMs and even FOs are frequently op-up'd during the summer months.

Yes and here is why: The casual traveller see' "P" and thinks it is REALLY a better seat. They will give up an aisle in the back for a middle in front thinking that the seat is better. Now, with EC you are NEVER going to have a middle seat open because now they really are better seats. The best strategy I have found is to go further back in the plane so that when people ask the GA to "get them closer to the front" you have a better shot that a middle will move vs hoping against hope that the open middle with stay that way.

Not with 22 open seats in Y though....

Your post doesn't make sense. You like aisle seats, but booked 18A (window). On a 767 there are only two seats on the side, so you have 0 chance of an empty middle seat since there are no middle seats on the side.

At least you had the sense to book a window seat (18A) so you are the one climbing 6 times over the other.

Agreed, but was responding to

I think OP just really means empty seat next to him. But who really knows.....:confused:

Sorry, fixed my post. I'm in 18C. My last 8 TATL flights in coach I've tried to jockey my seats and that middle seat always ends up occupied even when at check in it seems like there are plenty of better seat choices than that middle next to me up front. (Though I was in 23C from ATL to CDG and the 18D "EC" was empty middle on a much fuller flight.

I didn't mean that I was hoping for op-up; just speculating that if a tomorrow flight was cancelled for mechanical or whatever, my Weds flight would fill up and I probably would be down the op-up list behind all the DM's in the event of an overstuffed flight.

Different theory
 

I have a different theory for TATL flights going to sky team hubs
I think lots of these flights connect to other flights in Africa (I know not PRG but certainly CDG and AMS)

Seats look empty right up until day of departure

My theory is most of these passengers don't pick seats online, they wait until they get to the airport

And then those seats fill up....

According to Ben Edelman's Site
 

The only other row with an empty middle seat on your flight is 25 (seat 25E on the right aisle is shown as open). Supposedly, they are not to start taking the seats reserved for elites until 2 hours before the flight.

I note that exit row 21B and exit row 20A and 20B are open (row 21 is better than row 20).

Good luck!!!

Op-up for FO
 

Last Oct on a mid week PRG-JFK my wife and I, both FO at that time received op-up to BE on this flight. Weren't moved until we were at the gate for boarding. Lovely flight up there.

Wait until the line at the boarding gate is gone so most everyone is on the plane, then ask the GA if there are any open seat pairs.

I wouldn't wait that long...talk to GA immediately and kindly request two open seats together. Worked like a charm ATL-FRA recently and she was very happy to accommodate me.

Not to be cold, but if it really bothers you to have someone climb over you/bother you don't sit aisle. If you don't want to bother someone don't sit window. If you don't want someone in the middle buy that seat too (at least don't get frustrated if your best strategy doesn't work).

To me, all of this comes with flying on a plane.