Reader Chris wrote in to warn us off Northwest’s “Coach Choice” seat upgrade. On a recent trip, he was offered the opportunity to upgrade to a “Coach Choice” seat for an extra $30 per seat. He eagerly forked over $60 for two upgrades, and was shocked and angry at what that Northwest gave him in return. See what a “Coach Choice” seat means to NWA, inside.
Hi Consumerist,
I just noticed The 10 Most Annoying Airline Fees and I had to tell you about Northwest Coach Choice Seats. You think United Economy Plus is bad? I personally am ok with it. You pay some extra money and they give you some extra legroom. It’s kind of like how fare classes have always worked. But check this out: Northwest has such a program and it’s a genius idea: you pay extra money, and they give you NOTHING THAT YOU DIDN’T REALLY ALREADY HAVE.
That’s right! They’ll sell you seat assignments (mine were $30 each, $60 for the pair) for which no extra investment has been made! No more legroom! No extra width! No better service! Hell, they’re not even at the front of the cabin! (Mine were row 28).
The trick is, they tell you the program is “designed to provide added choice and comfort!” That’s a laugh. And then the other trick is that by the time you discover that “added comfort” is a meaningless phrase and they are not exchanging anything in return for your fee, they tell you that whatever you paid is non-refundable.
Ok, fool me once. Correspondence with NWA Customer Care below.
Chris
While Chris bears some responsibility for assuming he knew what he was buying instead of making sure, it looks like “Coach Choice” is NWA’s way of pocketing an additional fare in exchange for nothing. In the airline’s words,
I am truly sorry that you found these seats to be the same as the other seats, however, these domestic Coach Choice seats are primarily a combination of exit row and aisle seats and are preferred by most of our customers not necessarily meaning that they have more leg room.
Chris went back and forth with the airline for a while, attempting to get his money back. Here’s another excerpt from near the end of the exchange:
I am very sorry you did not understand what you were purchasing at the time you agreed to these terms.
That said, we must again decline your request for refund of the purchased seats. The choice and comfort that most of our customers (that were surveyed) deem as important is aisle seats and exit rows. I am truly sorry to disappoint you, as I understand this was not the answer you were expecting.
For the record, customer response for Coach Choice seats at Northwest has been strong and has exceeded our expectations. It is clear that many customers value this choice, especially late booking business travelers. As a result of customer feedback, we introduced many enhancements in 2007.
We are looking at other modifications as well and appreciate your input. Keep in mind, only about 5% of domestic coach seat assignments are saved for Coach Choice; however, this program is an important revenue stream for our company and we are glad that you allowed us the opportunity to further explain our position.As a gesture of apology for your disappointment, I have added 5000 WorldPerks bonus miles to your account. Please allow three business days for the miles to appear as deposited.
So NWA thinks what the consumer really wants in the opportunity to pay an additional fee for an aisle or exit row seat, though a certain number of people have already been assigned an aisle or exit row seat for free. Is the “choice and comfort” worth your cash? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
(photo:JohnKit)
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One problem is that people are already paying different prices for seats, based on when they purchase them. This simply adds another choice to be made when buying a ticket- which makes this all the more difficult.
What I like about Southwest is the relative simplicity and predictability of their fare structure and boarding. Not perfect, but I don’t feel like I’m somehow being cheated.
And, for those who haven’t flown with a overseas carrier (like Cathay Pacific), you are missing what air travel can be.
“Actually a better choice for airlines would be to start reserving some of these for their best frequent fliers, a small give back to those of us who keep them in business by flying with them all the time.”
Fortunately, they do do this. Any 1K members wish to chime in?
@petrarch1608: @humphrmi: @petrarch1608:
The irony in the situation was that the family in the car that got planestruck was driving back home from MDW…and their inbound flight on another airline was delayed! So really….it was the other airline’s fault in a way!
@EricaJoy:
You summed up why in my opinion, jetBlew is just another airline…atleast Airtran/Southwest don’t blow sunshine up your ass about great customer service..we’ll pamper you..we’re “putting the humanity back in air travel…” etc.
I don’t have a problem with airlines charging extra for extra legroom (as long as the policy is clearly defined, which NW failed to do here). I do have a problem when the airlines use this as an excuse to reconfigure the planes so that you have to purchase the more expensive seats if you’re over 6′ tall. I’m not NBA-material, but I resent the $54 I was asked to pay for a flight on United from Denver to LGA last month just so that I would have enough leg room to sit without injuring myself. Not extra legroom, enough legroom.
Here’s hoping that the airline industry collapses because of its hostility to its customers, and for once the feds don’t bail them out.
WHAT? Back in the day, they had to practically BEG people to sit in the exit rows (“have to be strong, in good health” etc. not to mention the lack of being able to recline the seat back). Now they’re SELLING those seats?
Aisles are great for some, but you also get your elbow bumped and you’re constantly having to get up for the old biddy who has to take a piss every 30 seconds.
Is this shit for real? People PAY for this?