You can't really win at the seat assignment game on a flight anymore. The best thing to do is to pay for what you want.

In air travel, nothing is a done deal until it’s been done. In air travel, nothing is a done deal until it’s been done. Take, for example, your seat assignment. You may believe that, since you booked ...

The colloquial saying "no risk, no reward" is resonating with many travelers hoping to reap the benefits of a belated flight check-in to potentially score a better seat assignment at the last minute.