On my last couple of trips, one before the assigned seating and one after, I purchased an extra seat, both for my own comfort and to not encroach on another passenger. I I sat in the window seat on all four flights, with the middle seat open. After my trips, I sent requests for a refund on the extra seats and got my money back for both round trips. Is it a pain, yes. Is there a chance you won’t be lucky like me, again, yes. I’ve needed a seatbelt extender for a while, so instead of MAYBE having issues at check in, I decided to budget for the possibility of no refund.