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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

#31

Post by praneshp »

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 used to do (2), before I did a recent India trip with my wife. I have been lucky all my life when it comes to having nice co-passengers, but this guy shattered my track record. He had the middle seat, and was willing to exchange it for the aisle (but not the window) seat. Among the things he did to me were wake me up every 30 mins on a 15 hr flight, drunkenly pour a drink on my pants and use my shirt as a napkin after a cutlery-less meal.

YMMV (and I hope it does)!

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

#32

Post by mikeash »

praneshp wrote: post #31
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 used to do (2), before I did a recent India trip with my wife. I have been lucky all my life when it comes to having nice co-passengers, but this guy shattered my track record. He had the middle seat, and was willing to exchange it for the aisle (but not the window) seat. Among the things he did to me were wake me up every 30 mins on a 15 hr flight, drunkenly pour a drink on my pants and use my shirt as a napkin af…

That's awful, but it doesn't seem related to this tactic. If you had booked two adjacent seats, he would have just ended up in the third, and you'd have the same problem.

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

#33

Post by davnicwil »

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…

That second one is genius, thank you! I was reading the first two sentences like 'ok, but what if...' then I got to the third and '...oh. Well played!'

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

#34

Post by chrisseaton »

clarkm wrote: post #28
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…

Likewise, whenever I book a last-minute flight with only middle seats available, I make sure to ask the agent to place me between two passengers with the same last name.

Why would two people in the same family book seats not next to each other?

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

#35

Post by rplnt »

chrisseaton wrote: post #34
clarkm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise, whenever I book a last-minute flight with only middle seats available, I make sure to ask the agent to place me between two passengers with the same last name.

Why would two people in the same family book seats not next to each other?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14638000 :)

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

#36

Post by wnevets »

chrisseaton wrote: post #34
clarkm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likewise, whenever I book a last-minute flight with only middle seats available, I make sure to ask the agent to place me between two passengers with the same last name.

Why would two people in the same family book seats not next to each other?

see tip of the parent comment

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

#37

Post by praneshp »

mikeash wrote: post #32
praneshp wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to do (2), before I did a recent India trip with my wife. I have been lucky all my life when it comes to having nice co-passengers, but this guy shattered my track record. He had the middle seat, and was willing to exchange it for the aisle (but not the window) seat. Among the things he did to me were wake me up every 30 mins on a 15 hr flight, drunkenly pour a drink on my pants and use my shirt as a napkin af…

That's awful, but it doesn't seem related to this tactic. If you had booked two adjacent seats, he would have just ended up in the third, and you'd have the same problem.

Correct. I think as part of being grateful for his willingness to exchange seats, I humored him for an hour or so, before starting to cut my losses.

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

#38

Post by thedarkproject »

valladanger wrote: post #21
thedarkproject wrote: post #5

From an ecological point of view, this is very problematic. As far as it's value as a business idea goes, I'd say this an interesting idea.

By ecologically problematic, do you mean that if many passengers opt to fly with adjacent seats empty it would transitively mean that more flights would be needed to meet the demand? (if that is the case it absolutely makes sense !)

That's what I meant yes. Of course if it's applied onlx on routes where utilization is low a priori, my argument doesn't apply.

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

#39

Post by chris_va »

clarkm wrote: post #28
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…

Likewise, whenever I book a last-minute flight with only middle seats available, I make sure to ask the agent to place me between two passengers with the same last name.

Of course, the last time I did that I ended up between two people who did not want to move, yet still wanted to talk to each other the entire flight with me in the middle.

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

#40

Post by function_seven »

kaonashi wrote: post #19
pembrook wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I’m struggling to see your point of view here. My neighbor has a much nicer car than me. Is it unfair that she used more money to purchase a better car? What distinguishes my example from the ability for passengers to pay for more space on a plane?
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