I recently shared my top 8 hacks for getting the best coach seat on a plane. A reader left a very relatable comment, one that I think many travelers will find interesting. Philip P. wrote: “On my recent flights, there was a cost to pick ANY seat, so the only thing one can do is pay extra!” I’ve noticed this as well, especially when booking flights on airlines with whom I don’t have elite status. I often think to myself, “What a scam,” especially for first-time or occasional flyers. However, there are a few ways to avoid getting suckered:
1. Don’t pay for a seat in advance unless you want to be guaranteed extra legroom.
Airlines have realized they can sell exit rows, bulkheads and seats with extra legroom (usually toward the front of the coach cabin). If you care about extra legroom, it’s worth paying in advance for these premium seats. However, if legroom isn’t a priority or if the premium seats are sold out, don’t pay. Instead, skip choosing a seat and let the airline assign one to you for free during check-in or at the airport. It might be a middle seat in the back, but you could also get an aisle or window seat in the extra legroom rows.
2. Don’t pay extra for seats when traveling with little kids
If you’re traveling with small children, you can avoid paying extra fees. In 2023, Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Department of Transportation’s plan to launch a dashboard showing which airlines guarantee family seating. Airlines like Alaska, American, Frontier, Hawaiian and JetBlue offer fee-free family seating, which guarantees adjacent seats for children 13 and under and their accompanying adult at no additional cost, regardless of fare type. See screenshot below.
United states on their website: “If you’re traveling with children under 12, they won’t have to sit by themselves. The first adult listed on the reservation can sit next to up to two children in their party for free.” United does note that seat assignments may occasionally change due to unscheduled aircraft swaps. If this results in your children being seated separately from an adult, you can switch to another flight with available seats in the same cabin at no extra charge.
3. Earn elite status
As mentioned earlier, I get extra legroom seats for free by having elite status. Some airlines even allow you to achieve this by simply signing up for their credit card.
4.Book with partner airlines
Another way I get free extra legroom seats is by booking with a partner airline of the airline with whom I have elite status. For example, I have elite status with American Airlines. So, when my family and I flew to Australia for Thanksgiving, we chose to fly Qantas instead of Virgin Australia between Sydney and Brisbane. This allowed me to get free seat assignments, as well as other elite benefits like: Priority check-in, boarding, free baggage and lounge access. Here’s my review of that Sydney to Brisbane flight.
I hope these tips help you keep more money in your wallet and avoid making airlines richer. If you have other methods for getting free seat assignments, feel free to share in the comments below. If you like these tips, be sure to sign up for my free daily or weekly newsletter here.
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This might be good advice if you don’t care where you sit. However, I prefer an aisle seat, so I will pay if necessary. Like I said, good advice, but 1 size fits doesn’t apply here.
I would never take the chance of getting a middle seat. The worst would be the last row. Any seat there is bad, doesn’t recline and constant annoyance because of the toilet.
I’m with you but some people don’t care where they sit as long as they don’t have to pay more