From the Seattle Times:

“I had a ticket on a United Airlines flight that was the second leg of a trip booked though U.S. Airways, so I couldn’t get a seat assignment until I arrived at the gate. When a gate agent got the podium around 11 p.m., I requested a window seat.

She asked me for $41.

“Sorry?”

“A window seat is considered an upgrade,” she replied, with a hint that anybody who’s boarded a plane would know that’s a given.”

Apparently what had happened is that all the “economy” seats were full, and window seats were considered “economy plus.”

“I didn’t pay the $41, mostly from principle, and exhaustion. She held onto my boarding pass until the flight was about to leave, handed it back and said there was nothing she could do. I was still on the aisle on 13D. When the plane door closed I simply moved to the empty exit row, stretched out over the two empty seats and got some sleep.”

Many airlines have resorted to making “services” a la carte in an effort to cut costs. We fail to see how a window is a service, but all in all, we prefer the aisle anyway. —MEGHANN MARCO

Want a window seat? Pay more on some flights [Seattle Times]

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