To not book a seat on a longhaul flight?

[DecemberPlusFebruary]

I'm travelling alone. Flight is 10 hours. Adding seats to the (economy cheapest) booking raises the price by about £70 - £85/flight and it's round trip. Economy cheapest means I am allocated a seat randomly - no choice even at check-in. Price without a seat: £425. With seats: £602!

I have a half hour drive on arrival at destination, but a route I know well, and even if I don't sleep at all, timings mean I will be okay to drive. No driving on return.

But... I like an aisle seat. I stand up and move like once/hour. Crawling over people is pretty unpleasant, for everyone involved - though I would do it anyway.

Hmm. Aibu to just hope for the best on allocation?? How bad can it be? £175 seems insane to pay for seats.

I have always refused to pay on principle, and it has always worked out fine.

Last time I flew was with teen Dc, and I was half-expecting we would be “punished” by being spread around the plane away from each other. But in fact got allocated same row at check-in, even though the plane was pretty full.

I would personally risk it, but you have to be prepared to get what you’re given.

😂😂😂

The OP's answer to this seemed to be that disabled people should book window/middle seats (even if their disability precludes this) or else expect to be made uncomfortable because her desire to wander around every hour on the hour is apparently fine but someone's need for an aisle seat is just selfish 'body-blocking'.

I don’t on long haul, the tui planes I’ve been on are pretty roomy and plenty of room to move around and past people even if it wasn’t an aisle seat, however I’ve heard BA aren’t as roomy but I still wouldn’t pay that

And if they can't swap due to restricted mobility or disability meaning they need the aisle seat? She should just trample over a disabled person guilt-free??

And even if not disabled, that person has paid the £175 to get the aisle seat but should be intimidated into giving it up under threat of getting trampled otherwise?!

If you aisle seat, surely you expect the middle and window to need to get up. I would not pay that sort of difference in ticket. I would however enjoy blowing it on Duty Free!

Of course you expect the other seats to get up @Vitrolinsanity but the OP says she's going to get up every single hour for a ten hour flight. That's excessive, and means she should pay up to guarantee the aisle seat she needs.

Yup. I'd venture a guess that the OP isn't considered a particularly thoughtful sort of person in real life.

Do what you want. But the normal amount of times to get up if you are not in the aisle seat for a 10 hr flight is 3 maybe 4 max. I also go to the loo quite a lot and like to stand up but I would always attempt to either get an aisle seat or pay for it if didn’t get allocated one. I would be hugely pissed off if I had to get up 10 times for someone with a middle or window seat.

YANBU not to pre-book a seat. But if you don’t you have a 1 in 4 chance or less )depending on the aircraft and configuration of net getting an aisle seat. Are you a gambling girl? Are you prepared to just get on with it if you don’t get the seat you want?

Many people travelling as a couple will book a window and an aisle and hope the middle seat is left empty. So the chances of a spare aisle seat are reduced. If you really don’t care then don’t book, but it sounds as though you do care, and will want to move around so you should book the seat you want for your own benefit and incidentally the benefit of other passengers.

I pay to book a seat. If im asleep on a night flight, you'll be climbing over me and heaven forbid you wake me up once an hour!

Surprised at the anger towards OP here. I would pay if I could afford it, as I’d hate to risk getting the middle seat. But if she’s happy to sit anywhere, she’s not obliged to fork out for other people’s comfort. If you hate having to get up to let people out, you’re the one who should pay for a seat where you won’t have to do that. Standing up on a flight isn’t a fun activity, it helps prevent blood clots and is the recommended thing to do.

I was sitting next to someone like OP on a flight recently. I was in window, OP-esque in middle and poor sod in aisle. Middle seat got up several times in 4hr flight, disturbing a not particularly agile aisle passenger. They huffed and puffed a good few times, made worse by trying to keep out of way of flight crew. It would have been really annoying if this had continued for a longer flight. TBH, I was trying not to be too judgey on the middle seat person because I assumed they must have a stomach upset or uti they were up so much, but now I’m wondering if I was sat next to OP! 🤣

Online check in usually opens 30 or 24 hours before. If you log in as soon as possible you will probably be able to find a seat you like.

Other thing to do is to call the airline and ask nicely. They may allocate a seat. Or just lie and say you need one as you have to walk around due to a made up leg condition. But that’s cheating.

I have noticed this - have been flying (really) long haul for 30 years to visit family. Seat charges didn’t used to be a thing. The tickets are madly expensive in the first place.

The last couple of trips had significant seat booking charges (and for two long haul legs for two people, so x4 in charges).

I waited it out but eventually caved as the only seats that were going five left were clearly middle seats; I have a bad back so need to walk up the aisle now and again- non negotiable.

think it was at least another £200 on £2.5K tickets and I felt really cross about it.

On an internal flight in India, we literally had to fight and stand our ground to get our booked seats.
There were other passengers having issues and calling out the crew to move people from their booked seats. It was the most free-for-all flight I have ever been on, and yet other passengers said it was the norm.

Why? Spouses, partners, friends, we're all allowed to treat each other if we fancy it.

I would book because I want an aisle seat and I’m a fidget. I like knowing I will be able to get up and down as I need without disturbing anyone. I rarely fall asleep on a plane so I’m unlikely to be in a proper sleep if someone needed to get out. If I could sleep on a plane I’d probably book a window seat as I do actually prefer looking at the view.

Quite

If you have any additional needs like anxiety or autism, they may offer you free seat allocation instead of paying (true for BA via the accessibility / disability team).

I wouldn’t book and hope to get an aisle seat on check in. I’m pretty sure you can reduce the number of times you get up.

And if you have mobility problems? Then what? Is it fair to make someone with mobility problems get up 20 times during a 10 hour flight? Where else would you suggest they sit? The recommendation to stretch your legs is a good one but the op takes the absolute piss with this

Depends on how much you want the aisle seat. Someone has to have the middle (and window) seat and most people will need to get up sometimes during a long haul flight (plus it is recommended to stretch your legs regularly to avoid blood clots) so the person on the aisle needs to accept this. I once had a pretty unpleasant flight in a window seat when there were no aisle seats left when I checked in (this wasn’t a matter of not paying, it was just that I hadn’t been able to check in online when I tried but everyone else had managed it somehow). I got awful diarrhoea just as we were departing and had to get up a lot and the other passengers in the row made it known they weren’t impressed. I don’t think I could have avoided it in this case though as I did try to check in early and there was no option of pre-booking seats.

the p[rice is ridiculous and years ago it wasnt a thing but i pay because i have anxiety and dont want to be stuck in the middle