Do all airlines make you pay for seats?

Each airline ticket comes with a confirmed seat, but if you want to choose your seat location, most domestic airlines will charge an additional fee. These extras are not new. Airlines started to experiment with seat selection fees in 2008, and they caught on a decade later.



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Emphatically, no. You will likely get assigned a seat during check-in (though you should still skip it if the airline tries to tack on a fee) or, at the very least, at the gate. Again: You don't have to select a seat in order to get a seat. You just might get stuck with a suboptimal one if you choose to skip it.

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If there are not enough passengers who are willing to give up their seats voluntarily, an airline may deny you a seat on an aircraft based on criteria that it establishes, such as the passenger's check-in time, the fare paid by the passenger, or the passenger's frequent flyer status.

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Unless you have booked a Basic ticket (economy, hand baggage only), you can choose your seat for free when check-in opens (24 hours before departure). we'll allocate you a seat for free when check-in opens. You can then pay to change to a different seat, although your choice may be limited.

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Passengers are usually assigned a seat before or during check-in. However, in your case you were not assigned a seat at check-in. Probably because you did not click the “select your seat option. Or maybe because the airline still had not assigned an aircraft for your flight.

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In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It's often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn't do it. No matter which airline you're flying on, don't ever pay to select a seat.

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With Basic Economy, you'll automatically be assigned a seat before boarding, and you won't be able to change your seat once it's assigned. Advance seat assignments may be available for purchase during booking and up until check-in opens.

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Though it might sound scary, there's one weird trick airlines don't want you to know: You don't have to select a seat. On most airlines, you'll get assigned a seat at check-in or at the gate if you don't already have one. Some airlines make it seem like you must (or at least should) select a seat during checkout.

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Passengers can inquire about overbooking by contacting their respective airlines or using apps that show available seats per cabin. If your flight is overbooked, airlines will usually ask for volunteers to give up their seats and offer compensation in return.

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It means exactly what it says - Your seat will be assigned at the gate. Usually, this happens when the flight is full, or even oversold. At the time you bought your ticket, you either did not select a seat or no seats were available.

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You can pick your favourite spot on the plane by buying one of the seating options below. If you don't select a seat we'll assign seats randomly for free when you check in and will do all we can to ensure everyone on the booking sits together.

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Ryanair offers the option to purchase reserved seats or free seats, which are assigned randomly during check-in. Passengers who choose 'random seat allocation' can check in between 24 hours and 2 hours before the flight departure time.

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It all depends on how many other people on that particular flight decide to pay to select their seats. If it is going to upset you to be apart, even for only a relatively short time, then bite the bullet and pay to select your seats now rather than leaving it to chance.

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