Earlier this week, I was looking into booking an international flight on American Airlines. I was quite dismayed when I got to the seat selection process. Why?
Because the seat availability option looks like this:
Do You See A Problem?
The problem isn’t that there aren’t any seats. The problem is that the only seats I can potentially pick are all middle seats. Any aisle or window seats will cost more.
You could make a case that Main Cabin Extra seats should cost more because those seats at least offer a tangible difference. Those come with “extra legroom, preferred boarding, and free alcohol on flights with full drink service.”
That is not to say I’ve never paid add-on fees. I’ve paid for seat selection before on Delta (at a reasonable $9) to get upgraded to Delta Comfort with extra legroom. But these “preferred seats” that cost $71 – $84 more? Those fees are a real sham.
Why? Because those are just “standard” seats.
“Favorable location” is just another way of saying those are aisle or window seats. Every plane has them. Why should those seats be charged a premium? If friends and family wants to travel together, they will either all have to sit in the middle seats or shell out more for “preferred” (standard) seats.
I think that’s an sham fee that really should be eliminated.
When reserving our business class flight with Eithad 5 months before travelling, we specifically chose a particular flight number to and from abu dhabi because it was the new A380, we also chose specific seat numbers we live always to sit with a window seat never in the middle of the aircraft.
The business class flight from London EY17 was totally fabulous. When checking in for the flight home we noticed our seat numbers had changed, one by the window and one in the middle, according the the A380 seat plan these were totally wrong. We complained by email to the Etihad agent who changed our seats to 5A was in first class and 7A did not exist – totally not acceptable. Our hotel concierge contacted the airline to sort the problem out. Despite he asking, and I asking about the strange seat number, is this on the Ae80 we did not get a reply – so something fishy going on.
All came to light when at the departure gate looking for the A380 no where to be seen – they had changed the aircraft to a 777 – we so hate this plane. Although both sitting by a window the 777 business class seats are so narrow and very hemmed in – the flight home was okay but not the experience we had paid £4,500 for.
Total rip off. I have written to the chief executive in abu dhabi and waiting for a reply
jj
Airlines only want extra profit, and to hell with customers. You can predict all the future fees to come to milk us: online check-in fee; boarding fee; onboard attendant fee; counter fee; ticket processing fee; baggage collection fee; bag check-in fee; connection fee; toilet use fee; magazine fee; entertainment fee; late show fee; early arrival fee; seat allocation at airport fee; accompanying passenger fee; family fee; turbulence fee; cleaning aircraft fee; early boarding fee; safe-landing fee; arrival gate fee; on-time arrival and departure fees!! Wait till the standing space aircraft arrive – all seats will have fees!
Shhh. Don’t give airlines anymore ideas! Actually, some of those exists already (ticketing fees for certain booking over phone). I also recalled that Ryanair had considered a bathroom fee a few years back. Fortunately, they finally dropped it after much criticism over the idea.
If you are not traveling with children, just do not select a seat. Chances are that all the “free” seats will be selected by the time it’s time for you to check in, and you’ll get a “Preferred” seat for free. Even if you do not, you would not have paid anything so nothing was lost.
In the case of a full flight (and no volunteers), not having a seat assignment also means you are more likely to be first to get bumped off a flight. 🙂
Always check-in online to avoid bumping.
The “legacy” airlines are all trying to figure out how to be as profitable as Spirit and the other ULCCs. First, they introduce “basic economy” to mirror their product, then they just expand that across to their other products (where the ULCCs aren’t even competing with them).
Meanwhile, Southwest is standing in the corner laughing at them all with all of their fiercely loyal customer base.
You’re right. If airlines want to avoid further regulation, maybe they should offer services in exchange for exorbitant fees. Customers already get the short end of the stick. Why make it worse in an obvious way that offers no advantage with additional costs?
“Favorable location” is just another way of saying those are aisle or window seats.”
Yes, and they’re better as a result.
It’s simple economics- some seats are better than others. You want a better seat you pay for it! Stuck in a middle seat? At least you paid less!
Absolutely. There’s no question about it that the aisle and window seats are, in fact, better seats. And I get the whole economics factor, but it doesn’t change the fact that those are just ‘standard’ seats. Before the “un-bundling” in recent years and the new add-on fees from checked bag fees to these “seat selection fees”, it’s virtually unheard of that you need to pay to choose an aisle or window seat. If you book a economy seat, you “should” be able to pick any seat within that section, don’t you think?
It’s akin to saying that you’re paying for business class (let’s say it has a 1-2-1 config), and you are only allowed to choose the seats in the middle section because the window seats are perceived to be better. If you want the window seats, you will have to pay more. They are all still business class seats, aren’t they? You’ve paid for a business class seat, didn’t you? In that sense, shouldn’t you be able to choose “any” seats in the business class section (and not be restricted to the two seats in the middle section, unless you pay even more?)
It’s really the same concept here. People are paying for “standard” seats. Why should they not have ANY option to choose an aisle/window seat (which exists on every plane), when they are just the “standard” seats?