United to add ‘select’ seat fee
Carrier will begin adding fees to reserve economy spots near front of aircraft.
Carrier will charge a fee for economy spots near the front of the plane.
Not every economy seat is created equal.
Starting later this year, United Airlines plans to charge an extra fee for economy seats that are near the front of the plane but otherwise look and feel like any other coach seat.
United Airlines President Scott Kirby discussed the new fee recently with reporters at the International Aviation Forecast Summit in Denver.
“We’ve got ‘Economy Plus’ today, which has more legroom, but there are also rows that don’t have more legroom but they are at the front of the airplane,” he told the travel website Skift. “We are now going to let those people select those seats as well for a fee.”
Economy Plus seats offer up to 5 more inches of legroom than regular economy seats. Behind those seats are a row of seats that the airline will call “select standard” economy seats because they are closer to the front of the plane.
United spokeswoman Maddie King confirmed that the new fee will be introduced this year, although she said the airline has yet to disclose the amount of the fee or how many seats would be designated select standard economy seats.
Not everyone has to pay the fee.
Passengers who are Corporate Preferred Elite Customers, a designation given to top corporate fliers, and passengers who have achieved the United MileagePlus Premier status in the airline’s loyalty reward program can book the select standard economy seats without an additional charge, King said.
During booking, all other economy seat passengers must pay a fee for the select standard seats, she said.
However, if the select standard seats are open at the time of check-in, they will be available for economy seat passengers to select without paying the charge, she said.
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines already charge an extra fee to book the most desirable economy seats.
Southwest raises early boarding fee
On Southwest Airlines, the early bird gets a price increase.
The Dallas-based lowcost carrier is raising the fee to board early from a flat rate of $15 per flight to $20 to $25, depending on the length and popularity of the flight. On other flights the fee will remain $15. The change takes effect Aug. 29 and the airline says the fee on any route may be adjusted in the future based on changes in popularity.
Southwest began offering early boarding in 2009 for $10 per passenger. The price has since increased to $15.
“EarlyBird continues to be a popular product for our customers and it’s a valuable source of revenue that helps us keep our everyday fares low while not nickeland-diming our customers,” Southwest said on its website.
There are no assigned seats on Southwest Airlines, so being among the first to board means being able to choose a prime seat as well as find space in the overhead bin.
Southwest passengers are put into one of three boarding groups: A, B or C. Within each group, passengers get a number between 1 and 60. So, A1 is the most coveted boarding position.
Fliers who pay for EarlyBird boarding when they book a flight automatically get checked in within 36 hours of the flight’s departure. That doesn’t guarantee that the EarlyBird passengers get into the “A” boarding group, but it improves their position over travelers who check in a few hours before takeoff.
But that is not the only way to improve your boarding position at Southwest Airlines. Travelers can pay $30, $40 or $50, depending on the flight, for “upgraded boarding” when they show up at the airport. The fee guarantees that the passenger gets a boarding number between A1 and A15.
Alaska cuts off pre-f light booze
The acquisition of Virgin America by Alaska Airlines is leading to changes for passengers who like to down a few cocktails before a flight.
Before Alaska Airlines’ parent company acquired Virgin America in 2016, first-class passengers on Virgin America were able to order cocktails before takeoff. Alaska Airlines continued to offer the pre-flight drinks on the 71 Airbus planes formerly operated by Virgin America.
With the merger nearly complete, Alaska Airlines put an end to that service Aug. 1.
“As part of this move to streamline the customer experience, we will no longer be offering full-bar service prior to departure on Airbus planes,” said Alaska spokeswoman Bobbie Egan.
But there is good news for fliers who like to imbibe before a flight.
Starting Nov. 1, firstclass passengers flying before 10 a.m. on all Alaska Airlines flights will be offered nonalcoholic pretakeoff drinks, including bottled water and coffee.
On all flights departing after 10 a.m., Alaska Airlines fliers will be offered pretakeoff drinks that include sparkling wine (but no cocktails).
Then, as now, the bar is open once the plane lifts off.
“Our focus is on delivering a consistent experience to guests,” Egan said.