No frustration. I'm just trying to have some fun and get others insights on seat assignment logic. I thought about 21B, that's exactly my point. I'm short and broad shouldered. (That doesn't mean fat. Sure I could stand to lose a couple...). My internal conflict is whether I should take the exit legroom of 21B but have to deal with the line for the lav standing with their butts next to me or take my chances on retaining that middle seat...

This board is WAY too serious sometimes :)

I would, like others have suggested, see what it looks like at check in. If you get a nice service rep, then they won't mind looking for you.

My strategy is to take an aisle in a row of three when the opposite aisle is already taken but the middle seat is open - preferably to the front of the aircraft. I confirm as close to boarding whether that seat is still open. Then at boarding (always as early as possible), I toss as much of my crap (book, iPad, headphones) on that middle seat and wait to see what happens.

Sure, I pray like hell when the larger passengers move down the aisle. If they are incredibly attractive woman, I am less stressed. If they are a mother and infant I relax only when it appears that they are looking for an aisle number well out of range.

That said, I paid for only one seat so that is all that I am expecting.

I'm hoping once Economy Comfort service is official, the new class will be protected and people won't be able to move into these seats. That should help a bit.

Of course, if the plane is full, its full and all the people without seats will end up in the EC seats.

I can't speak for how Delta will handle this once they get use to offering EC, but on KLM, if they need seats, they fill them. My wife and I had a window and an aisle on a 777 (3-3-3) and sure enough, KLM put someone right in the middle seat during the final stages of boarding and in speaking with the person, he was unaware of EC or having to pay extra for the seat.

As an executive in the logistics industry, I applaud maximum utilization and revenue yield.

As a passenger, I don't expect that empty seat to last. I was just whining because I never get op-up (which I don't expect or have a right or privilege to) yet the flight is always just shy of full by about 2 seats (except for BE, though ATL-CDG was full). And it's never the seat by the good looking girl, she is always 2 rows behind in the seat I could have chosen...

Epilogue: looks like a bunch of people checked in and chose seats. My middle seat is gone, every aisle and window filled up except for exit rows and 3 more. So I took 21B after all :)

Thanks all for your comments.