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Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

economist.com

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Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#11

Post by strictnein »

MIKarlsen wrote: post #8
ajmurmann wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you care to elaborate? If someone is willing to pay the additional price to get more personal space why is that bad? This doesn't necessarily mean that people will be kept from flying altogether. If this is successful airlines will likely just increase capacity rather than keeping potential customers on the ground.

I think the concept of letting people with enough money get to do whatever they want is a bit unsettling.

> "Do whatever they want"

People with enough money can already just buy a second seat or pay for business/first class.

This actually opens up increased comfort options for those with less money.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#12

Post by ryanmarsh »

tuna-piano wrote: post #9

My two tips for how to keep the adjacent seat empty on normal flights: 1. If you book when there are still many empty seats, choose a window/aisle seat near the back of the plane. Those middle seats are usually the last to be filled. 2. If you're traveling in a group of 2 and there are 3 seats per section, choose the window and aisle of an empty section (preferably near the back of the plane). Chances are good that i…

International flights are usually undersold.

I pick the middle seat. People will just opt for another row with a window or isle open and the middle seat open so they can have some space.

I often end up with a row to myself.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#13

Post by dnh44 »

thedarkproject wrote: post #6
ajmurmann wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you care to elaborate? If someone is willing to pay the additional price to get more personal space why is that bad? This doesn't necessarily mean that people will be kept from flying altogether. If this is successful airlines will likely just increase capacity rather than keeping potential customers on the ground.

I agree with you mostly, but I would like to bring up the ecological concern of flying with empty seats. It increases the avg carbon footprint per passenger.

I assume this is only in the case of a non fully booked flight. But I didn't read the article.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#14

Post by reverend_gonzo »

This is really interesting from a game theory perspective.

What's really going to matter is how it's executed. If someone bids $100 to keep a seat empty and the flight is empty, do they still get charged the $100? Or is it only when there's a limited number of empty seats and more people that will pay to have an empty seat next to them.

One interesting way would be that each person gets charged the lowest amount of everybody who has an empty seat next to them. This obviously limits what the airline makes, but keeps things generally fair.

Another way is when people go to reserve seats, if someone is willing to pay $x to keep an adjacent seat empty, the price of selecting that seat goes up by $x. This guarantees the airline gets paid at least $x as soon as someone bids that. It also makes it more important to book seats early, but will of course, get much more complicated to execute.

One of the things I do when booking flights for two, is choose an aisle seat and a window seat. Odds are if the flight is not full, a solo traveler will not book the middle seat, and we end up having all three seats for us. If someone does book the middle seat, we just trade aisle/window for the middle, so we're together, and he other person feels like he got an upgrade.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#15

Post by dnh44 »

ryanmarsh wrote: post #10

Flew back to the states from London yesterday. Had the whole row to myself (planned it that way). People in front of me were upset that I wouldn't give up one of my seats. Nope. Slept like a baby.

I'm quite certain that they could have just taken one of the empty seats and you would have been powerless to prevent it. However the English are polite to a fault.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#16

Post by pembrook »

MIKarlsen wrote: post #8
ajmurmann wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you care to elaborate? If someone is willing to pay the additional price to get more personal space why is that bad? This doesn't necessarily mean that people will be kept from flying altogether. If this is successful airlines will likely just increase capacity rather than keeping potential customers on the ground.

I think the concept of letting people with enough money get to do whatever they want is a bit unsettling.

So basically you find market economics is unsettling?

If it makes you feel any better there's not a single flourishing command economy anywhere in the world right now. China, Cuba, etc. are all moving towards market systems for a reason.

If history has taught us anything, it's that humans will create power gamification in all situations. The market system is the only way to harness those instincts to a somewhat greater good.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#17

Post by Sholmesy »

ryanmarsh wrote: post #10

Flew back to the states from London yesterday. Had the whole row to myself (planned it that way). People in front of me were upset that I wouldn't give up one of my seats. Nope. Slept like a baby.

Did you pay for a whole row? If not, I can understand why people were upset...

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#18

Post by austinl »

If you're flying with another person, you can try booking the window and aisle, then hope the middle doesn't get filled. If someone does take the middle seat, they're usually willing to trade so you and your partner can sit next to each other.

This has worked for me on several international flights.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#19

Post by kaonashi »

pembrook wrote: post #16
MIKarlsen wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the concept of letting people with enough money get to do whatever they want is a bit unsettling.

So basically you find market economics is unsettling? If it makes you feel any better there's not a single flourishing command economy anywhere in the world right now. China, Cuba, etc. are all moving towards market systems for a reason. If history has taught us anything, it's that humans will create power gamification in all situations. The market system is the only way to harness those instincts to a somewhat great…

Yes. Markets are a means, not an ends. When markets undermine basic fairness, they are gross.

Re: Etihad allows flyers to bid to keep adjacent seats empty

#20

Post by madcaptenor »

tuna-piano wrote: post #9

My two tips for how to keep the adjacent seat empty on normal flights: 1. If you book when there are still many empty seats, choose a window/aisle seat near the back of the plane. Those middle seats are usually the last to be filled. 2. If you're traveling in a group of 2 and there are 3 seats per section, choose the window and aisle of an empty section (preferably near the back of the plane). Chances are good that i…

I do the same thing of getting a window and aisle in the back when booking seats for two. I've never had trouble trading. I think there are some people who might prefer middle to window (you'd rather climb over one person than two if you have to use the bathroom) but nobody prefers middle to both aisle and window.
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