Posts in the category "Seating":

Have you ever boarded a flight, settled into your seat and wished for a row to yourself after getting a good look at, or whiff of, your seatmate?

By then, of course, it’s too late to buy an extra seat or, on today’s increasingly full flights, move to another row. Buying an extra seat ahead of time is an option, but the hefty cost usually convinces travelers to take their chances.

Now some airlines are giving passengers another, less expensive, option.

Empty Seat Option, offered on AirAsia X — the long-haul, low-fare affiliate of Malaysia’ AirAsia — allows passengers  to pay a fee and request that the seat(s) next to them remain empty.

It’s not a sure thing though.

Passengers make an empty seat request online at the Optiontown, a revenue-management site, and pay both a small sign-up fee (about $1) and an Empty Seat Price that varies by flight time and destination but can be as low as $6. If empty seats are indeed available, a passenger gets a confirmation message four to 72 hours before his or her flight. If no seats are available, the empty seat price — but not the sign-up fee — is refunded a few days after the flight departs.

“We offer them the option to purchase only what is required depending on individual needs rather than bundling the cost to our fare offerings,” Azran Osman-Rani, chief executive of AirAsia X, said in a statement. He added that so far feedback about the empty seat option — and a similar upgrade program — has been positive and that other flexible options would likely be added in the near future.

“It’s about providing passengers with choice,” said Raymond Kollau, founder of airlinetrends.com, an industry and consumer research agency. “Whereas KLM’s social seating tool allows passengers in the mood for a chat to choose their seatmate, AirAsia X gives those passengers who like to have the row to their own an option to purchase it. It’s just a matter of preference.”

A few other airlines offer a similar product. At check-in, Air New Zealand’s Twin Seat option gives passengers the chance to buy the seat next to them for a significantly reduced price. Spain’s Vueling offers a second-seat option, called Duo, as well.

“The option provides peace of mind to passengers who [don’t have to] bet on the seat shuffle that takes place after the aircraft has lifted off,” said Kollau.

Optiontown also offers an Upgrade Travel Option on 10 airlines, including AirAsia X, Aeromexico, SAS, Air India and others.

Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, a company specializing in airline branding and customer engagement, said it’s a positive program. “It’s a great way to up-sell distressed inventory and also give customers a sense of what the premium product is like.”

(This story first appeared on msnbc.com’s Travel Kit)

Categories: Air Travel, Airplanes, Seating
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SingaporeAirlines Business Class_Cabin B777-300ER

Whether your flight is short or long — but especially if it’s long — where you sit on the airplane can make all the difference in how much you enjoy the trip. That’s why sites such as SeatGuru and Seatexpert, which evaluate the desirability of every seat on just about every type of commerical aircraft, are so popular, and why so many airlines keep raising the bar — and the price — for the most comfortable seats.

For Bing Travel, I put together a slide show exploring some options – from the best to the worst seats.
You can see the full slide show here, but here’s one of the more intriguing options.

Singapore Airline Double Bed

Can there be “a class beyond first class,” as Singapore Airlines claims to offer? On the airline’s new A380s there are cruise-line-like suites with sliding doors, armchair-style seats, 23-inch wall-mounted LCD screens and stationary drawers with writing supplies. Each suite also has its own full-sized flat bed with pillows and linen by Givenchy. And, in a first for commercial aviation, for couples traveling together, the sleeping areas in the middle seats can be converted to double beds.

Singapore airlines First-Class suite

I’ll be flying on one of these suite-equipped A380s next week and will have a chance to tour – but not stay in -a suite. I’ll be sure to snap some photos – and maybe ask for a piece of stationary – while I’m there.

Categories: Seating
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Each Friday on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin I tackle a reader’s question. This week the topic was:

Is your airplane seat assignment sacred?

That’s what Dennis Palkoner wanted to know.

Palkoner and his wife are both elite frequent fliers and often receive first-class upgrades for their flights.

Lucky them, right? The only problem: often the upgraded seats are not together.

Palkoner said that when this happens his strategy is to “politely ask the person in the seat next to our upgraded seat if they will switch seats so my wife and I can sit together.”

He said this works “100% of the time” but wants to know: First class or not, “Do airlines mind if I change seats with another passenger?

“I can’t speak for all airlines,” said Heather Poole, a long-time flight attendant and author of “Cruising Attitude” (due out March, 2012). “But at mine it is OK for passengers to swap seats in the same cabin they purchased their ticket in.”

Sara Keagle, a flight attendant who blogs at The FlyingPinto.com, said the same policy exists at the airline she works for. “My airline does charge for premium seats such as exit rows and bulkheads, so as long as [an economy cabin passenger] doesn’t choose those seats, it’s fine.”

Passengers within the premium zones can trade amongst themselves, said Keagle. “And we do let passengers trade seats from coach to first class, but that is done on the ground and there is no switching back once the door closes for departure.”

How — or why — would someone swap a first-class seat for one in coach? “Sometimes one person in a couple will get an upgrade but they’ll want to sit together, so they will offer their seat in first class to their neighbor in coach,” said Keagle.

“We want our customers to have a safe and comfortable travel experience, so changing seats or moving to an empty seat within the customer’s respective cabin is fine,” said Delta Air Lines spokesperson Anthony Black. “But it is always a good idea to ask the flight attendants if it’s OK to move and the best — and safest — time to do so.”

When swapping or moving to an open seat, there are some things to keep in mind.

Another passenger may have purchased two seats to insure that no one is seated next to them. “Smaller planes may have weight and balance issues, and there are certain requirements passengers must meet in order to sit in an exit row,” said Poole.

Even Southwest Airlines, well-known for its open-seating policy, has given seat-swapping some thought.

“Our policy allows customers to choose seats that fulfill their personal preferences,” said Southwest spokesperson Michelle Agnew. “But it’s not uncommon for our flight attendants to ask customers if they are willing to switch seats to accommodate a family who would like to sit together.”

Agnew says customers are usually very accommodating and flexible in those situations. Perhaps it’s because flight attendants often thank those customers “with a complimentary adult beverage if they are of age.”

Categories: Air Travel, Seating
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Like Santa’s sleigh, airplanes will be flying full this holiday season. So don’t expect there to be a lot of extra room for your long legs and your overstuffed carry-on bags.

Those dreading the airline seat squeeze do have some options. One by one, airlines have been rolling out programs that offer slightly larger main cabin seats and a little extra legroom for fees ranging from $30 to $60 and up.

For msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin, I asked Matt Daimler, founder of SeatGuru.com, and Chris Lopinto, president and co-founder of ExpertFlyer.com, for the lowdown on buying extra legroom.

Q: Preferred seating. Economy Plus. Economy Comfort. It seems like every airline is joining the “buy added legroom” market. Is this officially a trend?

Daimler: Yes, it seems that once the airlines figured out how lucrative fees could be, we’ve seen an explosion of new offerings. Some of the airlines offering extra legroom in economy for a fee now include United Airlines, JetBlue, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air France, Virgin America, Frontier and Spirit.

Lopinto: If you don’t have elite status and aren’t flying on a full-fare ticket, you’ll have to pay to sit in those “enhanced” economy seats. The price varies by the length of the flight but average around $30 to $60 per person. You’re not getting those seats for free.

Q: Are passengers willing to pay? And do you know how much money airlines are making by charging for extra legroom?

Daimler: We haven’t seen many airlines discontinue a fee, so they are likely seeing good success with this strategy. We don’t believe any airline has released information on how successful each fee is to their bottom line, but we do know that fees are definitely a reason why airlines are making money again.

Q: One airline is offering “desirable seats near the front of the main cabin” for as little as $4 per flight. Sounds like a good deal. Or is it?

Daimler: We recommend that passengers ensure the airline actually offers extra legroom for the seating fee. There are some airlines that charge extra money simply to make a seat selection towards the front of the plane that usually doesn’t have extra legroom. For example, US Airways’ “choice seats” are simply seats towards the front of the economy cabin.

Lopinto: Delta and American are also good examples of this. Delta and American both call them “Preferred Seats.” They are usually the aisle or window seats towards the front of the Economy cabin.

Q: If you don’t want to pay, what are your options?

Daimler: Look for a good seat as soon as you book your ticket. Check back the week of your flight as some people may leave a good seat behind if they get upgraded or change their travel plans. Use the online check-in as soon as possible to get access to seats that may not have been available for pre-booking, such as exit rows or bulkheads. And remember that there can be very large differences in economy seats. For example, a regular economy seat on JetBlue’s Airbus A320 has a half-foot more legroom than a regular economy seat on Spirit Airlines Airbus A320.

Lopinto: There is a chance you may get one of these “preferred” seats for free. If you don’t get an assigned seat when you purchase your ticket, or can’t get an assigned seat because there are no “free” seats available at the time, wait until you are assigned a seat at check-in or at the airport. Maybe you’ll get assigned one of those aisle or window seats near the front for free. You could also fly to Vegas and win at blackjack; either way, it’s gambling.

Resources:
SeatGuru.com offers comparison charts to help you compare your seat options across carriers and different aircraft.
ExpertFlyer.com offers free Seat Alerts that allow travelers to be notified when a better seat becomes available on your flight.
Airfarewatchdog.com has a chart of fees charged by airlines for upgraded and preferred seating. Note: Fees may change, so be sure to check airline websites as well.

Categories: Seating
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Each Friday on msnbc.com’s Overhead Bin blog I have the pleasure of tracking down an answer to a reader’s questions. This week the topic was: how do airlines decide who gets those much-coveted seat upgrades on the airplanes?

With full airplanes these days, many frequent fliers seeking upgrades find themselves unable to get a spot in the coveted first or business-class cabin.

“I know status plays a part,” noted one Overhead Bin reader. “But many times my husband and I — both Diamond flyers with Delta — have not been upgraded when we know there are seats available.”

This same reader wondered: “Who makes the decision? We have never been able to talk to anyone at the airline that knows — or is willing to tell us — why or how.”

For an answer we turned to Delta spokesperson Paul Skrbec, who told us that a lot of the seemingly mysterious details about how the process works are detailed on the airline’s website. “The IT system uses our published criteria to ensure that the best customers get the best seats.”

After that, and if there are still seats in the front of the airplane, “our agents have the ability to upgrade as well. In these cases, it’s not unheard of for members of the active military to get a better seat if they can be identified in the gate area,” said Skrbec. Other situations are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. “But generally speaking, first-class seats go to Medallion customers and those who paid for first class.”

The criteria are similar at other airlines.

“Procedures are automated to ensure customers have a consistent, fair upgrade experience,” said Rahsaan Johnson, spokesperson for United and Continental airlines. “When space is available, we offer upgrades first to customers in the highest premier levels, taking into account the fares they paid.”

For those without top-shelf, frequent-flier status, though, there may be some secrets — or at least a few strategies to try.

Some travelers believe gate agents often upgrade travelers who ask politely and/or are dressed to the nines. Others say volunteering to be bumped on an overbooked flight, offering to change seats so that a family can be seated together or flat out flirting is the way to win the upgrade game.

And then there’s John DiScala’s upgrade “secret.” The founder of the JohnnyJet.com travel website says the best way to get upgraded is “be genuinely nice and bring a box of chocolates to the gate agents and flight attendants.”

Categories: Seating
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