Do you have to book your seats?

If you book a flight and don't choose specific seats, the airline will assign you a seat at check-in. Depending on the airline, you may be able to select a seat online for free or for a fee. Some airlines may also assign you a seat at the gate.



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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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After you finish booking your flight (or during the process, depending on the airline), you should click to view the seat map and make your pick. If you book your flight with friends or family members on the same reservation, they will likely be assigned seats nearby automatically.

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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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For all fare classes, except Basic Economy, you will be able to pick your seat or change your seat assignment. If you have a Basic Economy ticket, you're able to purchase a seat assignment during booking and up until check-in opens. Learn more about Basic Economy restrictions.

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Fortunately there are a few ways to not pay the British Airways seat selection fee that applies to Economy, Premium Ecconomy, and Business Class:
  1. Executive Club / Oneworld Elite Status. ...
  2. Flexible Tickets: Free Seat Selection. ...
  3. Traveling with an Infant Under 2: Free Seat Selection. ...
  4. Disability Requires Specific Seating.


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  1. You don't have to buy tickets together to sit together.
  2. Buy your ticket, choose and confirm your seat, making sure the seat you want for the other person is available. Then, tell the other person which flight and seat you chose. ...
  3. My husband and I do this all the time. We like sitting across the aisle from each other, so.


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Usually, airlines decide to bump those on an overbooked flight who have fewer privileges such as lower-fare tickets and late bookings. People who booked earlier or paid more for their ticket will usually get to stay on board. Another deciding factor is the type of ticket that was purchased.

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The passenger's full name and seat number and final destination are shown. Some PILs show age, sex, and nationality. The information is constantly updated during the boarding process so that the airline knows who exactly is onboard and who is not.

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Whilst our seating system will always try to seat families together, seats are allocated on a first come first served basis so the earlier you check in the more likely you are to be seated together.

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Seats can be selected at the time of booking, or at any time before you check-in, via Manage bookings on our website or mobile app. On bookings with more than one passenger, allocated seats must be selected for all passengers on the booking otherwise we cannot allow any allocated seats to be purchased.

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Seat designation
On many aircraft, the rightmost seats have letter designations HJK, skipping the letter I. This is because each seat has a row number followed by letter; letters that may be confused with numbers (I, O, Q, S, or Z) must be avoided, usually for people with dyslexia.

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Free seat selection is only permitted after check-in has opened. Check out our guide on how to book airline seats here and be clued up and ready for when check-in opens.

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British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will allow you to select a seat free of charge. Easyjet, Emirates, Norwegian, Jet2 and Ryanair say you'll be allocated a suitable seat free of charge.

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