Extra charges for airlines

[sverigecruiser]

19 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Depends on the airline.

 

With BA, unless you have status with them you have to pay for everything. We're flying business class from JFK to Athens and if we want to pick seats now it's several hundred dollars extra on top of the thousands we've already given them. No thank you.

 

If we can't sit together, it will be fine. I plan on using those lie flat seats and napping anyway.

 

What do you mean with "everything"?

 

Before Covid-19 the seatselection on connecting flights within Europe (with BA) when flying longhaul in business class was free. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

[ziggyuk]

 

Try the Irish Airline RyanAir, if you don't pay to select your seats they will auto allocate you seats and deliberately split you up 😂

I guarantee if you don't pay for your seat on RyanAir you will not be allocated two together.

[Trimone]

Business from LHR to BCL on the 1st September 

[Named-Tawny]

2 hours ago, deek72 said:

Unless you are flying Ryanair. If you choose not to pay to select your seats, your party WILL be seated separately, usually in middle seats at opposite ends of the cabin. 

This is incorrect.

I've never paid for seat selection, and always been seated with my traveling companions (And I haven't flown Ryanair in 20 years).

It is absolutely possible that sometimes you won't be seated with your traveling party, but to say that "your party WILL be seated separately" is simply untrue.

EDIT: Sorry, I think I may have misread you as saying that this (being seated separately) will happen UNLESS you fly with Ryanair.  On second reading, I think you meant to say that this will happen WHEN you fly with Ryanair.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Named-Tawny

[udivegirl]

18 hours ago, hallux said:

When I flew Delta on a ticket bought by NCL using the Free-At-Sea perk at the time I was absolutely able to select my seat at no extra charge, several weeks before the cruise (as soon as I had my confirmation number from NCL).  Maybe Delta's policies have changed since 2019?

 

NCL obviously booked you in the main cabin.  That's a good thing. 

 

Policies are still the same.  Basic Economy on Delta you don't get to select a seat.  It is assigned at check-in.  (No fee, just no assigned seat until check-in.  My mistake on that.  Other airlines charge for seat selection.)  Main Cabin you do get to select your seats with no charge.

[deliver42]

On American Airlines, you get to pick your seat when ticketed, not just reservation pending. In other words, when NCL pays them.

[beerman2]

8 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've never heard of an airline that doesn't allow a single carry-on plus a personal item that fits under the seat in front of you.  I am aware of one that charges for the carry-on.  Which airline allows no carry-ons?  What do they put in the overhead compartments?  Peanuts?

Spirit charges for Carry-on , 1 personal size No Charge. Personal size goes in overhead if there is space. And there usually is.

 

A woman’s purse counts as a personal item as well.

 

DW and I can pack for a land vacation ( 1 week) taking a personal size bag each.

[Sailing12Away]

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

What do you mean with "everything"?

 

Before Covid-19 the seat selection on connecting flights within Europe (with BA) when flying longhaul in business class was free. I'm not sure if that's still the case.

Seat selection, with pricing varying by the seat you pick (window/aisle is more than middle), the row you pick (closer to the front is more money). One would think that paying for business would come with the perk of picking your seat at no charge. Plenty of seats open, so I'm not worried. It's just annoying that I would have to lay out another $400 if I wanted my seat assignments now.

 

This is Lanarca to Heathrow:

 

 

This is for the Heathrow to JFK leg:

Edited August 23, 2021 by Sailing12Away

[RumRunner2021]

20 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Seat selection, with pricing varying by the seat you pick (window/aisle is more than middle), the row you pick (closer to the front is more money). One would think that paying for business would come with the perk of picking your seat at no charge. Plenty of seats open, so I'm not worried. It's just annoying that I would have to lay out another $400 if I wanted my seat assignments now.

 

This is Lanarca to Heathrow:

 

 

This is for the Heathrow to JFK leg:

Crazy.  It doesn’t look like that class even has any “bad” seats. 

[dblwall]

This is on A A from Vegas to Charlotte next month. You can pay for better seats, but there are aisle or window seats available at no extra charge. 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by dblwall
wrong pic

[KeithJenner]

On 8/21/2021 at 11:56 PM, Fun4Us2013 said:

Is it normal for airlines to charge for selecting your seats. BA said you have to pay if you want to select your seating any earlier than 24 hours of your flight. I know you have to pay extra for any kind of upgrade but regular seats? If you wait till 24 hours you might not be able to seat together or be stuck in the back row, etc.

We almost always fly BA, and usually have no status due to using Avios for most flights.

 

I just make sure that I check in quickly, 24 hours out, and we have always been allocated seats together, usually with a few options to move if we want. I have never paid extra to select a seat early and we have also never not sat together (nearly 100 flights now).

Edited August 23, 2021 by KeithJenner

[Fun4Us2013]

On 8/21/2021 at 7:13 PM, ColeThornton said:

Is this through NCL's air program?

Yes

[mjkacmom]

20 hours ago, jaapie said:

If you buy a basic economy ticket on United (maybe other airlines as well, not sure), you cannot use the overhead compartments, you are allowed a small bag that can fit under the seat. Any larger bag has to be checked and paid for (I think it is $30 for a checked bag).

It’s $35. We just bring backpacks and put then under the seat.

[aubreyc1988]

I did get to pick my seat for my upcoming flight on Sept 4th on American from DFW-SEA.   There were ones that were no extra cost and ones that cost extra (this is normal) 

 

In a flight I took last month on American, I was given the option when I was checking in 24 hrs prior, to upgrade of First Class for 100.00 (just the one way).  I hope that they continue to offer those sort of upgrades, would love to do that again! 

[roger001]

However you add  it up, flying just sucks these days, although SWA is less suckie than the others.  I keep looking at booking (some good last minute cruise offers, and SWA,  even last minute booking is almost flying you for free on some of their routes) but there seems to be an anxious obstacle thrown in with every decision.  I'm eligible for a booster in Oct.  After that I may just bite the anxiety bullet and give it one more try.  

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, roger001 said:

However you add  it up, flying just sucks these days, although SWA is less suckie than the others.

Amen.  SWA is the least suckie I've been on in years.  Also, paying for flights with Rapid Rewards points (mostly from credit card sign up bonuses) provides for penalty free cancellations up until just before the flight.  That has a lot of value in today's world.  The only real negative is having to pay $15 - $25 per flight (non-refundable) to ensure a decent seat selection.

[sverigecruiser]

18 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Seat selection, with pricing varying by the seat you pick (window/aisle is more than middle), the row you pick (closer to the front is more money). One would think that paying for business would come with the perk of picking your seat at no charge. Plenty of seats open, so I'm not worried. It's just annoying that I would have to lay out another $400 if I wanted my seat assignments now.

 

This is Lanarca to Heathrow:

 

 

This is for the Heathrow to JFK leg:

 

So it has changed and now also the connecting shorthaul flight within Europe has a fee for selecting seats.

 

BAs most important customers like that the seatselection cost for other passengers so I understand why it cost but I should also prefer if I could select seats for free earlier.

Edited August 23, 2021 by sverigecruiser

[Sailing12Away]

23 hours ago, RumRunner2021 said:

Crazy.  It doesn’t look like that class even has any “bad” seats. 

Yup, I'm fine with waiting. Most likely we'll end up with the 2 middle seats on the longer haul which is what we want anyway.

[deek72]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:40 PM, Named-Tawny said:

This is incorrect.

I've never paid for seat selection, and always been seated with my traveling companions (And I haven't flown Ryanair in 20 years).

It is absolutely possible that sometimes you won't be seated with your traveling party, but to say that "your party WILL be seated separately" is simply untrue.

EDIT: Sorry, I think I may have misread you as saying that this (being seated separately) will happen UNLESS you fly with Ryanair.  On second reading, I think you meant to say that this will happen WHEN you fly with Ryanair.

Yes, if you don't pay for seat selection when you book flights with Ryanair, you WILL be seated separately. It's not a new thing either. They were rumbled as far back as 2017 (although they obviously deny it) and it hasn't changed. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/feb/27/ryanair-pay-seat-allocation-families-split

 

My wife and I booked flights from Manchester to Krakow last March (just before Covid kicked off). I looked at seat selection but decided that as the plane was empty, we would be allocated seats together. No - we were honestly place at opposite ends of the plane and both in middle seats. 

 

For Ryanair to claim that seat allocation is random, and that 'you MAY be seated separately if you don't pay' is disingenuous. It is clearly designed to make sure that if you don't pay then you will sit apart. If that wasn't the case it would take 2 minutes to make the algorithm say 'if there are vacant seats together, then seat families together'. 

Edited August 24, 2021 by deek72