We live in the era of instant gratification. We have instant messaging, instant soup and coffee, instant relationships and even instant lottery winners. And, of course, there’s no place better to get instant gratification than when you buy something online, and can get it NOW.

But what I like even better than the instant rush about online purchasing is the ability to see my choices from inventory in real-time, or as close to real-time as possible.

Get more information about choosing your own airline seat in my column here.