A330-300 refit - question?

Apologies if this has already been covered in a previous thread...

Does anyone know if the A330-300 refit will reduce the number of UC seats? I was told that they are going back to the 1-1-1 config rather than the current 1-2-1.

We have flights booked LGW-ANU for mid January 2017, I notice on the seat-map that the majority of seats are allocated already for our return flight...

...if the refit reduces the number of seats then will they have to bump people down to PE?

This is assuming the refit is complete by January of course.

I believe it will - though I don't think anyone has specifics yet. I have a MAN-ATL round trip, also in Jan 2017 booked, which hasn't had any seats blocked off.

In your seat map - is one of the middle rows shown as entirely occupied? If so perhaps they are blocking it off as the seats as yours will have been refitted by then. I'm totally guessing, by the way!

I have heard a fair amount of 'galley gossip' on this subject.

Apparently reducing the number of seats is the books, but with no extended refits of the A333 fleet on the horizon I don't forsee any of this coming to anything other than a hope passed between the pax.

Time will tell on this front and rest assured you will no doubt see news of such a change on V-Flyer first. Watch this space.

...if the refit reduces the number of seats then will they have to bump people down to PE?

For the moment at least EU 261 still applies (what the hell is going to happen if there is an EXIT vote on the 23rd?..) Involuntary downgrades/cancellations come with a more than fair compensation package. I wouldn't worry too much about this.