So I'm flying tomorrow from Seattle to Austin and not able to pick my seat until check-in this evening since I'm flying Delta economy. Do you know if they will assign you a better seat (ie, not a middle seat!) the earlier you check in? Or is it dependent on when you actually bought the ticket? Or is there no rhyme or reason as to what seat you get assigned to you?

You'll get to pick your seat from the ones that are available when you check-in. Whether or not aisle, window or middle will be available depends on passenger loads, how many people paid extra for preferred seating and how many people have checked in before you. Check-in as soon as your "window of opportunity" opens for best selection but they could all be middle seats. You won't know until you try.

Even if you are stuck with a seat you don't like you might still be able to change it. When you check into the self-serve kiosk (or reservation desk) at the airport, double check again what is available. Sometimes things (better seats) end up showing up nearer flight time.

Many airlines charge extra for advance seat selection. If you had chosen Delta Comfort+ you could have picked out the seat when you bought the ticket -- at a higher price, of course.

DH and I just flew West Jet via Delta YYT>YYZ . When we were unable select our seats online at the time of our booking, we called the airline and were told we could only select seats 24 hours prior to flight.

As soon as that window opened, we went online to select them but to our dismay, all of the seats were taken except for a few middle ones. We called the airline again and they said the flight was full, they couldn't give us better seats.

As a last ditch effort, we asked the ticketing agent at our gate if there were better seats, and she said no, the plane was full. So DH and and I had to sit apart, in two middle seats, even though we'd booked the flight several weeks before.

To make matters worse, my seat mates opted to not share the armrests the entire flight. Three and a half hours. I made the best of the flight (thankfully had a good novel), but we vowed to go with another carrier next time we do that route.

Boots