Cheap airline seating

bob60

Does anybody know how airlines allocate their free seats?
I take about eight flights a year mostly with BA and EasyJet and I always get allocated a seat in the last two rows. Easyjet always allocate me a seat in the very back row next to the toilets. Both airlines have told me that they just allocate seats randomly, but if that’s the case why am I always in the very back rows.
I book my flights as soon as they release them many months in advance as I am retired, so of course I get the best prices. I wonder if they allocate the worst seats to those paying the least money?

zagfles

bob60 wrote: »

Does anybody know how airlines allocate their free seats?
I take about eight flights a year mostly with BA and EasyJet and I always get allocated a seat in the last two rows. Easyjet always allocate me a seat in the very back row next to the toilets. Both airlines have told me that they just allocate seats randomly, but if that’s the case why am I always in the very back rows.

I doubt it's random, I suspect whoever told you that doesn't know the meaning of "random" or is just clueless. What they probably mean is "could be anywhere" rather than a genuinely random seat being selected like a national lottery ball.

I book my flights as soon as they release them many months in advance as I am retired, so of course I get the best prices. I wonder if they allocate the worst seats to those paying the least money?

Booking very early isn't usually the cheapest time, but it will vary with the route and how quick the flight fills. On average cheapest time to book is 60 days before departure accoding to https://www.momondo.co.uk/discover/article/how-to-find-cheap-flights

bob60

Thanks but I already know that, hence my question.
Regards fares I have very rarely have paid less than the lowest available fair for my route.

Nick_C

A lot of people who fly with BA have status with the airline. This allows them to reserve seats FOC either at the time of booking or 7 days before the flight.

People who don't have status but care where they sit pay to reserve seats in advance.

If you only select seats at check in, you get whatever is left. BA pre allocate seats, but you can change them at on line check in.

bob60

Nick_C wrote: »

A lot of people who fly with BA have status with the airline. This allows them to reserve seats FOC either at the time of booking or 7 days before the flight.

People who don't have status but care where they sit pay to reserve seats in advance.

If you only select seats at check in, you get whatever is left. BA pre allocate seats, but you can change them at on line check in.

Hi
With BA you can check in 24 hours before your flight and you are allocated a seat. You cannot change your allocated seat online and this has been that way for over a couple of years now.

Nick_C

bob60 wrote: »

Hi
With BA you can check in 24 hours before your flight and you are allocated a seat. You cannot change your allocated seat online and this has been that way for over a couple of years now.

I have changed my seat allocation in the last two years. Are you buying Hand Baggage Only tickets?

Caz3121

bob60 wrote: »

Hi
With BA you can check in 24 hours before your flight and you are allocated a seat. You cannot change your allocated seat online and this has been that way for over a couple of years now.

that statement only applies to HBO/Basic tickets.
If you purchase economy plus - this includes baggage and seat selection 48 hours before the flight (and is generally cheaper than adding baggage and seat selection onto a HBO fare)

bob60

Hi
I should have said that I travel with hand luggage only as I have a second home overseas so don't need a suitcase.

djdave

I got a result with Qantas.

QF2 Heathrow to Singapore I paid $AUS 25 (each) to reserve seats, which seemed reasonable.

QF1 Sydney to Heathrow both legs were free to reserve seats, an absolute bargain.

But QF36 Singapore to Melbourne - they wanted $AUS 110 for each seat. Not a chance I would pay that, especially as we'd be asleep for most of the journey. So I rang them up and said the website wasn't taking my card details, and they allocated the seats I asked for without taking any payment! Hooray!

horsewidow

Just a heads up, we've booked American Airlines this summer, just gone to reserve the seats,only normal seats to make sure we're together. Its a BA code share so we're redirected to the BA site. For the cost of clicking on a screen, BA are charging us £104 each. Yep, £104. Each way. Even Ryanair would blush at this scam. We booked through AA, who charge a lot less for reserving your seat, then found it was a code share with BA, and the view from BA and AA is "tough". Seriously, that's the kind of language they're using. Its not only the rip off, its the dismissive way they are handling it. So, BA will get £208 out of us...each way.. but its going to cost them a lot more as we will simply do what everyone does when they feel ripped off, when we do the New Zealand / India / Australia trips BA won't even get a look in.