Just done OLCI. Sadly this time we are only travelling in Economy and the flight seemed fairly quiet (70% per seat map) so we decided to 'chance it' and not pay for seats upfront.
Interestingly looking at the seat map this morning, approx. 5 hours before check-in the seats were already showing as allocated. There didn't seem to be a way to select a different seat though
I'm not sure when the allocation happened, but possibly worth checking if you are thinking about paying to secure certain seats last minute i.e. if you are happy with Virgin's selection then perhaps no need to pay.
Interestingly looking at the seat map this morning, approx. 5 hours before check-in the seats were already showing as allocated. There didn't seem to be a way to select a different seat though

I'm not sure when the allocation happened, but possibly worth checking if you are thinking about paying to secure certain seats last minute i.e. if you are happy with Virgin's selection then perhaps no need to pay.