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Brian Rutzen

July 4, 2009 10:30 PM

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Join their frequent flyer program. Most airlines give you preferred treatment if they see a frequent flyer number on your boarding pass. You won't get all the same perks as the special elite members, but sometimes that little number can go a long way.

2 replies

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sleze69

July 4, 2009 11:27 PM

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@Brian Rutzen: Seatguru.com

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July 5, 2009 10:10 PM

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@sleze69: Another good one is airlinequality.com It rates airlines' seats, service, planes, etc.

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wcnghj

July 4, 2009 10:39 PM

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Call the airline? Miss out on the online only deals??

Book on the airlines website and pick the seat yourself...

5 replies

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DaBull

July 6, 2009 2:28 AM

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@wcnghj: @bwcbwc: I've never had to pay any extra when using Continental's online seat selection system. Once I purchased my ticket (online), I was able to view the available seats on the plane, and choose which one I would like to sit in. When I print my boarding pass it shows the seat I selected, and I board the plane and take my seat. Pretty simple. Maybe other airlines charge for this convenience?

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DaBull

July 5, 2009 6:58 PM

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@wcnghj: I use Continental, and I always get the seat that I chose using their online system.

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July 5, 2009 4:20 AM

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I can attest to the fact that this doesn't work. I have a FF number and fly almost exclusively with a single carrier, but I rarely get the seat I request. (Then again, I do get inexpensive upgrades to business or first class one out of every three flights or so. Nonetheless, airlines have no need to honor seat requests.)

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clickable

July 6, 2009 1:54 PM

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@StutiCebriones: I book on the airline's site after comparing on a couple of general sites to find the best flight. I'll look at seatguru if I remember, otherwise just select the best available seats on the chart when I book. It's true they're not \"guaranteed\" but I can't remember ever not getting them.

When we travel as a couple, if 3-across is all that's available, we choose an aisle + window. I'd say about 70% of the time, the middle seat stays empty - score! And if it does fill up, that passenger is always more than happy when he (or she) is unexpectedly offered a choice of either a window or aisle seat after they board, when they were already resigned to being miserably squeezed into a middle seat for the next few hours. We end up sitting next to each other in any case, and the third passenger in our row is a happy camper too.

I've never had to pay for the privilege of choosing seats in advance. I've seen the option for those airlines that hold back some \"premium\" seats in economy that they sell for a surcharge of $10 or $20 (extra legroom or whatever), but I've never seen a charge for booking a regular ol' economy seat.

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July 5, 2009 5:18 PM

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@StutiCebriones:

...I don't understand that at all. I have flown a ridiculous amount on NWA over the past 13 years or so...have been Platinum Elite before, but at Silver at the moment. Never, ever, no matter what my status with the airline, have I ever seen them not honor a seat assignment that I did online. Or with any other airline on the occasion when I haven't flown NWA.

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bwcbwc

July 5, 2009 7:08 PM

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@StutiCebriones - @YouDidWhatNow?: There's a difference between booking a seat and indicating a seating preference. You two seem to be talking about different things.

One thing that should be noted is that most airlines are charging fees for advance seat selection online. You got to pay to play in this market.

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July 4, 2009 11:03 PM

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I do pick seats in advance whenever possible, but then, regardless of my pre-existing seat assignment, when I do my online check-in, I wait until the check-in period has been open for 3 or 4 hours. The people who hit it at exactly the moment it opens to get the best seat have already checked in by that point, and most people on the plane will already have some kind of seat assignment anyway, from booking online.

Then, I flip to the back of the plane and select the furthest back row that's not the last row but for which the other window/aisle seat has been claimed, but the middle hasn't. That eliminates parties of two being sat next to you, and guarantees only on a really, seriously, full flight, where someone has to take the dreaded middle seat all the way near the back of plane, will you end up with someone sitting next to you.

If you're a road warrior who times their departure from airports to the second, that won't work for you, because, of course, it also means you're stuck at the back of the plane, but I'd rather be comfortable for 3 hours and spend 10 extra minutes waiting to get off the plane than be uncomfortable (and making other people uncomfortable, since I'm a large person) for 3 hours just to get on the road a few minutes faster.

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July 4, 2009 11:21 PM

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Maybe I'll pick my seats for my trip to San Diego. Here is a question. Does the back seats leave the plane first or is it the front? This may be helpful on my first flight to Phil since I have a short layover.

4 replies

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July 4, 2009 11:41 PM

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@montusama: The door is at the front of economy. It's not like boarding, though, where they officially call rows; it's just that you're likely to be off later if you're farther back and behind more people. (There have been two-door loaders, especially with the larger planes, and there may be with the new jumbos, but you're not going to run into those.)

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July 5, 2009 12:17 AM

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@floraposte: Sorry, old-fashioned moment. The door for yer basic domestic aircraft is in front, period. No more division based on \"do you turn left or right?\"

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wcnghj

July 4, 2009 11:40 PM

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The front. The door is in the front.

I hope you aren't flying US Air.

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July 5, 2009 3:21 AM

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Well....this might be an issue. I am flying US Airways. I really hope I don't miss that one flight because I doubt they will be kind enough to give us an alternative flight.

I know the door is in the front, I just wasn't sure if they let people out from the front or not. Though I don't think its an issue on my flight from Buffalo to Phil. I'm in row 4 according to orbitz. I'm just not liking the short layover, it seem perfect before I booked it. I can't believe I forgot how sucky airplane travel is now.

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July 5, 2009 4:49 AM

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@montusama: If both your flights are on USAir (which really isn't any worse than any other airline, frankly), you're coming into PHL on a little regional jet. They'll empty out pretty quickly regardless of where you're sitting. The downside is that since that's a commuter flight, it'll likely be coming into terminal F at the end of the airport; your flight out will be leaving from terminal B or C (you can click for further detail on the map here: [www.phl.org]). That's a bit of a run, so be prepared, and know where you're running when you start. If your first flight is running late, you might ask the cabin attendants if there's any way they can tell the gate agents at the second flight that you're coming.

If your itinerary is what it looks to be, you're likely to be okay; it's the first flight out in the morning, so they're not waiting for the plane to come in to Buffalo. Good luck!

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wcnghj

July 7, 2009 12:15 AM

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@floraposte: A little tip for ya, in terminal F look for F10, there you will find a shuttle to B and C.

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wcnghj

July 7, 2009 12:15 AM

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@floraposte: I will note that not ALL regional flights are in F. Planes like the E75(Embrear 175) and E90 use B and C sometimes.

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July 5, 2009 4:51 AM

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@floraposte: Oh, and don't forget to check your gate number on the display once you get to PHL and before you head out to the end of a concourse--you don't want to kill yourself to get to a distant B gate only to find you should have been at C.

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weave

July 5, 2009 12:44 AM

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Look for domestic flights configured for international travel, the ones out of major hubs that then connect to international destinations.

Roger on that -- especially for First Class. I booked a First Class ticket out of PHX to PHL on US a few weeks ago and it ended up being a 737-200 continuing on to Europe. That meant Envoy seats instead of the usual crap FC seats on their Airbus planes. 80\" seat pitch instead of 38\" ... was sweet!

2 replies

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July 5, 2009 5:01 AM

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@weave: 737-200 wouldn't make it to Europe--757 or 767, maybe?

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weave

July 6, 2009 3:10 AM

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@floraposte: Not that anyone is still reading this, but you're right of course. I looked it up -- it was a 757-200.

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sponica

July 5, 2009 12:53 AM

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I only fly short regional distances (Manchester, NH to Newark or Boston to Washington DC) and the Bos-Wash route to Dulles on JetBlue (operated by Embreaer) has one seaters the aisle and then 2 seaters. I always fly in the one seater. I get both a window and the aisle!

6 replies

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

July 5, 2009 11:08 AM

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@sponica: I hate flying planes that tiny unless there are nuns on them!

(On the theory that God doesn't kill nuns in plane crashes.)

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sponica

July 6, 2009 10:04 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): i'll fly anything that doesn't fly over the alps....flew from some place in switzerland to Milan years ago, and I felt like I was in the Indiana Jones plane from temple of doom...

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July 5, 2009 5:29 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): That's pretty standard out of here; they used to be even smaller before American went all regional jets. I actually kind of like them (the Saabs that Northwest Airlink flies have the most comfortable seats I've ever flown in domestically), but it's true, they're generally a little more vulnerable to the weather. I just cross my fingers and thank my Xanax.

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July 5, 2009 4:01 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): flown those plains multiple times on international routes (between houston and monterrey for business) and must say they are a bit more susceptible to the wind when landing. I also find myself bumping my head getting in and out of that single seat, and I'm only 5'7\"

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wcnghj

July 5, 2009 1:18 AM

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@sponica: JetBlue has flights with planes configged 1x2?

Is this the cape air thing?

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sponica

July 6, 2009 10:06 PM

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@wcnghj: no the planes are bigger than cape air (THANK GOD)....they're not true JetBlue, but you book through them.

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July 5, 2009 12:55 AM

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What I need are tips & tricks to prevent the airline from assigning different seats after letting us choose the ones we want.

We can't be the only ones who experience this more and more frequently! It's especially annoying because we travel with our young son. We book the tickets, we get three seats in a row. We check in at the airport hours early (my name is on the Watch List so I can't check in online) and discover our seats assignments have changed. And then the airline counter folks say Gosh no, they can't reassign seats on a full flight! And we say, A) you already did, and B) you can't put our six year old in between two strangers. And then we wait for ten minutes while they figure out what to do. Occasionally they make us go to the gate and start over. Sometimes they get all three of us back together, but sometimes they best they can do is two seats together.

Anyhow, an aisle seat near the back? Ick. The back five rows you'll spend the flight with people standing at your elbow in the queue for the potty. Or just hanging around the galley, chatting with the crew.

11 replies

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July 5, 2009 3:10 PM

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@mxjohnson: I've personally never had that trouble, but then again, the route I usually fly (Shanghai-Chicago-Nashville on United) never has any issues other than being delayed ridiculous amounts of time. One time it was the inbound flight arriving late, causing a domino effect that ended with the Shanghai-Chicago flight departing 4 hours late (ended up staying overnight in O'Hare due to missing the last connection of the day, words are not sufficient to express my dissatisfaction here), while another was due to swine flu (even more worrying was the PA announcement- \"Paging passenger **** ****, please proceed to Quarantine immediately.\" \"There has been a confirmed case of H1N1 flu on the inbound flight. Decontamination of the aircraft will take approximately one hour.\") but at least that time I got \"Rule 240'd\" onto an American flight. I'm only going to be on UA for the Chicago-Nashville portion next time; I think ANA would do a better job of getting me there on time.

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July 5, 2009 3:48 AM

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You can lose seat assignments if the aircraft type is changed, so I usually try to select seats that exist on the various types of aircraft used on the route flown for the airline I am using. I find this information from www.seatguru.com. An example of this is that if an airline uses A319 and A320 aircraft on a route, I would choose seats that exist on both types. (Row 25 & 26 exist on A320 but NOT A319 aircraft for United.)

Also, I favor seats on the ABC side versus the other side. If an aircraft is changed from a 767 to a 757, then I would probably retain my seat if it were 22A but would lose my seat if it were 22J since 22J doesn't exist on a United 757.

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July 5, 2009 8:09 PM

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@misterfuss: Yeah, we love seatguru. We've used it religiously for years. But not long after we started using it was when I really noticed the reassignments. Like on some planes, there might be a charger every third row, so I'd make a point of getting, say, row 22. Thank you seatguru! But then when we'd get changed to row 21, it bugged me. I'm sure it used to happen all the time, but I didn't care enough to make a mental note of it.

I would expect and forgive reassignments when the aircraft changes, but that hasn't been the case recently. It has been downright egregious. Three of the last eight flights we've had it happen. We have the email and printouts from when we book the tickets, showing how we really, truly, demonstrably did not select three middle seats in three different rows. (From Heathrow to LAX, no less.)

I never thought of the J-seat being iffy. I usually pick whichever side will get less sun.

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July 6, 2009 4:13 PM

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How can you find out if your name is on it? Do you just find out when you fly, or is there somewhere you can look it up?

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July 6, 2009 4:31 PM

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No, you have to find out when you fly, the list is super extra national security secret - in spite of the fact that there are a lot of, for example, dead people on it.

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July 6, 2009 12:15 AM

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@mxjohnson: Are different airlines reassigning you, or is it always the same one? If the latter, I think it's time to go your separate ways.

Sometimes, calling and speaking to a human can help, and these seat choices tend to \"stick\" a bit better than online seat preferences (I guess because they're usually assigned for medical reasons, etc). Mention your young son and your previous issues and hopefully you will get some help.

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July 6, 2009 3:46 AM

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@parkavery: United, from London to LAX. American, from LAX to New York. Delta, from LAX to Honolulu. So, go figure.

We're flying from LAX to Sydney this week, via Delta. We booked the tickets months ago, but to save $40 we booked the two adult tickets online, and the child's fare on the phone. We picked three seats together, including a window seat. The Delta rep confirmed we were sitting together, and it's all spelled out in email.

But because we've had so many seat reassignments recently, we double-checked our seats a couple of weeks after booking the tickets. Good thing we did: my son's seat, the single one, had been moved to a completely different row. They also apparently lost the request for a kid's meal. No surprise, right? \"Delta\" means change.

Fortunately, we caught it in time, and were able to find another three adjacent seats. Unfortunately, we lost our precious window seat.

Talking to people on the phone might work. But some airlines charge more to book tickets over the phone. Delta charges $25 per passenger, and American charges $20, for example. If you book a United flight on Travelocity, simply calling United will trigger a $25 call center fee.

We've flown a lot, and all airlines have let us down one way or another. This recent spate of reassignments is yet another irritant, and I'd be surprised if it's just a coincidence. That's why I posted my response in the first place. I assumed it was an unintended consequence of fuller flights and pricing premiums for certain seats and rows.

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July 5, 2009 3:31 AM

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Wow, that has literally never happened to me (they changed my seat assignment without telling me) over hundreds of flights and hundreds of thousands of miles.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

July 5, 2009 11:11 AM

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@NeverLetMeDown: They did it to me on my \"honeymoon.\" (In quotes because the whole adventure was complicated.) I have it happen ALL THE TIME. Whereas if I don't pick seats in advance? They always let me sit by my husband. But almost every time I've picked seats and gotten an early seat assignment, they've moved us and split us up. British Airways is seriously the only airline that didn't do it to us.

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slickdealer

July 5, 2009 2:58 AM

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Your name is on the watch list??? What does that mean?

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From the cubicle of PGibbons

July 5, 2009 10:45 PM

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@slickdealer: Watch List is somewhere around a million or so names last I heard. Basically, you can't get boarding pass online, can't check in at the curb, gotta screw around at the counter and show some manager your license and they check their computer and give you your boarding pass. Only wastes about 1/2 hour or more each time you fly (each way).

Some Canadian guy who was stuck on that list and frequently traveled into the USA for business actually changed his damn name so he could have some peace and get to where he was going - and changing his name worked! Maybe Osama changed his name to John Smith and that's why Bush's crew lost his trail...

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Bgeezy

July 6, 2009 2:11 AM

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@From the cubicle of PGibbons: I have the same issues. I don't know what the hell the person did who got my name on the watch list but its annoying. If my job starts making me travel again then I'll probably go through getting a name change also.

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July 5, 2009 7:54 PM

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@slickdealer:
Me, personally, I'm not on the watch list; some other Mike Johnson is.

It means that on the flight out, I can't check in online, or do self check-in. I have to give the airport kiosk a go, then let the the computer tell me to stand in the special Assistance line for travelers with unusual problems. Invariably, there's a couple people ahead of me, each of which takes 20 or 30 minutes (half of those people I feel sorry for, but half of them are just wasting everybody's time, arguing over baggage fees.)

Finally I get to the front of the line. They look at my drivers license, and compare my birth date to the data on their closely guarded screen. Then they apologize and check me in. And they laugh and ask if it happens every time I fly, and I say yes.

It really takes all of two minutes once I get to the counter, but sometimes I have to wait an hour just to get to the counter. Usually once I take care of it on the flight out of here, I'm cleared for the return flight.

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clickable

July 6, 2009 2:03 PM

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@mxjohnson: I wonder if their changing your seats isn't their petty revenge. Does your booking need special \"handling\" because your name is on the watch list? I wouldn't put it past them to flag you just for making them \"work extra\" and make your trip as difficult as a petty, low-level clerk possibly can. Which, unfortunately, can be pretty miserable in all kinds of little ways that add up to making you much more exhausted by the end of the day than was really necessary. It would be especially mean-spirited if they're doing that when they see you're taveling with a child, especially when they find out it's just by happenstance that your name is the same as one of the persons on the list, but the case has nothing to do with you.

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July 5, 2009 3:32 AM

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Probably that there's a \"M[ichael] X[avier] Johnson\" out there who has pledged his life to destroying the Great Satan, and the poster has the misforture of sharing a name with aforementioned nefarious person.

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From the cubicle of PGibbons

July 5, 2009 10:47 PM

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@NeverLetMeDown: With a million names on that list it's about as relevant to accuracy as an Illinois death penalty conviction.

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July 5, 2009 7:37 PM

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@NeverLetMeDown: Yeah, I'm Michael Johnson. I'm not the jazz musician. Or the gold medal Olympian. Or the terrorist.

Unfortunately, my middle initial isn't really X. I just use it for internet stuff because it's one of the few permutations of m + johnson that isn't already taken everywhere.

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Underpants Gnome

July 5, 2009 1:52 AM

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@mxjohnson: No kidding. I've always lived by the words: Don't sit in the last three rows of a plane unless you have diarrhea or want to meet people who do.

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mythago

July 5, 2009 1:01 AM

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@mxjohnson: The back five rows mean that I don't have to wait in line for the potty.

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Vanilla5

July 5, 2009 12:55 AM

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Since I'm usually way early (usually), I always very politely ask the attendant at the counter if I can have an emergency exit seat. I've always been accomidated - probably because I asked nicely.

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MaytagRepairman

July 5, 2009 2:30 AM

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If I'm flying alone for work near the holidays I have been known to ask for that dreaded middle seat. During the holidays there are many people flying alone with a child. One Thanksgiving on United a toddler got the middle seat and gave me the gift of orange juice all over my suit which I didn't have time to change out of before boarding.

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italianscallion33

July 5, 2009 3:27 AM

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Fly Southwest - they have open seating and the earlier you check in within the 24-hour check-in window, the earlier you get to board. Of course, I guess this doesn't prevent anyone from sitting by you, but you can improve your chances of sitting in the exit row and at least have more leg room!

6 replies

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jeffbone

July 5, 2009 4:29 PM

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@italianscallion33: See my reply to gman863 below. People seems to be catching on to Southwest's 24 hr check in window, I recommend checking in right when the window opens if at all possible.

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July 6, 2009 3:33 PM

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@jeffbone: You're right, unfortunately people are either really quick with the keyboard, or they're using those pay services to \"guarantee an A group ticket\" that I have seen pop up on google ads.

3 minutes after the window for my flight to Vegas opened, and I was already in the B group, luckily they put me in the A group for my connecting flight.

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jeffbone

July 5, 2009 5:41 PM

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@jeffbone: \"People seems...\"? Ugh, obviously that should be \"People seem...\"

I speak more gooder in RL, trust me... :-)

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July 5, 2009 3:11 PM

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@italianscallion33: Now if only Southwest flew trans-Pacific. But for that there are other, better airlines.

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b.k.

July 5, 2009 3:38 AM

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@italianscallion33: I usually only fly Southwest now, and am always forgetting to check in the last day of my vacation so I get a good seat on the way back. This last time I didn't remember to check in until an hour before I left for the airport, and then I was incredibly late getting to the gate and was the last person on the plane. Much to my delight, the seats at the very front of the plane have TONS of leg room. They don't have tray tables and you can't keep your personal item with you, which is probably no one was sitting in that row. But it was only a 45 minute flight anyway, and I was able to leave first. It was the best flight ever.

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wcnghj

July 5, 2009 11:52 AM

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@b.k.: Those are bulkhead seats and I don't believe any airline has tray tables, just FYI for others/

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b.k.

July 5, 2009 7:33 PM

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@wcnghj: Apologies. A seat-back tray table. Or is it called something else? Whatever the case, the bulkhead seats don't have them, not even in the armrest, so far as I could tell. So it wouldn't be fun during a long flight with beverage service.

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July 5, 2009 3:49 AM

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I once got randomly assigned the front row on a westjet flight and joked with the flight attendant about needing the leg room (I'm about 5 inches too tall to be classified as a little person). A guy behind me offered me $10 to switch seats and I took him up on it. Made literally no difference to me and paid for my lunch!

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xoforoct wishes he lived in chasm city

July 5, 2009 4:18 AM

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Ask the check-in person for an exit row seat ahead of time. More often than not, assuming you are qualified for it (read: reasonably fit) they will give it and all that sweet, sweet leg room to you.

2 replies

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mizike

July 6, 2009 5:02 PM

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@TedSez: This has been my experience too, I haven't actually seen them entirely empty, but asking to sit there (for free) usually gets you laughed at. That being said, after my flight back from Paris seated between two bathrooms (btw, 90% of people don't close the door after using an airplane bathroom) in a seat in which there was literally no way for anyone over 6' to be comfortable (unless they're a sadist who enjoys having their knees crushed), I'll be paying for \"premium coach\" from now on. They successfully made my trip so unenjoyable, I've become an upgrader.

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July 5, 2009 3:15 PM

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@xoforoct wishes he lived in chasm city: Sometimes they do it, sometimes they don't. But I luck out in other ways. Like the time it turned out that the UA check-in person was a long-lost classmate of one of my traveling companions. Free upgrade to Economy Plus (I would never pay for that- if you're going to charge me I better be getting an improved seat like JAL offers in their version of Economy Plus).

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slickdealer

July 5, 2009 4:53 AM

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I like Jet Blue (for many many many reasons) because they let you choose AND change your seat as many times as you want to. I've found that the open seats change frequently. So I'll book the best one available when I get my ticket, and I usually check every few days to see if a better one opens. I'll always pick an aisle, but sometimes someone winds up sitting next to me, so I'll move to an empty row. I've actually changed my seat 2-3 times within 2 hours of departure on multiple occasions, just to make sure no one sits next to me.

1 replies

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Jason Giglio

July 6, 2009 12:57 AM

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@slickdealer: If it's that empty, you can probably just change seats after everyone sits down.

I've never had much problem leaving my \"assigned\" seat to take a better one, after everyone is on the plane. If anyone complained, I'd just move back. No problems.

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humphrmi

July 5, 2009 5:00 AM

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Finding flights that continue on as international flights is a good tip. I used to fly ORD->SFO on L-1011's and 747 (back in the day) because the flight went on to / came back from the Far East.

Sigh, nowadays the jumbo jet is waiting in SFO and the ORD-SFO leg is all MD-80's. :(

2 replies

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

July 5, 2009 11:14 AM

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@humphrmi: MD-80s are brutal for ORD-west coast flights. My husband's 6'4\" and there's only one direct flight a day to his parents' city from ORD, and it's on an MD-80. He can usually barely walk when we get off.

(Know what makes strangers really judgy? When the wife carries all the luggage.)

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July 5, 2009 3:18 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I'm in a similar bind, though I fly Chicago-Nashville. But there's not even an MD-80- it's an Embraer with a 1x2 seat configuration. Or that time flying to upstate NY on a turboprop aircraft that had all of 30-some seats.

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gman863

July 5, 2009 5:15 AM

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No matter how hard you try, there are issues that may not appear until you have boarded - such as screaming toddlers or extremely obese people who can't fit unless they raise the armest and invade your space.

If you are flying Southwest, print your boarding pass online (this can be done as early as 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure). This will almost insure you'll be in the first group to board. When you find an open row, grab the aisle seat and place a newspaper or magazine on the middle seat. It creates an illusion the middle seat may be occupied - if the flight isn't full, it's less likely someone will ask if the seat is taken and the fact you're blocking the middle and window seat makes it less tempting for someone to join you.

Plan \"B\" is to grab the window seat in a row where the aisle seat has been taken by someone using the above strategy. Again, use a newspaper or magazine to \"occupy\" the middle seat.

If you're on an airline with assigned seating and it's a non-stop flight, stash anything larger than a purse or briefcase in the overhead bin. Scan the plane for open seats. If you're jammed in and you see open seats, either ask the flight attendant if you can switch (right before the plane leaves the gate) or - once the seat belt light is off in flight, make a quick trip to the bathroom with your small bag and, when returning, help yourself to a better open seat.

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jeffbone

July 5, 2009 4:25 PM

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@gman863: \"If you are flying Southwest, print your boarding pass online (this can be done as early as 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure).\"

Yep, and recent experience (data point of 1 :-) ) indicates that it's smart to check in exactly 24 hrs ahead. My kid was flying from DC to Orlando, I checked her in on-line one minute after the window opened. She got boarding assignment A-29. Granted, some of those folks might have been \"business select\" pax that already had a higher priority boarding assignment.

From now on, I'm going to check in to all Southwest flights as soon as the window opens, unless someone else sees a reason not to that I'm missing.

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b.k.

July 5, 2009 7:37 PM

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@jeffbone: I think the business seats only cover A1 through A15, so you must have had a lot of quick-fingered people on your flight. Generally I don't have to check in exactly 24 hours early to get a boarding number below 30, but I do often fly at non-peak times when flights are half-full, anyway.

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TedSez

July 5, 2009 6:29 AM

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In my experience, starting a year or two ago airlines will never give you an empty exit-row seat or any of the other \"premium coach\" seats unless you pay the fee. In fact, those seats often are left empty because no one wants to shell out the extra $15-$40 per leg. (In fact, sometimes the entire exit row is left empty, which means there's no assurance that an able-bodied person will be there to handle the door in an emergency.)

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n301dp

July 6, 2009 4:02 PM

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@TedSez: Most airlines open up exit row seats for standby passengers approximately 30 minutes prior to departure. If you ask at that point, the seats are free!

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TedSez

July 6, 2009 4:38 PM

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@n301dp: That may be true on some airlines. But I've actually pointed out empty exit-row seats right before takeoff, and still been told I'd have to pay to sit there.

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humphrmi

July 5, 2009 8:04 AM

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@TedSez: I've seen this happen on flights I've been on (all exit rows empty due to passengers not wanting to pay for \"premium\".) I do hope the FAA clamps down on this. Although I doubt it, until a plane crashes and people die because nobody was ready to pull the exit doors. I hate to say it, but that's how it works here.

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July 5, 2009 8:17 AM

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I think there's something to that advice about asking for an aisle seat in the back. On my most recent trips (Moscow-to-Paris flight, Paris-to-Los Angeles flight, Guadalajara-to-Los Angeles flight) I asked for a window seat toward the back and never had anybody sitting next to me -- twice, I had the entire row to myself.

When I get seated near the front of the plane, I usually end up sitting next to some poor 6-foot-tall guy who wedges his legs in my space (I'm 5 feet tall).

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ajlei

July 5, 2009 8:23 AM

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I exclusively fly Alaska Airlines (and by proxy, Horizon) and they let you select your seats when you're buying your tickets. I actually always prefer window seats, but it's always nice to have the option to choose beforehand and know that you won't have to fight over a seat.

1 replies

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July 7, 2009 12:41 AM

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I usually go for Alaska also, and they allow you to select seats when you are checking your bags at the airport, so you have one last chance to try to find a seat that has an empty middle seat next to it.

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Seokso

July 5, 2009 12:02 PM

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No question about it: the best thing you can do is be nice and friendly. As someone who used to work for an airline, I can tell you that most of the problems that happen are beyond the control of the employees. Over-booking, understaffed baggage handling, delays, and bad weather are just as bad for the employees because they have to deal with the wrath of angry passengers. Being nice in the face of that can often get you better treatment.

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July 5, 2009 1:47 PM

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I fly pretty consistantly with Delta and Northwest, buying my tickets online, and have always gotten the seats I assigned myself when purchasing my tickets. The only time's I haven't was when I was bumped to first class.

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jamesdenver

July 5, 2009 2:32 PM

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Just because a flight number continues on to an international destination after a stopover doesn't mean it uses the same aircraft.

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July 5, 2009 4:03 PM

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And if looking for an upgrade, be careful, I learned. Last week, for the first time ever, I asked about the potential for an upgrade for the second leg of my flight (first leg didn't qualify). The customer service person was very pleasant, and confirmed me on the list for an upgrade, gave me instructions when I got to my next airport, said I was all set. So when I went to take care of the mileage payment like she said, and found that in addition to mileage, there was a $200 payment which she'd neglected to mention to me (which I couldn't afford), and that in confirming me for the upgrade list, she also took me out of my confirmed seat. On a full flight. On an already 27-hour travel plan.

1 replies

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July 5, 2009 11:40 PM

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@subtlefrog: Let me guess, UA?

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July 5, 2009 4:15 PM

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join the frequent flier programs. fly continental.

I've earned silver status on continentals elite, and I'm among the first to get to select exit row seats.

ALSO with continental check in exactly 23 horus and 59 minutes before your flight, MOST seats will open up, and you'll be able to snag a previously reserved seat. I've done this with the great row 14 (exit row with leg room AND reclining seaT) and seen people walking past me with the \"that was MY seat look\"

Finally, loyalty pays, and continental has one of the best rewards program. I've got just under 100,000 miles in and seem to get a free first class upgrade about 60% of the time

Oh one last note, if you have achieved elite status (as on contiental, for example) fly into or out of non hub cities, as these are where you'll likely have people with way mmore miles than you getting an upgrade

For example: Houston to Newark (2 continental hubs) will likely mean no upgrade for a silver status on a discounted fare

but Austin to Newark or JFK and your chances are better. I once went Houston to Austin to Newark on and got an upgrade with no prob. Not much time added to the itinerary

and yes, check the seatguru or the plane type, so you can choose a plane with more first class seats also check the time of day.

finally, be lucky. ok no control over this one, but once I flew out of orlando to houston in a 767! the plane was changed last minute, resulting in an upgrade to first and getting to sit in the captain kirk center chair in first class (aisles on either side of you)

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PlayerX

July 6, 2009 5:58 AM

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I just flew Air Transat to Cuba a couple of weeks ago, and I researched their fleet and seating configurations. There is no difference between the A310 and A330 (save for the length) so I asked to be seated toward the back of the plane, where the seats are 2-aisle-2, rather than the usual 3-aisle-3-aisle-3 configuration (due to the narrowing of the fuselage in the rear).

My girlfriend and I had a very comfortable flight on the way up.

We also got lucky on the way back: our flight on the way up was to Cuba directly, but on the way back we had to drop some people off and pick some people up in the Dominican Republic. So we had to take different seats, and we couldn't choose. We happened to get 3 seats to ourselves, and because there was no one in the seat next to us she could stretch out over my lap and lie down!

If you can avoid it, don't sit over the wing... it's boring to look at.

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PlayerX

July 6, 2009 5:01 PM

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@PlayerX: Correction: the seats in the back of an Air Transat plane are 2x3x2... it's a widebody, after all!

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alexanderpink

July 7, 2009 7:26 AM

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[www.seatguru.com]

I use it whenever I fly.

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Anonymous

July 7, 2009 3:35 PM

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My wife and I often will book the window and aisle seat when booking to encourage people to not sit in the middle seat, as opposed to an aisle and middle or window an middle seat. If someone does wind up sitting there we will offer to switch to the seats of their choice. Most of the time however we wind up getting the extra seat to ourselves.

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Sharad Singhal

July 7, 2009 4:57 PM

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When two of us are traveling, I book the aisle and the window seat. 99% of the time, the center seat goes empty.

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