Gone are the days when virtually all airlines allowed you to select your seat at no cost.
These days, not only low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Frontier, but also well-known airlines such as Delta, United, and American Airlines are charging an extra fee to secure seat selection.
The majority of airlines levy seat selection fees in one way or another, whether it’s by charging more for particular seats or by providing cheaper tickets without seat choices. Even the renowned non-assignment airline, Southwest Airlines, has strategies for making money from seating.
Since its introduction in the mid-to-late-2000s, the practice of charging for particular seats has grown hugely. Economy seat selection costs on some flights might reach $100, according to a recent Wall Street Journal story. Eight US airlines (Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, and United) alone brought in a total of $4.2 billion in seat charges in 2022, according to a report released by IdeaWorks.
Experts refer to the strategy of adding costs at each stage of the checkout process as “drip pricing”, which studies show that it works well as a sales strategy to confuse consumers and raise costs generally.
Still, the days of such supplementary charges may be numbered, at least in the U.S. While several airlines have already voluntarily adopted similar rules, President Joe Biden encouraged Congress to draft legislation in March 2023 requiring airlines to seat children (those who are 13 years of age or less) next to accompanying adults at no additional expense to the family. Additionally, Congress is debating passing legislation to severely restrict airline seat fees, and the Biden administration has closely examined ancillary airline earnings.
Last year, the United States Transportation Department also urged requiring airlines to disclose costs for luggage, ticket changes, and family seats as soon as an airfare is posted. The regulation should be finalized by early 2024.
