Airline offers passengers the chance to guarantee an empty seat next to them on flights – and it’s only £17
AN AIRLINE is offering passengers the option to guarantee an empty seat next to them on flights, for an extra £17.
Given the chance, a lot of people would likely be willing to pay a little extra to not sit next to a stranger and instead make the most of having more space.
Qantas is offering the option to their passengers on six domestic routes as part of a pilot scheme.
The “Neighbour Free" seating option will permit passengers in economy class to pay a fee of around £17-£38 in order to keep the seat next to them empty.
Anyone who has booked a seat on a flight that isn't full 48 hours before it is due to take off will receive an email offering them the opportunity to pay to keep the seat next to them spare.
Should the plane then fill up with late bookings, passengers will be refunded.
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For now, the Australian airline is only offering the spare seat bookings on certain domestic routes, but if the scheme is a success, then it could be expanded internationally.
Qantas aren't the only airline to be offering the service either, with Etihad introducing the same option back in 2017.
Customers are able to place a bid for the seat when they book their main ticket online and are notified 30 hours before the flight if successful.
Emirates also offer a similar service, with passengers able to book an entire row for themselves for as little as £78.
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The booking system allows passengers to buy up to three empty seats on their flights, starting from £39.
There are cheaper ways for people to try and keep the plane seats next to them.
Gilbert Ott from God Saves The Points previously revealed the best way to get a whole row of empty seats.
He said that passengers need to pick a flight that’s as empty as possible to start with.
When booking your flight, most airlines will let you see which seats are left – and you can quickly gauge if the flight is going to sell out – unless you’re booking months and months in advance, when it will be trickier.
Or you can pay $10 (£7) to use a website called , which will show you how many seats are left on planes.
He said: “If you do, you’ll be able to see exactly how many tickets are still unsold in each cabin for each flight on any given airline each day.”
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Choosing certain seats could also increase your chances of having an empty row.
This man has a creepy method for trying to stop people sitting next to him on flights.
