In a move that’s sure to screw cast members of The Amazing Race, American Airlines is now charging extra for seats that are closer to the exits. They’re calling this money grab “express seating.”
MarketWatch has the scoop:
Starting at $19, American Airlines customers can purchase seats in the first few rows of coach, which includes the bulkhead seats just behind the galley, usually popular for the extra legroom.
You can purchase these seats at the self-serve kiosk beginning 24 hours before your flight.
Is this something you’d actually pay for?
American Airlines to charge for ‘express seats’ [MarketWatch]
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I thought this was SOP. Are they the last airline to implement this now?
Agreed. I’m baffled that this is news. I flew AirTran over a year ago and they had this in place.
You know – i read that as emergency exit probably because of the mention of legroom . TFA reads “customers can purchase seats in the first few rows of coach” which is different from the emergency exit seat purchasing that we’ve already had offered. My first pass reading comprehension is apparently set at fail today.
I flew them last weekend and got my seat in that row without paying extra. Don’t know how that happened.
More fees to keep from the airlines from having to pay the government its due share of ticket prices.
At least this is a fee that only 12-18 people per flight will be paying,rather than baggage fees (larger percentage for long flights).
Until they decide that EVERY row is close to an exit.
“Is this something you’d actually pay for?”
No.
Agreed. Though I am thinking of charging the airline a convenience fee for leaving the aircraft.
True. Picking us up and carrying us off individually would be mighty inconvenient…
$19 is a small price for the potential entertainment value to watch the next airline employee that rides the slide
I figured the jokes would show up soon.
+1
Second class?
I guess we have 1st, 2nd and now 3rd class (those of us peons that sit in coach but don’t want to pay $20 for a few more inches of room).
Just give me an oxygen mask and winter coat and I’ll ride in the luggage compartment for $50.
That oxygen is the purest air offered in the world, so that’ll be another $50.
For only $20, we’ll slap a priority sticker on you, so you get offloaded before the baggage!
You’re not even necessarily paying for extra room. Technically you’re paying to be closer to the exit. I guess on most airplanes (737, A320) that means you can exit about five-ten minutes before the last person. On the other hand, is 5-10 minutes worth $19 to you?
6 minutes is worth $24 to me. But I still refuse to give money to airlines for fees.
You want to travel as something other than freight? That’ll cost you.
I never rush to get off the plane, since I inevitably just end up waiting at the baggage carousel anyway. I know some folks bring all their stuff as carry-on, but I’m one of those suckers who still pays to check my luggage. I just take too much stuff with me to fit it all in one small carry-on bag.
Same here. I’m usually one of the last people off the plane. Why stand there in the aisle and look stupid if you’re not going anywhere.
I think ill take the extra 4 days of vacation and start riding the trains… This is becoming so asinine.
My girlfriend has always flown from Boston to NY or Washington to visit friends in the past. Just a few weeks ago I convinced her to try the train to NYC when she took me there for a birthday mini-vacation. She was absolutely floored at how relaxing the train trip was when compared to flying. No security checks, no fighting for overhead space for your bags, tons of space to get up and walk around in, etc. I have a feeling we’ll both be doing the train a hell of a lot more in the future.
Amtrak is great for BOS/NYC or NYC/WAS. Not so great, unfortunately, for the full haul BOS/WAS. Just takes too damn long. Next year when I get bumped up to the 15 vacation day bracket maybe I’ll go back to the train.
Amen, bro. We just did the train for a weekend to DC and had the same experience.
Started taking the train places this summer. I’ve relegated air travel to emergency-only.
We live in a free market and I plan on informing the airline industry on how ludicrous this all is by moving my business elsewhere. I’m done with plane travel.
The train is never on time. It takes forever due to 100 stops. If you aren’t in a hurry then I suppose.. but I like to get there!
Or you could just not choose the OPTIONAL fee and nothing has changed
Right, right Then when the plane is delayed just enough to make it almost impossible to get to the next flight (this happened to me at Dallas recently), the people out first might make their connection, and the people who are too mature to fall for “me first” tricks might miss theirs. Then the airline would have just one more thing to use to disclaim responsibility… after all, you could have paid for a “first out” seat.
I would pay $20 for extra legroom, but not for proximity to the exit.
express seating. first in, first out? especially in emergencies…
Usually your chances of survival are greater in the back of the aircraft and remember in the event of an emergency, the nearest exit may be behind you.
How about all us tall people unite and file a class action lawsuit on this! I am 6’6″, and hate having to cram into a tiny seat that a midget/little person has trouble fitting in! Flying on military contracted planes, they have signs stating that the bulkhead seats are reserved for tall people that need extra legroom!
I agree 100% I am the same height as you and if I don’t get an exit row or bulkhead it is like torture on long flights.
Amen! I’m 6’5″ and it’s hell to fly anywhere now.
While I also dislike seating that is designed for 5’5″ people, I am not about to go all gun ho over a merit less class action lawsuit. Trust me I feel the pain other tall people go thru when it comes to flying. But there is not much you can do when airlines try and sardine can everyone into as much airplane as possible.
I’m 6’2 and usually have to fly with my knees under my chin. Delta is the absolute worst. I avoid Delta flights if at all possible. I don’t mind paying more actually for long-leg flights but this is obviously just a money grab.
I mistakenly interpreted “exits” as “emergency exits” and decided that this was simultaneously morbid and awesome.
In a move that’s sure to screw cast members of The Amazing Race,American Airlines is now charging extra for seats that are closer to the exits. They’re calling this money grab “express seating.”
That’s if opponents cutting in front of you doesn’t screw you over first.
And isn’t there only one legit way out of a plane to begin with? The front door? This “express seating” sounds like “if we go down in the ocean, you get out first” kind of thing.
Fantastic skimming skills ahoy.
“Starting at $19, American Airlines customers can purchase seats in the first few rows of coach, which includes the bulkhead seats just behind the galley, usually popular for the extra legroom. “
That doesn’t sound very much like a big ‘exit deal’, however. More like ‘the non sardine can space on the plane’.
You can also exit from the back
I know that airlines were charging extra for the actual exit rows.. but charging for rows NEAR THEM? WTF.
Heck no. You can’t keep anything with you since you don’t have a seat in front of you, and the overhead bins there are usually packed full of first air kits, equipment, etc. Therefore, if you have any bags (or even a purse, for us ladies), you’ll end up putting it up a few rows behind you, and you have to fight to get to it getting off the plane anyway.
Yep; I got into it with a bitchy flight attendant over the purse thing when I had a seat up front. It was on my arm, under my coat and she made me put it in an overhead bin. So I took everything out of the purse and put it in my pockets, just to kind of show how retarded it was (oh, small purse, too, not like one of those giant tote purses)
So you have to go to the airport to do it?
And I’m guessing AA only sells you a seat at random, not an assignment?
AA holds the first two rows of coach for airport assignment. So they are now going to start selling them instead of just assigning by the whim of the ticketing/gate agent.
They are doing everything they can to pry every last friggin dollar from us. When will this stop!!!!!
When they have every last dollar from you?
No, since you can still borrow money
It’ll stop when you stop paying it.
I might actually pay $19 for some legroom. I don’t care about proximity to the exits, though I do prefer not being next to the lavatory either.
You could construct a stink shield if you are stuck near the toilets.
I would be fine with charging more for a front seat if they charged me less the further I get back. Starting at $19 the last few rows are cheaper for AA customers, with the row outside the bathroom being the cheapest.
Next up: $5 to page a stewardess, and $1 for a barf bag.
Don’t give them ideas!! I could see how this would pan out:
Seating fee : $5
Seatbelt fee : $10
Saftey speech fee: $3
Window/Middle/Aisle seat fee: $8
Overhead oxygen bag fee: $1
Oxygen fee: $25
Service fee to pay other fees $5
Credit cards only please.
I’d pay $1 to make sure my neighbors have barf bags.
WTF? The Bulkhead is the final row of coach right behind the barrier separating you from 1st/business. Yes, sometimes the exit happens to be near there too, but not always.
They are NOT charging extra for seats near the other exit rows on the plane. (Although the seats actually in an exit row do often go for more.)
Continental has been doing this for a while.
“Is this something you’d actually pay for?”
Only if I get to steal alcohol and deploy the inflatable slide.
Well, to call it charging for being closer to the exits is your/MarketWatch’s interpretation of it. Some call it having extra legroom. Someone else could call it charging to be closer to the cockpit. You could call it any number of things.
Other airlines already have this, and no one calls it a charge for being close to exits. I think you’re off the mark here..
What happens on a full flight where no one opted to purchase these seats? Will they try to extort the people randomly placed there? What a dumb fee.
I left on a surprisingly light UA flight that had a few empty “economy plus” seats.
I am used to hearing the attendants say that people are free to move to empty seats, but these would have nothing to do with it. They announced that they were paid upgrade seats and we could purchase access to them via their handy card readers.
Surprisingly, no one took the bait.
Good. Keep tacking on those fees, AA. Things like this just reinforce my belief that Jet Blue and Southwest are the only two decent airlines left anymore.
AA, Delta, United, Continental and US Air can all suck it.
Yeah, because JetBlue never charges more for better seats. Oh, wait…
http://www.jetblue.com/about/ourcompany/150seats/index.asp
And Southwest would never charge more for priority boarding. Oh, wait…
http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-faq.html
Apples and oranges, bub.
There’s a big difference between paying for more leg room and paying more for a tiny seat just because it’s closer to an exit. Standard Jet Blue seats have more leg room than standard AA seats. If you want more leg room you have that option, but when purchasing a ticket you can choose to sit closer to the exit (front of the plane) WITHOUT paying extra. If AA is charging more for exit seats because they have more leg room I still think it’s stupid. What if these are the only seats left? Are they going to force you to pay more? A douche bag move any way you look at it.
As for Southwest, paying for early boarding is kind of silly. As long as you check in online as early as possible you’ll end up at the front of the line anyway, at no extra cost. I doubt many people even pay for this ‘early bird’ boarding option. If they do, they’re suckers.
So, your whole point is “JetBlue and Southwest do charge more for what some people think are better seats, but because I don’t think that what’s AA’s offering is necessarily a better seat, then it doesn’t count.” Got it.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay more for these seats either, but other people might.
This is my point:
AA looked around and said, “Let’s see, what else can we charge a fee for…? Hmm… Oh! How about these seats that are closer to an exit/the exit? Let’s charge extra for those.”
No, that is not the same as paying extra for more leg room on Jet Blue. Why? 1) Because the extra-leg-room option on Jet Blue is designed for added comfort; it’s not like they said, “Hey! We can charge more for seats closer to an exit/the exit!” 2) Because the AA fee didn’t exist before. They pulled it out of thin air. If they made extra room in certain rows and wanted to charge more then fine, go for it. But those seats used to sell for the same amount as any other on a first come, first served basis. It’s another way for them to bleed more money from their customers. What’s next? Charging more for window seats? Then window AND aisle seats? I guess you’d be okay with that, too. Hey, works for me. You keep on flying with AA — makes more room for me on Jet Blue.
False.
For my flight two weeks ago, I checked in
That was the point at which I decided to pay for early bird check-in for my return: I had two flights, and was going to be carrying my cat with me. It was TOTALLY worth $10 to ensure that I’d get to board sooner to get her settled with fewer people aboard, in a seat that’s as comfortable as possible for the both of us.
(And I totally felt like a crazy cat lady, bringing a cat aboard a plane, but she had to get from NC to CO somehow, and she Does. Not. Like. car rides. When I drove NC to CO, it took me 3.5 days. I get no paid vacation time.)
Heh. I should review my posts immediately after I make them.
I used a less-than symbol, and oops! HTML.
It should say: “For my flight two weeks ago, I checked in less than 2 minutes after check-in opened. I was boarding position B28. Hardly front of the line.”
This is something that was previously reserved for elites. It is making an elite benefit available to the poor masses. Of course, the Consumerist article, as always, doesn’t mention this. It spins it otherwise.
Exactly, for at least the last two years or so, AA has been blocking off these seats just for elites and people with full fare coach tickets. Now they’re just giving those people first crack at those seats before trying to get a few extra bucks out of anyone else.
I can’t wait until there’s a fee for the A/C, and Oxygen, and seatbelts. Pity the poor sucker who didn’t opt for seatbelts and hits turbulence.
I could have sworn airlines are already charging extra for these seats.
Actually, I’m almost always offered the $99 first class upgrade, and I usually take it. Sometimes they try to spring $199 on my, but then I don’t take it. At 6’2″, it’s worth it, and it’s usually cheaper than booking first class in the first place (which is also against company policy).
hang on, what about people who need the bulkhead seats for their guide dogs?
http://consumerist.com/2009/04/delta-to-blind-woman-can-you-sit-somewhere-else-this-flight-attendant-doesnt-like-dogs.html
doesn’t this indicate a probabilty that the disabled will be charged extra on a regular basis?
next they are going to start charging more to sit in the tail section, where you are more likely to survive in a crash. also more to sit in a side seat near the emergency exits, where you can get out of the plane sooner in an emergency, also to charge more for….
Airline will look at your flight profile and see what your preferences are and automatically charge you more based on your preferences.
I’ve read analyses of plane crashes in which survivors are mapped according to their seat assignment. For real crashes, the people in the back of the plane often fare better than those sitting forward. For fires, however, people within 3 rows of the exit fare much better than those farther away. So, in effect, you’re paying for survivability here.
You know, I love the Amazing Race – being a geography junkie. But so often the winner of the race or a particular leg – simply comes down to who got a better seat on the plane, or who got the clueless cab driver. I wish some of that “Randomness” could be taken out of the mix.
I just booked a Jetblue ticket for the first time and they show all exit rows and a few other rows with “more legroom”
It says *starting at $10 more per seat, but every one I clicked was $35 per seat
Since its only their second day of flights out of my airport Ill wait and just move to that seat if it doesn’t sell out.
Once I was on an American Airlines flight and though the speakers came a message to go on channel 67 to know how to operate our seat.
I went there and there was a very nice explaination of how the first class seats worked (the only thing missing seemed to be the flight attendants giving you massages during the flight), i.e. nothing to do with the cramped normal seats.
After this, in the catalogue there was an offer for a step to put under your seat, if you didn’t reach the floor with your feet.
Since I spent most of the night standing, to avoid getting “economical class syndrome” due to the lack of legroom for those of us who have long legs, when I went home, I wrote them an e-mail telling them that this was a big leg-pull.
They didn’t answer, of course, but I felt a lot better.
These people in the airline industry must sit there every day and ask themselves….how can we get more people to NOT want to fly?