Travel Tips: Seat Reservations
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Seat Reservations
Boarding one’s flight used to be a leisurely affair. Seats were
allocated at the check-in desk and the traveller was shown to his or her seat
by the air hostess. In this low-cost airline age, a scrum at the departure
gate is a fact of life.
Many airlines have cottoned onto the fact that they can charge for
travellers to pre-assign their seat, extra legroom and, in some cases, a
bulkhead or exit-row seat.
Our chart to the major airlines and low-cost carriers shows which airlines
charge and how much you should add to the cost of your ticket for the seat of
your choice.
| Airline |
Does airline assign
seats? |
Cost (£) |
How to get
extra legroom
seats
(bulkhead/exit
row) |
Extra legroom
costs(per
sector) |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Air France |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| Alitalia |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| bmi |
Yes, online check-
in only |
Free |
On request at
airport |
Free |
| bmibaby |
Yes, online and at
check-in. Online
check-in is
available only for
those carrying hand
baggage only
|
Free |
On request at
airport |
Free |
| British Airways |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
On request at
airport |
Free |
| easyJet |
No, but "speedy
boarding" costs no
more than £7.50
and allows you on
the plane first. |
no more
than £7.50 |
Available on
first-come,
first-
served basis |
- |
| XL Airways |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
From
£8.50 |
Pre-bookable |
From £18.50 |
| Flybe |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
£8
|
Pre-bookable |
£16 |
| Flyglobespan |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
From £7 |
Pre-bookable |
£12.50 |
| Jet2.com |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Pre-bookable |
£12.50 |
| KLM |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| Lufthansa AG |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| Monarch Scheduled |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
£5 |
Pre-bookable |
£15 - shorthaul
£30 - longhaul |
| Ryanair |
No
Priority boarding
with online check-in
with only hand
luggage.
Priority boarding
with checked
luggage |
Free
£2 |
Available on
first-come , first-
served basis |
- |
| SAS Scandinavian Airways |
Yes, online and at
check-in
|
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| SN Brussels Airlines |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
Allocated at
check-in |
Free |
| Thomsonfly |
Yes, allocated on
first-come, first-
served basis, online
and at check-in. |
£5 to
select
seat |
Via call center |
£15 |
| Virgin Atlantic |
Yes, online and at
check-in |
Free |
On request at
airport |
- |
| Wizz Air |
No
Priority boarding
with online check-
in. |
£2.99 at
time of
booking or
£5 after
booking |
Pree-bookable |
£3.50 at time of
booking, or £7
after booking |
* Passengers travelling in Economy Plus may pre-assign their seats at no
charge
** Depending on route
Updated October 2007
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