EasyJet Seat Allocation

A snowHead

I received an email from EasyJet today confirming that allocated seats can now be purchased for £3 per person per journey.

When I checked further, the costs are £8 for those seats closer to the front, or £12 for those with extra legroom.

I presume that those who don't pay are allocated a seat number at the airport. I presume those travelling in groups will be purposely allocated seats away from each other to 'encourage' them to pay for seats in the future where they want to sit next to their friends or family.

What will these budget airlines think of next?

How about charging for extra oxygen? - 100 free breaths per journey (reserving the right to reduce this quantity once we all learn how to hold each breath for longer!), extra oxygen at £1 per breath over the allocated 'free' number. Anyone wanting to have a real 'belly laugh' will be charged a £10 hyperventilation fee.

Anyone got any other revenue increasing scheme suggestions which the budget airlines haven't thought of yet?

A snowHead

If you are not fussed where you sit you just don't pay simples
If you want an exit seat or have a group of friends together the option is now there at a cost
Personally I think its a good idea

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Mr Marmot, more here http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2090266&highlight=easyjet#2090266

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I think this is a positive step. It actually states in the email

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

How much extra to be guaranteed a seat next to Swiller with my egg sandwich?

I'd be highly surprised if the free allocation model doesn't plonk most single travellers in middle seats to encourage them to not be such tightwads next time.

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The £12 seats also include speedy boarding.

As others have said a step forward in my opinion.

Before Easyjet et al came along BA were charging hundreds more to some of these destinations.

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After all it is free

Jet2 have always done it I think

Great EZ-tip!!!

At the gate, if they ask for people who are willing to have their hand baggage put into the hold for free, to speed up the boarding when the plane is full >>> GO FOR IT <<<

You'll get put in line for first boarding, after the "Speedy Boarding" & "Parents with kids" etc have gone on board - so it's kinda like Speedy boarding for free Little Angel

.

Just experienced this for the first time on a flight from Gatwick to Munich

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But if you do so for "speed" you wouldthen have to wait for your luggage to appear on the carousel once you reach the destination.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I feel that the more "frills" the airlines can persuade some people to pay for, the more likelihood there is of continuing low prices for those willing to be parted from their friends for the time it takes to whisk over to Pisa, or Geneva, or wherever.

They have to cover their costs somehow. It's a highly competitive business and if they can persuade people that getting from A to B in 90 minutes, on the same day, in the same airframe is a whole range of differentiated products, good luck to them.

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pam w, +1

I don't mind if I don't have to sit with my children, it's only a short flight.

I personally pay extra for the mid morning flight over the crack of dawn with easy boarding, much more relaxing start to the ski holiday, and the flight is to short to worry about allocation or windows.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

dsoutar, but they are obviously doing something right, as you presumably parted with your money. wink

A snowHead

pam w, +2

I fly Easyjet return regularly out of London as do many other people that I recognise on the flights.
If it keeps their prices down then the less inclusive frills and the more charging for extras the better.

"Don't get me started ! I haven't actually flown with them yet (that delight is in December) but the online booking robbery, I mean process, definitely rivals O'Leary's piracy antics"

Could you be a bit more specific. I've never felt that the website is anything but clear in the charging process.
It costs airlines to carry hold baggage. That cost is passed onto to the customers that require it. Those that don't have hold baggage then do not have to subsidise those that do. You don't have to pay for a pre-allocated seat unless you specifically want to. You can take your own food on board. If you book early you get a lower price and the low cost airlines fly to destinations that other carriers have ignored so opening up new routes. The prices would be even lower but for the taxes imposed by the government.

A snowHead

I really don't mind which seat I get though I do prefer to get one that gives me a chance of being one of the first off the plane (not always the front!) and that gives me a chance of an empty seat next to me (extra elbow room) and that is next to a window (so I get that great view of Mont Blanc as I come in to land in Geneva).

I really do mind about having my hand luggage (max size wheely bag sometimes) stuffed under the seat in front. Sadly this means you need to be amongst the first 60% on board to find a locker space so allocated seating wont help this.

I think I would go for the idea of checking in the bag when asked in the queue (most of the time it seems these days) unless I had a train to catch that was a bit tight or I was picking up a hire car.

Current strategy is to stand in queue 2 as soon as I get to the gate (I dont need to sit down at the gate I've got an hour plus on the plane to do that) and then chose the stairs that allow you a seat nearest the front of the plane. Bizarrely this is usually the back ones - the front ones are full of people with reduced mobility, families with kids and speedy boarders hoping for rows 1-5. Scoot up the back stairs and walk forwards the full length of the plane, slot your bag in a locker and then select your seat. I've been as far forward as row 4 doing this. Obviously won't work if boarding is by airbridge and front door only!

If I'm not in a rush I ask the cabin crew if the plane is full and if it isn't go for the old aisle and window with an empty middle seat.

Luckily I'm most often travelling alone which helps on the above. Sounds like my strategy goes out of the window once allocated seating comes in!

For those who want to sit next to their kids but don't want to pay for allocated seats or speedy boarding the method is to find two seats reasonably close together then pick your victim who is the guy in the aisle seat next to the middle one where you put your little darling. Hand them a sick bag (the kid) and say "If you are ill like you were last time just ask this gentleman to help you" He'll offer to swap seats with you!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

It's a great step forward. If you are a regular flyer and have the easyjet plus card you are quids in. You can select your seats for free. If you want to sit near the front you pay more. If you don't want to select a seat and don't mind where you will be put pay nothing. I have booked flights with other operators who charge £9 for a seat and that's not even extra leg room or even near th front.
Be warned though board the plane last and you will still have problems stowing your oversized hand luggage in the lockers. You know the ones where it takes two people to lift them up.

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Got my first flight with allocated seating coming up shortly. There is some fee payable, from £3 to £12 I think, for 15 out of the 26 rows of seats!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dsoutar, Booked flights with Jet2 last night and didn't find it any more obscure than any of the low cost airlines.

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I think the logical progression is people being weighed in with their gear and price going up with combined weight. Could be interesting.

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Colin B, fee payable if you want to choose a seat, shirley. I don't want to choose a seat, so if the only seat left for allocation is in a "chargeable row" then that's where they'll have to put me.....

After all it is free

holidayloverxx, I assume that's the case. Basically the back 12 rows are free. Makes little difference to me on this trip tbh. For half term travelling with my daughter I'll book 2 to make certain we are together.

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We received that email and - knowing how my husband HATES the EJ scrum for seats (he travels a lot with work and always Business Class, so is pretty spoilt Laughing

) - booked them for our family of 4. £3 each and we got the row we prefer anyway; total of £24. The only negative in the process was that I have the whole of my group of 8 booked on my account, and it's not possible to only pre-book/pay online for part of a group. As the rest of them weren't bothered, I had to call EJ, an activity that makes me lose the will to live. However, once through, it was very simple and took 2/3 minutes.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I would much rather pay a fee to leisurely stroll onto a plane instead being part of a scum to get seated together, I may even start to use easyjet now!

Really cannot understand the British mentality at times!!!

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scoman, I don't want to pay a fee and I don't care where I sit or who with (unless babies are involved), so no scrum for me

I did book seats as I wouldn't like to inflict the tired rugrats on anyone else and I got the second row for £3 each so easier getting on and off.

You know it makes sense.

If the children are young the pilot won't take off unless they are seated with their parents. I experienced that once where a family of four got on last and there were only four seats scattered around a completely packed plane. The pilot requested volunteers to move. No one did. Then the pilot made it clear that the plane would not be moving until the matter was resolved. Still no one moved. As it was a short flight, I got up and eventually so did some others under the prompting of the stewardesses. Pilots see this as a safety issue and as they are the law on the aircraft, what they say will hold legally. If you have young kids, I wouldn't worry about it. You will sit together, even if you don't want to....

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I suspect that as she'll be 17 that won't apply wink

I've experienced something similar on a Ryanair Flight a few years ago.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Actually I'm wrong having looked again there are actually no seats which are free to pre-book, they are all at least £3. Not a lot I know but still a con IMO!

I'm all for allocated seats though, I'll just wait until I check in as I'm not too bothered for this trip.

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I saw a strange situation develop last Sunday evening on a Ryanair flight from Skavsta, Sweden.

As people were taking their seats, a stewardess had blocked the use of middle escape route seats, a group of three travellers then sat in the two rows immediately behind these seats, one in the aisle seat of one row and the other two in the window and aisle seats of the other row. As more passengers arrived looking for seats, these three told everyone that the seats adjacent to them were already taken. Late arrivals now had to search out whatever odd empty seats were still available around the cabin. The very last group was two adults and a small child and there wasn't even two seats together left anywhere on the plane (apart from the escape row and the two next to the individual traveller) I first mentioned. The stewardess then allowed the three travellers to move to the escape exit row, 'freeing' up space for the family group.

The three travellers gave a triumphant shout of 'it works every time' as they took the 'more legroom' seats. They had obviously blocked empty seats by saying they were taken on a very full flight in the hope that they would eventually get the 'more legroom' seats, and they succeeded!

The selfishness of some people never ceases to amaze me. Or should we all be like this?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Ryanair started all of this nonsense of having "cheap" fares and charging extra for everything else.

I personally don't pay for allocated seating, priority boarding etc. As long as I have a seat and they transport my luggage and skis at a reasonable price then that's fine. The last flight I was on nearly everyone else had paid for priority boarding which then defeated the whole idea.

My next budget flight in December is with BA which includes food 23kg of hold luggage, however I did pay extra for my skis.

Mr Marmot,

Have you sorted out your ski trip satisfactorily after your issues with your tour operator?

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welshflyer The current situation is that some of the group say they can't afford the extra costs for the alternatives offered by the TO who' lost' the use of the accommodation six months after taking our deposits. Everything is still being discussed and negotiated, but I don't know if any resolution suitable to most will ever be reached. Thanks for asking, but I don't really want to discuss the situation any further on SnowHeads since the SmugHeads response to my posts in just trying to keep others informed about what goes on in these sort of situations, is to provide unwanted fatuous advice as to how 'a log cabin in another resort wouldn't be too bad', and comments such as 'you're still better off than all those little kiddies who lost their holidays and their money'!!! What happens to us will be kept to ourselves. Others can learn what the impact is, if it ever happens to them.

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Well Easyjet just can not win can they? You don't like the scrum of getting on the plane having to find a seat so now they have taken the decision to go all allocated seating on all it's routes. I think it's great. If you do not mind where you sit don't pay and one will be allocated for you. This is not a problem unless you are travelling with people who have made there own bookings then they could be all over the cabin. However if they are all on the same booking then easyjet will try to sit you all together. If you want to guarantee to sit together then pay the small fee. For me going to Geneva I have paid to be near the front knowing what it's like at passport control lol. But on the way back I've paid for the cheap seats. However be warned the locker space is still the same. Those who get on last may end up with bags under the seat or even placed in the hold.
Personally I think it's a great move by easyjet to do this. Now I wish they would start to enforce the baggage policy of 1 piece of hand luggage that fits in the gage and everyone will be happy. Apart from those who take the pi** and take large hold bags into the cabin.

After all it is free

Those who think they are beeing ripped off should realise that, unless the Airline is alternatively funded, it has to make a profit or it goes under. The major part of your fare goes in taxes and charges, it leaves little for fuel and the airline. Easyjet and Ryanair have done us a great service by probably halving the cost of economy airfare. Their pricing policy is up to them. It does not have to be rational providing it is cleary described. It does, however make price comparison difficult and you need to do your homework. My main consideration is: when and where the fight goes from & to rather than a small price difference.
It would be rational to charge passengers at set administration cost, and by a factor for their weight including baggage, number of bags (the handling has to be paid for), extra for premium seats, lung capacity as they have to provide air at altitude (its not free to compress), use of the toilets etc. but the cost of administration would probably make it counter-productive.
It is a shame that many of the traditional airlines have followed suit charging for checked baggage only to find it backfires making insufficient room in the cabin. Personally I think some of the charging policies just get peoples back up and would like to see a straight price for essentials. I used to like Easyjet's choose your own seat on boading, I can avoid other peoples kids and overlarge people. Travelling alone reserving a seat does not exclude an unpleasant passenger sitting next to you. Now Easyjet have gone down that route it would better to include £3 in the stardard fare and have seat allocation on booking for all.

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