Airline Seat Fees Becoming More Widespread

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If you find yourself sitting in coach more often these days, and who among us has not had tighter restrictions put on travel, you likely know the “pleasure” of having your knees wedged into a seat back as you fly.

Increasingly, there are options — if you are willing to pay for them, according to the New York Times. More and more airlines are offering exit rows, aisle seats, and “extra legroom” seats for a price.  Reported fees range from $5 – $100+ depending on the airline. If you have elite frequent flier status, you may even be able to do it for free.

I’m have mixed feelings about this trend: as I am 6’3″+, I feel like some coach seats should be outlawed on humanitarian grounds and think that all seats should have more room (I used to have a fair amount of success just asking — OK, begging — for a more spacious seat at check-in but no longer); on the other hand, if I can ensure a bit more room for a few bucks, it is money well spent.

My biggest objection is when these are fees and not baked into the ticket price making it tougher for business travelers to be reimbursed for this minimal upgrade. At $5, it’s no big deal but at $50 or $100 each way, that’s a significant amount out of my pocket when, in truth, one of the main benefits of the extra space is having enough room to get some work done.

I’ve long advocated for extra charges for exit row seats but my objective, and model, is quite different: I think that the airlines should offer paid training in emergency procedures and those who successfully complete that training should qualify for preferred seating in those rows. They are, after all, emergency exits.  I think that a program that offers a few hours of hands-on experience opening those exits, maneuvering the doors, and sliding down the chutes would be valuable to everyone in the event of an emergency.

Of course the airlines are more interested in revenue than safety. The Times reports that Jet Blue will generate $65 million in revenue from its extra legroom seats this year. Jet Blue has a special section at the front of the plane dubbed “Even More Legroom” seats so that revenue is not based entirely on exit rows.

I also object to aisle positions being part of the fee-for-seat bazaar. Please (baby, please) leave some luck-based option for those of us with long legs.

One test that I’d like to see if a middle seat discount. What if the basic ticket price is $X and upon learning that you, sigh, only have middle seat options you are given a $10 instant rebate on the flight? That intervention might take some of the sting out of it. Harrah’s, the casino folks, has done research and found that if they artfully  interrupt a customer having a bad string of luck on a slot machine by presenting a food certificate (with the suggestion that the unlucky person take a break), the person is much more likely to return to the casino again. It’s the good luck fairy in action — and we could all use a bit more good luck when booking flights

I also rely on www.seatguru.com to help me find the best seats whenever I fly though I have to say that I find that the airlines are increasingly restrictive in letting me choose a seat when I book (unless it is a full fare flight) so the knowledge derived from seatguru can’t always be applied.

What’s your experience? Do you have any tips or tricks to share with your fellow Nomads?