The upgrading of a non-elite by an elite at no cost, based on the status of the elite, either at EUA, manual, or at the gate.

If that is true, it is not reflected in the elite benefits on nwa.com:
"from any paid fare" vs. "booked within the same reservation"

Good suggestion. Forward it to the powers that be at NW.

To be specific: I was talking about in-advance elite seating requests, not battlefield ones. Once you are in the terminal, all bets are off. Typically, my leisure flights are either booked well in advance, or on nearly empty flights, because I am cheap.

In any event, when calling the elite services line, I've been told more than once that if my separate-record companion is a minor child, I can move them to elite seating, but otherwise not.

This is really starting to tick me off. Two more situations I've encountered. Using any E-certs means you can't have the reservation together and thus can't sit with your non-elite companion. Even if you use two of the same e-certs, one for each passenger, you can't be on the same reservation. Lots of good my mechanical delay e-certs are unless I'm flying alone...and who wants to use coupons for business travel?

If you buy one ticket and use miles for the other, again it can't be put on same reservation and you can't sit together.

If you haven't already, send an e-mail to customer care to let them know how ridiculous this policy is.

Another way it makes no sense -- have to cancel a leisure trip to take a more expensive business trip and use the credit later on. Have to book two separate reservations.

Or if you use miles from two separate accounts.

As someone who often flies on a cheap ticket with my fiance who's on a Y or B ticket (he flies to my hometown for business a lot), this policy bugs me A LOT. He's in the exit row and they refuse to put me in the seat next to him -- instead giving me a middle toward the back (because I often book fairly close to departure).

Time was, in the not-to-distant past, when a situation like this (parents and children separated) cropped up, the GA would look up who could be moved and call their name over the PA to try re-accommodate people. I was once the beneficiary of an exit row seat for this (okay this is going back a ways, late 1990s), and I know someone else who received an op-up (a couple of years ago). Fact is, the GAs I have come across lately don't want to do diddly for anyone anymore, at least it seems that way :(. NW's great FAs, GAs and CSRs were key to building my loyalty but they're not doing much to keep me around anymore.

One thing that I have found is that agents at WorldClubs seem to be able to put people together in Premium/Exit Rows, even for flights a few weeks off. They don't call the Seating Desk or whatever, they just smile, type away, and print out a new reservation confirmation. Helps if you're nice to them (duh).

On one occasion I did this, and both I and my girlfriend somehow ended up rebooked in Y (from a K fare!). Don't know how that one happened, but I didn't say anything either..

Excellent tip for those that use coupons and have different PNRs. Thanks.

Is it at all possible for NW agents to put 2 tickets on the same PNR if they have different start points? I'm traveling to Oslo with my non-Elite mother, but she will start from TPA while I will start from MSN. Premium seats together on the transatlantic portion would be nice. I will be purchasing both tickets.

Yes. The agents can, if they so desire, do pretty much whatever they want in terms of seat assignments provided that they keep the travelers in the class of service to which they are entitled.

You have a very good case for adjacent transatlantic seat assignments. Ask nicely -- and, if necessary -- call back and I expect you will be accommodated.