UPFRONT/GO
Get the Seat You Want ...
... without paying more in airline fees
MOST airlines typically charge you extra to choose the seat you want when you book, with more desirable spots going for higher prices. But that doesn’t mean you have to pony up. “Airlines want you to believe that you don’t have a seat on the plane unless you reserve it,” says Christopher Elliott of Elliott Report, a consumer advocacy website. “You can call the airlines’ bluff.”
Here are some strategies for getting a good seat for low or no cost:
→ Book on the same reservation. Travel companions fear they will be split up if they don’t pay to reserve specific seats, but those who buy their tickets together likely will be seated together without payment, Elliott says.
→ Families should stick together. Some airlines have agreed to ensure that young children get seated with an accompanying adult, even if the family didn’t pay to select their seats. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, these are Alaska, American, Frontier, Hawaiian and JetBlue.
→ Play musical chairs. This is a favorite tip of Kyle Potter, executive editor of the Thrifty Traveler website. It works for basic economy fares on Delta. He says before your flight is scheduled to depart, keep looking at your booking on the airline’s website to see if a better seat is available—even up to the moment of boarding. “There’s basically a 24-hour window to pick the best of what’s left for free,” he says. “It pays to check back with the seat map, again and again, especially in the last few hours.”
→ Get seat alerts. United will let you sign up to get an alert through its phone app if the type of seat you prefer opens up. The website ExpertFlyer also will alert you if desired seats become available.
→ Do research before you spend. If you do pay to pick your seat, make sure it’s worth it. Check websites SeatMaps, Aerolopa or SeatGuru; they provide plane layouts and note the pros and cons of various seats on that aircraft. —Larry Bleiberg