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American Airlines Seat Selection – Guide To Book Your Preferred Seat

Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Rick Spiegel

Are you planning for a holiday to your favorite or dream destinations, and not able to select your preferred seat on an American Airlines flight? It can be disappointing. But don’t lose hope you can get your desired seat by using the American Airlines Seat Selection feature. The seat selection option is one of the most amazing features for all travelers. American Airlines is one of the most amazing airlines which offers affordable yet luxurious amenities to its passengers. The seat selection policy of American Airlines allows passengers to choose their desired seats.

So, now let’s dive into the details to know more about the American Airlines Seat Selection Policy.

Table of Contents

What Does American Airlines Seat Selection Policy State?

American Airlines Seat Selection Policy allows the passengers to book their desired seat by simply paying a small fee. The passengers can choose their preferred seat in both the circumstances before and after booking the flight tickets. It is really important to select your desired seat, especially on long-haul flights so that you can enjoy your journey. Here are some of the important key points that every passenger must be aware of the American Airlines Seat Selection Policy:

• According to the seat selection policy of American Airlines, you don’t have to pay any fee if you select your seat within 24 hours of the purchase of your flight ticket.
• Passengers are allowed to choose their desired seat before the departure of their flight by paying the seat selection charges.
• If you want to choose your preferred seat in advance make sure that you select your travel seat before the check-in. Otherwise, American Airlines will allot a seat free of cost randomly.
• American Airlines will allocate the seat together to those passengers who travel with their children under the age of 15.
• American Airlines offers priority access to Elite members to select their desired seats so that they can travel comfortably.

What Is American Airlines Seat Selection Process?

Passengers can select their preferred travel seat by visiting the official website of American Airlines or by contacting the customer care support teams.

Seat Selection via Website

Passengers can follow the given steps if they want to choose their flight seat through American Airlines’ official website:

• Firstly, open the official website of American Airlines and tap on the “My Trips” tab.
• Now, enter all the details of your flight including the booking reference and the last name of the passenger.
• After entering all the details of your click on the ‘Search’ button.
• As you tap on the search button you’ll get all the details of your booked flight. So, log into your account and select the ‘Edit’ feature.
• Now, a seat map will be displayed on your screen. You can check the price of your desired seat and subsequently make the payment for your selected travel seat.
• After making the payment for the seat you’ll receive a confirmation mail on your registered E-mail address.

Seat Selection By Contacting Customer Service

Travelers can also use another alternative which is contacting customer care through American airlines phone number to select the desired seat on their behalf. To get the seat selected via customer care passengers need to call the team and provide them with all the required details of the flight and make the payment online to reserve the flight seat.

Once, you make the payment, you’ll get a confirmation mail or text message on your E-mail address or your phone number.

How Much is the American Airlines Seat Selection Fee?

As per American Airlines Seat Selection policy, passengers can book their desired travel seat before and after booking their flight ticket by paying the seat selection fee. But if you don’t select your preferred seat the airline allocates a seat randomly without any additional charges.

However, it is complimentary for the AAdvantage members to select their desired fee without paying the seat selection charges.

American Airlines also designate 2 seats together for those passengers who are traveling with their children who are under 15. But if the seats are limited in your booked flight then the airline will allocate the seats which are near to at least 1 adult.

Can I Get a Refund Of American Airlines Seat Selection Fee?

Generally, American Airlines seat selection fees are non-refundable. However, there are some scenarios in which a passenger can get a refund after selecting the flight seat.

• American Airlines will provide a refund for the passengers if they upgrade their class from business class to first class.
• The passengers need to pay an additional amount for another preferred seat on the same flight.
• Another case is in which a passenger can request a seat selection fee refund if America Airlines cancels their flight or if their flight gets delayed.
• Passengers can ask for a refund from American Airlines if their connecting flight is missed due to delay and now the passenger doesn’t have a comparable seat on the new flight.

How Do I Avoid Paying American Airlines Seat Selection Fees?

You can avoid paying the seat selection charges by signing in as an elite status member through American Airlines. Also, if you have AAdvantage miles, you can redeem them to pay the seat selection charges.

Preferred Seating

If you are an AAdvantage elite status member then you are allowed to get complimentary access to choose your preferred standard legroom seat in the preferred areas of the cabin of your flight at the time of flight booking.

Main Cabin Extra

The AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum elite members get complimentary access from the time of flight reservation that they can access the main cabin extra seats. Additionally, the Gold elites can also choose the Main Cabin Extra seats within 24 hours of flight departure without paying seat selection charges. But the basic economy passengers are not eligible to redeem this benefit.

You may also like: American Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy .

Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQs)

Can i select my seat in the economy class of american airlines.

If you are a passenger of the economy class of American Airlines then you can select your seat after paying the seat selection fee. They have the option to select their desired seat at the time of booking or after the flight booking.

What happens if a passenger doesn’t choose seats on American Airlines?

If a passenger does not select their desired seat then in this case American Airlines will assign a seat from the leftover seat to the passenger. So, if you have any seat preference then make sure that you select a seat according to your requirement to avoid any inconvenience.

Is it worth selecting the seat on American Airlines?

Yes, it’s absolutely worth selecting American Airlines’ desired seat. Selecting the preferred seat while traveling on long-haul flights ensures that you don’t feel any discomfort throughout your journey.

How do I avoid paying for seat selection on American Airlines?

If you want to avoid the seat selection fee of American Airlines then make sure that you reach the airport early so that you can take advantage of picking up the best seat from the unassigned seats.

Can I select my seat by contacting the customer care team?

Yes, you can surely pick your desired travel seat by getting in touch with the customer care department of American Airlines. To book a flight through the customer care team you need to provide them with all the flight information and after selecting the flight seat you need to make the payment for the seat selection seat. And after the payment, you’ll get a confirmation mail.

Can I choose a seat on an American Airlines flight for free?

Yes, all the members of the AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum Elite program can select their travel seats without paying the seal selection charges.

What happens to the seat if American Airlines flight change occurs suddenly?

If your AA flight seat changes due to any reason then in this scenario the airline will offer you the same seat which you picked earlier by paying the fee on a newly booked flight of American Airlines. Although, you can ask for compensation as well if you don’t want another option.

Can I pick AA preferred seats available on American Airlines?

Yes, you can select the preferred seat from American Airlines. These seats have extra legroom space inside the main cabin. However, you need to pay the seat selection fee to pick these seats. But if you are a frequent flyer or Elite status member then you’ll get these seats as complimentary.

Will I get a refund if I make changes to my preferred seat on American Airlines?

According to the seat selection policy of American Airlines, you’ll not receive a refund for making changes to your preferred seats. However, if you cancel your flight seat then you’ll surely get a refund of your flight selection fee.

Can I select my travel seat on the American Airlines flight via the official website?

Yes, you can pick your preferred travel seat on American Airlines through the official website of the airline. You can also use the mobile app.

I'm David Ross, an enthusiastic traveler and writer, deeply passionate about airline travel. My insatiable curiosity for exploring new destinations and my unwavering commitment to assisting fellow travelers in navigating the intricacies of air travel have brought me here to share my knowledge with you. Drawing from my extensive experience in the aviation industry, I've made it my mission to create detailed airline travel guides to ensure your journeys are as hassle-free as possible.

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American Airlines Seat Selection Policy

If you are planning a trip with American Airlines, you might want to pick seats for convenience. So, you can go for American Airlines Seat Selection that enables you to pick seats of your choice. You can pick seats at some fee or get it complimentary (AAdvantage members). The airline assigns random seats free at check-in.

So, let’s dive into information about seat selection with AA and know how to make the most of it.

What is The American Airlines Seat Selection Policy?

Before you pick your preferred seats on an AA flight, it is good to know about the policy devised for it. The policy is customer-friendly and helps you pick your seats as per the set rules. Here are the highlights of American Airline Seat Selection policy.

• Your seat selection is not free.
• The cost of choosing a seat is decided by your destination and travel class.
• If you have to cancel the seats selected, the airline requires you to pay cancellation charges.
• You can also choose seats when checking in to your flight.
• You can have free seat assignments on American Airlines at check-in if you haven’t already purchased your preferred ones. The airline assigns you seats before boarding if none are available at check in.

For further assistance, get in touch with customer service representatives of the airline at +1-844-203-0326 .

How Can I Check American Airlines Seat Availability?

If you are looking forward to picking seats of your choice when traveling on an AA flight, here are the simple steps to follow. With Seat Selection on American Airlines, you can travel at your comfort.

• Login into the official website of American Airlines.
• Select your cabin class and route.
• Go through the seat layout.
• Select a seat.
• Enter the details required.
• Complete the payment.

To know more about the seat availability, contact a customer service executive of the airline.

How to Select and Book Seats With American Airlines?

Now you are through with the seat selection policy and the way to check its availability. Now, let’s see how you can proceed with AA Seat Selection and book your preferred seats with the airline. You can count on online and offline methods to get seats of your choice on the airline. Let’s look into each one by one.

Online Method

• Visit the official website of American Airlines.
• Search for a suitable flight.
• Enter the details in the fields required.
• Pick your preferred seat from the seat map.
• Pay for the seat to book it.

Offline Method

If the online seat selection doesn’t work for you somehow, you can go for an offline method, which is via call. Here’s how –

• Dial 800-433-7300.
• Carefully listen to the IVR and follow the prompts.
• Once you get connected with a representative, convey your seat selection requirement.
• They will ask you about your American Airlines booking details.
• If seats are available as per your preference, they will book it for you.
• Make the payment for it.

What is American Airlines Seat Selection Cost?

When you have your tickets booked with an AA flight, you might want to get seats of your choice for enhanced comfort and convenience. However, you have to pay an amount for this. It is noteworthy that seat selection charges are according to your ticket type and the destination you are traveling to.

Your American Airlines Seat Selection Fee ranges from $9 to $10 each way for economy. To know more about it, visit AA’s official website or call its customer service executive.

Can I Avoid Seat Selection Fees on AA?

If you are selecting seats on AA, you can’t skip the cost on it. Only  AAdvantage members are exempted from paying the fees on their preferred seat. However, it depends on their membership status. To skip paying the American Airlines seat selection cost, wait for the airline to assign it to you for free at check-in. This will be an automatic seat assignment and doesn’t assure that you will sit with your travel companions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are preferred seats on aa.

Seats having more legroom and are more spacious in the main cabin are the preferred ones. You have to pay extra for getting seats of your choice. However, AA frequent flyers and Elite status members get these complimentary.

How much does American Airlines cost for seat selection?

Your seat type and destination determines your cost for choosing seats on AA flights. A middle seat in economy starts with $9 and the fee increases for aisle, window, and extra legroom seats.

How can I change my American Airlines seats for free?

You can change your seats within 24 hours of booking if you have selected during booking. Seats selected within 24 hours of booking can also be changed for free in this risk-free period.

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How to Navigate Costly Airline Seat Selection Fees

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Airlines always seem to have one more trick up their sleeves for adding fees to the cost of airfare. Anyone who has flown in the past few years knows that some airlines now charge for basics, like carry-on bags and a printed boarding ticket. Yet one sneaky charge is often ignored by even savvy travelers: seat selection fees.

On the surface, there’s nothing complicated about these fees. Some airlines will let you select a specific seat for a markup on the base cost of your ticket. However, the way the fees are presented is often misleading, making it seem like you must select a seat and pay the accompanying fee.

A seat selection chart from Frontier Airlines.

This approach, in which companies add fees throughout the checkout process, is called “drip pricing” by experts. And research indicates that it's an effective sales tactic, both for confusing customers and driving up overall prices.

But here’s the thing: You almost never have to pay these fees. Here’s how to avoid — or at least minimize — these pesky fees.

Ways to avoid seat selection fees

Skip seat selection altogether.

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. Frontier Airlines even has a graphic interstitial page telling you why selecting a seat is such a great option.

Don’t fall for it. You can always skip seat selection and save the money, but do keep a few things in mind:

Skipping seat selection doesn’t mean you won’t get a seat on the flight.

You might get stuck in the middle seat if you don’t pay for one.

Even if seat selection is free, you might want to skip it if only lousy seats are available (see the "upgrade hack” below).

Pick an airline with lower seat fees

Part of what’s so confusing about these fees is how inconsistently the industry is applying them. Unlike change and cancellation fees, which most U.S. airlines recently abolished, many airlines seem to be increasing the upcharge on selecting seats.

But some are charging much more than others.

According to an analysis of airline fees by NerdWallet, Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines charge the least for seat selection, while Frontier and Spirit Airlines charge the most.

Airlines with modest seat fees (less than $10 each leg):

Airlines with high seat fees ($15-plus each leg):

Southwest Airlines doesn’t technically charge for nor allow seat selection in the same way as other airlines, so it's excluded from this data. But you won’t get charged a seat selection fee on Southwest during checkout, so it’s also a good option.

Roll the dice with an upgrade hack

As a regular, non-frequent flyer, it’s hard to get your seat upgraded these days. Yet skipping seat selection sometimes offers the opportunity to get bumped into premium seating.

Here’s how it works. Airlines now offer a “premium economy” fare or similar. Sometimes, all of the good seats — including the exit rows — are considered premium. The airlines try to charge extra for these seats, but if nobody takes them and the flight is full, they have to assign them to somebody.

Specifically, airlines will assign these empty, better seats to those passengers who haven't selected a seat. So if you put yourself in this pool, you have a chance of scoring an even better seat than those who paid extra for advance seat selection.

Of course, there’s a potential downside: You could very well get stuck in a middle seat in the back of the plane rather than getting upgraded. But if you notice that your flight is full and not many passengers have upgraded to the good main cabin seats, skipping seat selection altogether can be an expert-level travel move.

» Learn more: How families can get seats together on a plane

Don’t pay for advance seat selection

Airlines are playing the same game. They want to show the lowest fares possible on search results, then upsell you during checkout. This drip-pricing tactic is a pain for passengers . Charging for seat selection is one way airlines try to make a buck at the last minute.

Know your options and avoid their trickery. Skip seat selection altogether or fly an airline with limited seat fees, like Alaska, Hawaiian or JetBlue. Each charges little or nothing for choosing a seat. Worst case, you’ll end up in the middle seat. Best case, you’ll get a seat with extra legroom.

How to maximize your rewards

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Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

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60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

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2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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Reservations and tickets – FAQs

Book and manage your trip.

You can change or cancel your trip online in just a few steps.

Change your trip

• Find your trip using your confirmation code or log in to your AAdvantage ® account.
• Click 'Change trip' in the menu.
• Choose a new flight that works for you. You can change your departure or arrival airport, your departure or arrival date, or both.
• Review and confirm your changes.
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Find your trip

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Important information

• Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed.*
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Cancel your trip

• Click 'Cancel trip' in the menu. You'll be prompted to confirm the cancellation.
• Click 'Cancel trip' to confirm.
• Check your email for your trip cancellation information.
• You have up to 24 hours from the time you first buy your ticket for a refund if you booked at least 2 days prior to departure.
• Keep the cancellation email if you’re issued a travel credit. It contains the ticket number and original confirmation code you’ll use to rebook a future flight.
• If you paid for seats or bags, they are non-refundable if you cancel your flight.

To check your travel credit balance, follow these steps:

AAdvantage® members

• Log in to your AAdvantage® account.
• Click ‘Travel credit’ in the account summary menu.
• View your available travel credit and number available.
• Click ‘View details’ for your travel credit balance.

Non-AAdvantage® members

Before you start, you’ll need your confirmation code (also known as a 'Record Locator') or 13-digit ticket number, which begins with '001'.

If you don't know your confirmation code or ticket number, check the email we sent you when you booked your trip, your cancellation email or your credit card statement. Keep in mind that there are separate ticket numbers for add-ons like seats, upgrades and bags.

• Go to 'Manage trips / Check-in' on the homepage.
• Select 'View travel credits'.
• Enter your last name and confirmation code or 13-digit credit / ticket number.
• Click the 'Find your trip' button.
• View your available travel credit and balance.
• Find your travel credit

When you’re ready to book a trip follow these steps.

• Find your travel credit or log in to your AAdvantage ® account.
• Copy your Trip Credit or Flight Credit ticket number.
• Search and choose a flight on aa.com or the American app.
• On the payment screen, choose the type of travel credit and follow the steps.

Keep in mind, travel credit can’t be used for extras like seats, upgrades or bags.

• Book a trip
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To find your ticket number, check the email we sent you when you booked your trip, your cancellation email, or your credit card statement.

Your ticket number is a unique 13-digit number that identifies your reservation. The first 3 digits of your ticket number are the airline code, which is always ‘001’ for American Airlines.

Example ticket number: 001234567890

When you book a trip on American, you’ll receive a unique 6-digit confirmation code made up of letters. It's also known as a record locator.

Example confirmation code: JCQNHD

You can find your confirmation code on your confirmation email or boarding pass. If you’re an AAdvantage® member, log in to your account and click 'Your trips' from the menu.

Use your confirmation code to:

• Manage your trip
• Check in for your flight
• Get your boarding pass and check bags
• Make changes to your flight

You can book a flight up to 2 hours before departure on aa.com or the American app.

If the flight leaves in less than 2 hours, please go to the ticket counter at the airport.

You can book a flight up to 331 days before departure on aa.com or the American app.

You can book up to 9 passengers in one reservation on aa.com or the American app. For groups of 10 or more, contact Group & Meeting Travel. They offer special fares and discounts for group travel.

Learn about Group & Meeting Travel

You will not pay an extra fee to change a reservation made by a travel agency or another website if you change it on aa.com. Once you make changes, any future changes will need to be made on aa.com or through American Reservations.

Learn about reservation service charges

Revenue tickets on partner airlines booked on aa.com or the American app are only available on request because they must be confirmed with the other airline. This can take 24 hours or more. Some airlines may also require you to reconfirm your reservation after booking it on aa.com.

Please check with the airline operating your flight for more information.

Same-day flight change and standby

Learn about same-day flight changes and standby

Same-day flight change allows you to confirm a seat on a different flight on your day of departure on any American Airlines or American Eagle ® flight where eligible seats are available. Your new flight:

• Must have the same departure and arrival airports
• Can only be confirmed within 24 hours of departure of the desired flight

You can change your trip on aa.com or at the airport.

If you still want to try for a different flight, same-day standby lets you stand by for an earlier American or American Eagle ® flight (with the same route on your day of departure). Unlike same-day flight change, same-day standby doesn’t guarantee a seat on a flight.

Same-day standby allows you to fly on an earlier American or American Eagle ® flight on your day of departure if seats are available. You can request to be added to the standby list on aa.com or at an airport kiosk. Same-day standby does not guarantee a seat on a flight.

If you’re standing by for an earlier flight on your departure day, you'll stay on your original flight until you're confirmed on the earlier flight.

You can guarantee a seat on a different flight if same-day flight change is available. If it’s not available, you may be able to stand by for an earlier flight with same-day standby.

The standby policy applies to travel within and between the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean or Canada on American or American Eagle ® .

Customers who receive complimentary confirmed same-day flight changes

Request same-day flight changes on aa.com or at the airport.

To stand by for an earlier flight, make your request on aa.com or at a kiosk.

Learn about holding your trip

In select markets you can hold your trip up to 24 hours for free if you're booking your trip 7 days or more before departure.

In select markets look for the “hold” option on the review and pay page when you book an American or codeshare flight on aa.com.

If you held your trip on aa.com, choose “Travel information” at the top of aa.com, then click “Your trips" on the right.

• If you're logged in – Select the trip and then choose “Pay for trip” to enter your credit card information.
• If you're not logged in – Go to “Manage trips / Check-in” and enter your confirmation code.

No. You may not hold multiple trips to one or more destinations or around the same date or time. We will cancel duplicate trips that are on hold.

No. Trips with an aa.com promotion code are "instant purchase" only.

Customers in Latin America and the Caribbean can hold reservations using express ticket service on aa.com/espanol. Call your local American Airlines Reservations to complete and pay for your ticket.

Learn about express ticket service

Extended hold (more than 24 hours)

• Payment for extended holds is processed immediately.
• You must extend the hold for all passengers in the itinerary.
• You can’t use miles to purchase an extended hold.
• The extended hold fee is non-refundable.

The option to extend your hold is only offered on select routes and is subject to availability. It is only offered to customers traveling on American Airlines marketed and operated flights and American Eagle® services operated by Envoy Air Inc., SkyWest Airlines, Inc., or Republic Airline Inc.

No. You can’t make changes to the itinerary once it has been held using the extended hold feature.

If you’ve had a change in plans, you can cancel your existing hold and choose new flights. You would need to purchase the extended hold product again for your new itinerary (subject to availability).

Yes. You can use two different credit cards as long as they’re issued in the same country. Using a credit card with a different country’s billing address to purchase a ticket would result in the ticket being re-priced according to the address on that specific card.

• See all payment options available
• Travel credit
• Products and programs FAQs

We accept most major credit and debit cards and a variety of other payment methods. Only one card can be used when you book on aa.com (but you can use multiple gift cards).

See all payment options

If you aren't an AAdvantage ® member, use the homepage dropdown menu to choose the country where your credit card was issued, as we might use local currency, applicable fares, and available space on flights from that specific country.

If you're an AAdvantage ® member using a credit card issued in the same country registered in your account profile, log in from the home page.

If you're an AAdvantage ® member using a credit card not issued in the same country as registered in your account profile, log in after choosing your flights.

Fares for countries not listed will be in USD.

• Brazil (BRL)
• Canada (CAD)
• Colombia (COP)
• Chile (CLP)
• Mexico (MXN)

Fly Now Payment Plan

Visit the Fly Now Payment Plan for information

You can use PayPal for all travel except award tickets on aa.com or the American Airlines app if you reside in the U.S. or the United Kingdom. PayPal charges a cross border fee to residents of other countries.

Learn more about paying with PayPal

In the U.S., PayPal can be combined with an American Airlines gift card or eVoucher.

You can get a refund for tickets bought with PayPal from our refunds site.

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Flight discount

• Check your American Airlines flight discount balance Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines
• AAdvantage ® flight discount terms & conditions
• Business Extra ® flight discount terms & conditions Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

Visit aa.com to book travel on flights that originate in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that are operated by American or American Eagle or any one world ® partner. You can also use your flight discount to travel on codeshares (flights with an American flight number that are operated by another airline).

We're sorry, we don't offer emergency or bereavement fares.

We do offer government or military fares in some markets.

Contact Reservations for more information

Wholly unrestricted fares are fully refundable and do not have advance purchase requirements. If you purchase a ticket that is an unrestricted fare, you can make changes to your flight with no change fee (based on seat availability). However, an additional collection of fare may apply.

Reservations placed on hold on aa.com will be guaranteed for 24 hours or until midnight the following day, whichever gives you more time. In the event that your reservation is canceled during that period due to advance booking requirements, please contact Reservations.

• Learn about holding your reservation on aa.com
• Contact Reservations

Trip insurance

Learn about trip insurance

Residents of the U.S., Canada and Mexico can buy trip insurance during the flight purchase on aa.com. Residents of the U.S. can also purchase trip insurance on Allianz Global Assistance’s site.

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Yes, you will receive a confirmation email that contains your trip insurance details.

If you’re a U.S. resident, you can also visit the Allianz Global Assistance site to get your policy. Residents outside the U.S. can contact the insurance provider directly:

• Canada - [email protected]
• Mexico - [email protected]

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It’s possible the confirmation email may be in your SPAM folder, please check for an email from these applicable addresses:

• U.S. - Allianz Global Assistance US [email protected]
• Canada - Allianz Global Assistance [email protected]
• Mexico - Allianz Travel Mexico [email protected]

U.S. residents may also visit the Allianz Global Assistance site or call 800-628-5404 for additional assistance.

Visit Allianz Global Assistance trip insurance Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines.

Trip insurance products are sold by third-party insurance providers, not American, so you’ll receive a separate confirmation. All policy documentation will be sent directly to you from the insurance provider.

U.S. residents can modify or cancel a policy online by visiting the Allianz Global Assistance site to Manage Your Policy. Non-U.S. residents should contact the applicable trip insurance provider as cancellation policies vary by country of residence. You may incur additional costs for changes to your policy.

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No. Trip cancellation coverage will only refund prepaid, non-refundable payments if you have to cancel for an unexpected covered reason. Reasons may include a covered illness or injury for you, a family member or travel companion, jury duty, a traffic accident on the way to the airport and much more. Please see the Certificate of Insurance/policy for complete details. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.

No. Please contact the applicable trip insurance provider as soon as possible to make any changes and/or cancellations to your trip insurance.

In many instances, credit cards and conventional insurance such as auto, homeowners and health do not cover prepaid or added expenses associated with changes, interruptions and cancellations to your travel plans, and filing a claim could increase your premium cost. Most U.S. health insurance benefits are also reduced when traveling out of network, and may not cover the cost for overseas health care. In addition, medical transportation back home could be costly. Trip insurance can help protect your trip investment and may cover gaps left by other plans. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply.

Learn about different seat options in the Main Cabin

When you book a flight operated by American, you'll see the seat map after you choose your flights.

Go to “My trips/check-in” from the homepage and enter your name and record. From there, you can choose seats. If seats are unavailable, check back later or you can change seats when you check in.

If you're unable to choose seats when you book, check back closer to departure or we'll assign you a seat when you check in.

American Airlines withholds some seats until the day of departure to allow our airport personnel to accommodate passenger needs. If you are unable to reserve a seat at the time of booking, you may get your seat when you check in for your flight.

Seats may become available closer to the day of departure; you can visit aa.com frequently to check the available seats for your flight.

American makes every effort to reseat passengers in the same seats. When this isn’t possible, we’ll attempt to seat you in a like seat. We appreciate your cooperation when special circumstances won’t allow us to reseat you in your original assigned seat.

Preferred seats are standard legroom seats that are more favorably located throughout the Main Cabin.

Preferred seats are complimentary for:

• AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum and Gold members
• AirPass ticket customers when traveling on your AirPass
• one world ® Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby members and companions traveling on the same reservation
• Full-fare customers*
• Active U.S. military passengers traveling on a military fare
• AAdvantage AAnytime and Business Extra award ticket holders

*For travel ticketed in booking code Y on or after August 30, 2017, you'll no longer get complimentary Main Cabin Extra or Preferred seats. This includes AAnytime awards booked in Main Cabin.

Voluntary changes to paid seats are not refundable.

Learn more about refunds

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How to Avoid Paying Airline Seat Fees

See recent posts by Peter Thornton

Sit Anywhere on the Plane for Free

Just as restaurants may ask for an extra fee if you want a special side dish or concert venues may charge more for specific seats rather than general admission, most airlines do charge extra if you want to pick a certain seat. I know this isn’t how it used to be, but Basic Economy is here to stay and this is just simply how the industry has evolved. The good news is that airfares are still historically low and, if you are diligent and don’t need all the frills of yesteryear, you can fly super cheap and sit anywhere (read somewhere) on the plane for free.

Don’t Be Fooled Into Paying to Choose a Seat

Airlines want you to pay extra to choose a seat — even middle seats. This is one reason airlines are able to sell tickets for pennies or across oceans for only a couple hundred dollars. The airlines are making big profits from ancillary fees and do everything possible to keep the actual airfare lower than the competition. As consumers of air travel, we need to be careful to only pay for what we want and not get fooled into paying more than we intend. In my opinion, the seat fee is one of the easiest airline fees to avoid.

It can be confusing when going through the booking steps and you may not even realize an extra seat fee was added by the time you get to the final payment screen. Even if an airline’s website makes it appear that you have to pay extra for a seat, you are never required to choose a specific seat and can always opt to decline seat selection in lieu of a FREE seat assignment during check-in.

Related: Passenger Etiquette: The Basic Rules of the Armrest

Watch for pop-ups and automatic add-ons.

The biggest culprits in trying to force seat selection fees are ultra-low-cost carriers like Allegiant, Frontier, and Spirit. None of the fares sold by these airlines include seat selection, but there are certain bundles you can add on, which would include seat assignments. Some legacy airlines have simply made seat selection unavailable for Basic Economy fares and require that you purchase a standard or Main Cabin Economy ticket in order to choose a seat in advance.

Below, I’ll go over specifics on what to look for during the seat selection step when booking on the larger U.S. carriers. These same tactics can be used for international carriers. Just remember, you are never required to pay an extra seat fee.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Alaska Airlines

Flying Alaska Airlines is one of the easiest ways to avoid a seat fee, because even Alaska’s version of Basic Economy, the “Saver” fare, includes limited free seat assignments at the back of the plane. When choosing seats on the seat map, scroll to the bottom to find seats marked with a “S” for Saver fare seats. Seats shown in a dark blue color are for passengers purchasing a “Main” class fare only so you’ll have to upgrade to that type of fare to choose those seats in advance. If you’re buying a Saver fare and don’t like the choice of seats, simply click on “Skip Seats” and you’ll be assigned seats for free during check-in, which may include seats towards the front of the plane.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Allegiant Airlines

When the seat selection screen appears on Allegiant’s website, it doesn’t even indicate that there are fees associated with choosing a seat. However, if you do click on a certain seat, a pop-up will appear telling you the price and you’ll have to confirm that you agree. To bypass this and avoid paying a fee, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Continue”. You’ll have to do this for both flights if you are booking a roundtrip. Another pop-up will appear warning that you haven’t chosen a seat and asking if it’s ok. Just click “Yes, Continue” and be on your way without caving in to Allegiant’s fear of separation anxiety tactics.

Related: The 10 Best Underseat Carry-On Bags for Basic Economy

How to avoid seat fees on american airlines.

American Airlines does not necessarily try to trick you into paying a seat fee when booking. Its Basic Economy fares do not allow advanced seat selection for domestic or short-haul international flights, and therefore, you simply won’t be shown a seat map when booking a Basic Economy ticket. For transatlantic flights, Basic Economy fares do allow you to choose specific seats during booking for a fee, but prices are clearly displayed on the seat map. To avoid a fee, just click on the small text that reads “skip seats for all flights” and your seats will be assigned for free upon check-in. And if you avoid Basic Economy entirely, you’ll be able to choose seats in advance for any flight when booking a Main Cabin Economy ticket.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Delta

Delta sells Basic Economy tickets in more markets than any other airline. And while some aspects of Delta’s Basic Economy differ depending on the destination, advanced seat assignments are simply not allowed for any Basic Economy ticket on Delta. Of course, Delta doesn’t want to actually sell its Basic Economy fares. Anytime you select a basic fare, you’ll get a pop-up asking if you’d like to move to Main Cabin Economy fare, which includes seat selection. If you don’t want to pay more, just click on the checkbox that you accept restrictions and then click on the small “Continue with Basic Economy” text to avoid the upcharge. Seats will be assigned for free after check-in.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Frontier Airlines

Frontier doesn’t really try to mask the fact that you’ll pay to choose a seat. You’ll see prices listed for each seat directly on the seat map. To avoid a fee, scroll to the bottom and click on the green “Continue” button without choosing a seat. A pop-up will then appear and you’ll have to click on the small print “No Thanks, I’ll take whatever.” link to actually continue.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines now offers a Basic Economy fare. While it’s currently limited to only a few routes between the U.S. mainland and Honolulu, Hawaiian’s “Main Cabin Basic” fare is likely to spread throughout its network eventually. This type of fare does not allow advanced seat assignments but you’ll always be asked to confirm your selection when booking a “Main Cabin Basic” fare. And not just once — a second pop-up appears during the booking process asking “Want to choose your seats?” To avoid the upcharge for a “Main Cabin” ticket, just click “No thanks” and you’ll be able to select seats during check-in.

Related: How to Choose the Best Seat on a Plane

How to avoid seat fees on jetblue.

JetBlue was the latest airline to implement a Basic Economy fare, which it calls " Basic Blue ". This fare requires a fee to choose a specific seat in advance. Be careful, because prices are not listed on the seat map itself. Instead, a price will pop-up when you hover over a seat and are also listed to the left of the seat map. To avoid this fee, simply scroll to the bottom of the seat selection page and look for the text that reads "skip seat selection for now". Click on that link and you'll have the chance to choose a seat from what's still available when you check-in starting 24 hours before departure. If you decide to purchase JetBlue's classic "Blue" fare, advanced seat assignments are included.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Southwest Airlines

Southwest doesn’t assign seats on any of its flights so you won’t ever pay a seat fee, per say, when flying Southwest. However, it does give the option to add EarlyBird automatic check-in for a fee, which would give you an earlier boarding position and a better choice of seat. Alternatively, set an alarm on your phone to check-in exactly 24 hours before your flight and get a decent boarding position for free.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is very clear and upfront that you’ll be paying a fee to choose a seat. There are prices for each seat on its seat map, but you don’t have to click on any of them. Look for the small print text that says “continue without seats” and click that link to avoid any seat fees. Of course, a pop-up will then appear inducing blatant FOMO (Fear Of Middle Overtone). Just click on the smaller “continue without seats” text again and you can continue without adding any cost to your cheap flight.

Related: Finally! Middle Seats Will Soon Be Larger on Some Airlines

How to avoid seat fees on sun country airlines.

Sun Country is also very upfront with its fees on the seat map. All seats will have a price listed, but it isn’t very clear on this page that you don’t actually need to choose a seat. To avoid a fee, just scroll to the bottom of the page (without clicking on a seat) and click the orange “continue” button. A pop-up will appear saying that your seat selection is not complete. Simply click on the white “continue without all seats” button to finish booking without adding any extra fees.

How to Avoid Seat Fees on United Airlines

United’s Basic Economy fare is the most restrictive of the U.S. legacy carriers, but it does allow advanced seat assignments — for a fee. Since prices are not listed on the seat map until you hover over or select a seat, it can be pretty easy to whisk through this step and add fees to your booking that you did not wish to add. To avoid any extra fees, just click on the grey “Continue to payment” button without choosing any seats. Free seat assignments will be given after check-in. Of course, if you purchase a standard Economy ticket, you’ll be able to choose standard seats for free during booking.

Related: A New Look at Basic Economy for Transatlantic International Travel

There’s a good chance you can sit together without paying a fee.

Choosing to leave seat assignments up to chance is more nerve-racking when you’re traveling with family and friends and want to sit next to each other. While it’s never guaranteed you’ll get seats together, don’t assume that a free seat assignment at check-in will doom you to be separated in middle seats throughout the cabin. Sure, it could happen, but in my experience, and hearing from several others, couples and families are usually still seated together when seats are assigned by the airline for free.

For better odds, I would recommend checking in as early as possible. And if you don’t end up sitting next to your travel companion, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll still get to your destination at the same time and might even enjoy the time to yourself in-flight.

Of course, traveling with small children is a different story and many parents would like to ensure that they will be sitting next to minor children onboard. The Families Flying Together Act calls for any child under the age of 13 to be seated with parents or guardians for no extra charge, but this doesn’t seem to be a concrete law.

To ensure small children are seated next to an adult, the Department of Transportation suggests contacting the airline directly after booking and discussing your situation. Arrive at the airport early and work with the agents to accommodate your family. Airline agents will do everything possible to seat young children next to a family member.

Related: JAL's Seat Map Feature Helps You Avoid Crying Babies on Flights

Book Your Ticket at the Airport

The internet has made booking flights extremely convenient and some airlines have decided to charge a fee for that convenience. I recently booked flights on Frontier and Spirit for a friend and I, in person, at the airport in order to save each airline’s hefty online booking fee. To my surprise, we were also assigned seats next to each other for free at the time of booking. I assumed our seats would be randomly assigned at check-in and never asked for specific seats. But, sure enough, we were given adjacent seats on both flights and even got Frontier’s extra legroom seats assigned for free.

This is not a given, but if you are courteous and friendly with the agent when booking a flight at the airport, you may just find yourself getting free seat assignments in advance. I haven’t tried this with any legacy carriers, but since a human agent has the ability to override the system, you’ll probably have a better chance of getting seats assigned next to each other for free when booking at the airport. I wouldn’t assume that this will happen, but if it’s convenient for you to book at the airport, it’s worth a shot.

Related: How to Avoid Online Booking Fees on Airline Tickets

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5 Things To Be Aware Of When Booking American Airlines Basic Economy

• Basic economy tickets on American Airlines come with disadvantages, such as unfavorable boarding positions and limited flexibility.
• Earning frequent flyer miles and status is less fruitful with basic economy tickets compared to standard economy tickets.
• Basic economy passengers on American Airlines face high baggage fees and cannot choose their seats without incurring a fee.

Booking a basic economy ticket on American Airlines can be one of the best ways to score a deal on the US-based legacy carrier. However, passengers must be aware of exactly what they are purchasing when they decide on this fare class, as privileges are extremely restricted, and the travel experience is certainly not glamorous.

Nonetheless, American's product is better than some others in the industry, as the carrier offers significantly more benefits in basic economy than fellow legacy carrier United Airlines. When the product first debuted, it was far more skin-and-bones than it is today and currently offers a number of benefits it did not use to.

There are a number of negative aspects that come along with a basic economy ticket, including extremely little flexibility and weak baggage offerings. In this article, we will take a deeper look at five things you need to be aware of before purchasing an American Airlines basic economy ticket.

Unfavorable boarding position

Boarding groups: 8 and 9.

Key disadvantages:

• Passengers may have to gate-check their baggage
• Passengers will be unable to settle in early for the flight

It is not surprising that passengers on basic economy tickets will be restricted to the plane's worst boarding groups and will likely be among the last to take their seats. For those traveling with a carry-on bag (which is, yes, something you are allowed to do on an American basic economy ticket), this may require a luggage gate-check, which can significantly slow down the arrival procedure.

Get all the latest aviation news for North America here!

As a result, this restriction immediately identifies two groups of passengers that should attempt to avoid basic economy at all costs. First, those who are traveling on tight timelines should not seek out basic economy due to the potential of having to gate-check a bag.

Second, those who like to settle in for their flight by boarding early will find that basic economy simply does not fulfill their needs. Passengers who fly on this kind of ticket while in possession of an American Airlines Citibank co-branded credit card will be moved up from the final boarding group to group 5, according to Thrifty Traveler .

Earning miles and status

Weaker earnings potential.

One of the biggest drawbacks to flying in basic economy is a lack of accrual potential for both frequent flyer miles, which can be used to book other flights, and for status-earning American Airlines loyalty points. For some passengers, this difference is minimal, but for those who are seeking to upgrade their status by the end of the year, this could prove a major drawback.

Some airlines (most notably Delta) restrict passengers' ability to earn miles at all when flying basic economy, demonstrating another place where American is offering a more competitive product in this fare class. As previously discussed, an American Airlines credit card will certainly help you accrue more miles, even if you do end up choosing to travel in basic economy, according to The Points Guy .

High baggage fees

Free luggage allowance: a personal item and a carry-on bag.

Unlike some other basic economy products, American does allow a traveler to bring a full-sized carry-on with them. As a result, the carrier's most restrictive fare class still offers a far more comfortable travel experience than any ultra-low-cost airline.

However, if you plan on bringing carry-on baggage, it's a good idea to take a long and hard look at American's baggage fees for those on basic economy tickets. While fees are standardized for flights within the US and Canada, many international journeys will have different fee structures .

American Airlines Scores Record Full Year Revenue Of $53 Billion

As always, an American Airlines credit card will greatly improve your basic economy experience. Most American cards will offer a passenger a free first-checked bag, even if the flight was not purchased on the card in question.

No seat selection

Typical seat selection fee: $10.

Basic economy passengers have two options:

• Purchase seat selection for a fee
• Allow seats to be assigned randomly at check-in

One of the biggest downsides when it comes to booking a basic economy ticket is the inability to choose one's seat. For a family attempting to sit together, reserving multiple different seats can certainly add up.

In this situation, a credit card alone will not allow you to select a seat for free. However, the airline does offer status-based seat upgrades to those traveling in basic economy.

No flexibility or refunds

Exception: within 24 hours of booking.

A final downside of flying basic economy that passengers should be aware of is the lack of flexibility that accompanies their ticket. The carrier does not offer any flight adjustments and offers no refunds in the event of a cancellation.

While regular economy fares typically include the flexibility to adjust same-day travel times for a fee and destinations just for the difference in fare, basic economy tickets do not offer any of these benefits, according to Upgraded Points . At the end of the day, booking a basic economy ticket offers just a random economy seat, on a single flight, at just one time, and there is virtually no opportunity to change that without paying a significant amount extra.

What are your thoughts? Let us know what you think in the comment section.

Exclusive: American Airlines makes positive change to its seat fee refund policy

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

While most airlines have been making it harder to get your money back for changed or canceled trips, American Airlines is making it easier.

The Fort Worth-based carrier has just made a major change to its refund policy for seat fees. Effective immediately, American Airlines will let you request a voucher for the value of your non-refundable seat if you cancel your trip during the coronavirus travel period. The policy applies to flights booked by June 30, 2020 for travel through Sep. 30.

For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

While it's always preferable to a get refund over a travel credit , this is still a positive move. Previously, you could only get a refund if you paid to upgrade to a premium cabin, canceled your flight within 24 hours of booking or if the airline rebooked you for a reason beyond your control and couldn't get you a comparable seat. Under this policy, you'll be eligible for a voucher if you take advantage of the airline's flexible booking policy and voluntarily change or cancel your flight.

There's a limited selection of seats available free of charge when purchasing a standard main cabin ticket. The rest are reserved as Main Cabin Extra (extra-legroom economy) and Preferred seats (standard economy seats located in "preferred" areas of the plane) and cost extra for non-AAdvantage elites . Or, if you purchase a basic economy ticket, even selecting a standard main cabin seat will cost you extra.

Related: A beginner's guide to American Airlines economy seats

In mid-May American added a new feature that allows you to purchase seats using miles on certain itineraries. While the value proposition isn't great, you should also be eligible to get your miles back if you use this redemption option.

Related: You can now purchase seats with miles on American Airlines, but it's a bad deal

Aside from flights canceled within the 24-hour fee-free refund period, refund and voucher requests are not automatic, and you must submit separate refund requests for your flights, seats and other purchases. You can make this request online or wait and call when you're ready to rebook and apply the value of your ticket and seats to a new trip.

Refunding passengers for seat fees when making voluntarily flight changes is not entirely new. As far as other U.S. airlines go, carriers like Delta, United and Alaska already issue vouchers or refunds for any seat assignment fees paid when voluntarily canceling a flight.

As a reminder, American Airlines is letting passengers who book tickets through June 30, 2020, for travel through Sept. 30, 2020, make a one-time change free of charge . If you're paying extra to select a seat, you should use a card that comes with an airline fee credit that will reimburse your purchase, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (enrollment required). The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Which American Airlines expenses trigger the American Express airline fee credit?

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Choosing your seat in advance

We recommend that you choose your seat as early as possible to get the one you want, and to avoid sitting separately from family or friends.

How to choose your seat

You can do this when booking your flight or afterwards through Manage My Booking.

If you have a booking, follow these simple steps:

• Log in to Manage My Booking
• Under 'Your booking details', click on your flight number
• Under 'Seating', click on 'View or change seats for this flight' and follow the instructions on screen

Do I have to pay to choose a seat?

Whether your seat selection is free or you’ll have to pay extra depends on a range of factors, including the fare you choose and your cabin of travel.

You can choose your seat for free from 24 hours before departure when check-in opens, unless you’ve booked a Basic ticket (economy, hand-baggage only) where your seat is allocated to you.

With a Basic ticket (economy, hand baggage only), you can either:

• Pay to choose your seat from when you book until check-in opens, or
• 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.

If you’re an Executive Club Member, you’ll collect Avios if you pay to choose your seat on a British Airways flight. You’ll collect at least six Avios per pound (GBP) spent. Find out more about collecting Avios on flights .

You may be entitled to choose your seat for free if you fall into one of the following groups.

Travelling in First

It’s free from the time of booking to choose a seat in our First cabin.

Executive Club Members

As an Executive Club one world® frequent flyer Member you're able to choose seats at different stages, depending on your tier.

You must be travelling on the booking, or in the case of Gold Members, one of the bookings, for these benefits to apply. They apply to British Airways-operated flights only and are not available on group rate bookings.

On some occasions, exit row seats on short-haul flights may not be available in advance due to operational reasons.

Gold/oneworld Emerald

Enjoy free seat selection when booking for everyone in your party. This includes friends and family on other bookings who are travelling with you in the same travel class and on the same flight.

Silver/oneworld Sapphire

Enjoy free seat selection – excluding exit row seats on long-haul flights – from the time of booking for everyone in your party. Exit row seats on long-haul flights can be selected for free from 24 hours before departure.

Bronze/oneworld Ruby

Enjoy free seat selection – excluding exit row seats – from seven days before departure for everyone in your party. Exit row seats can be selected for free from 24 hours before departure.

Enjoy free seat selection from 24 hours before departure, excluding exit row seats and not including travel on basic fares. Seats can be purchased from the time of booking.

Flexible tickets

Tickets with increased flexibility allow you to make certain changes to the date and time of your flight. They also include free seat selection.

• Fully Flexible fares (Y/W/J class) allow you to choose seats for free from the time of booking.
• Short haul Plus fares allow you to choose seats for free from 48 hours before departure.

You choose your flexibility when you buy your flights.

Choosing seats together on separate tickets

You can see which seats are still available together to choose for free from 24 hours before your flight, when online check-in opens.

However, if you are travelling with others on different bookings, you can pay in advance to choose specific seats to ensure you sit together for your flight. Just log in to Manage My Booking .

Flying with children

To get the best choice of seats and make sure your family sits together, it’s best to choose your seats in advance. You might have to pay to do this.

If you don’t choose your seats in advance

We’ll do our best to seat your family together by assigning seats a few days before your flight departs. However, seat selection may be limited at that time and your seats may be split across different rows or the aisle. We'll make sure each child under 12 years sits next to an adult from your booking but children over 12 years are booked as an adult in our system and may sit separately.

Travelling with an infant under two

Seats are free when you fly with an infant under two who won't be travelling in a seat of their own. You can choose a seat for you and everyone in your party free of charge as soon as you've made your booking, except for bookings of over nine people. One person in your group and the infant will be able to choose a carrycot/seat position, subject to availability. The remainder of your party will be able to select other seats for free.

Travelling with a disability

There's no charge for choosing your seat if you have a specific seating requirement because of your disability.

How to book your seat

In most cases, you can select your seat using Manage My Booking, but sometimes you may need to contact us, like for some non-visible disabilities. Here's what you need to do.

• Book your flight
• We recommend that you let us know about the assistance you require at least 48 hours before your flight leaves. Once you have notified us that you require additional assistance, go to Manage My Booking and click on 'Seating' within the flight details section
• Select your seat, and if you need any help, please contact us

Travelling in large groups

Groups of more than nine people.

When you travel as a group, we’ll allocate your seats free of charge. While we'll try to seat your party together, we can't always guarantee it, particularly if your group is split across separate bookings.

To ensure your group is seated together, or if you would like specific seats, you can pay to choose your seats in advance. This applies to groups booked in the UK and Ireland only.

Paying for a seat

How much will it cost.

The cost of selecting a seat varies depending on the type of seat and the cabin you're travelling in. Prices are available when booking your flight or in Manage My Booking. You can pay in advance using a credit or debit card or by using Avios on British Airways-operated flights.

It may not be possible to choose bulkhead seats, as they're usually reserved for customers with a disability or those travelling with an infant.

Payments at the airport

Like many airlines, we only accept debit or credit card payments at many of the airports we operate from, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick and North America.

Pay with Avios

You can use your Avios to pay for seats in advance via Manage My Booking , with full or part payment options available. This is available for British Airways-operated flights and gives you more ways to spend your Avios.

As an Executive Club Bronze, Silver or Gold Member you can choose seats for free in many instances. For more information see our terms and conditions below.

Changes and refunds

If you’ve paid to choose a seat and we're unable to offer you that seat or a suitable alternative when you board your flight, you can claim a refund. See our terms and conditions for paid seating below.

Terms and conditions

Availability

• All paid seating is subject to availability and is only confirmed once paid for.
• Paid seating is available on British Airways mainline operated flights and on British Airways-operated flights marketed by other carriers.
• Paid seating may be offered by British Airways franchisee airlines. The seating Terms and Conditions of British Airways franchisee airlines may differ from those of British Airways mainline-operated flights, therefore we recommend that you refer to the franchisee airline’s relevant Terms and Conditions.
• Paid seating may be unavailable on some flights operated by codeshare partners.
• Paid seating for group customers (bookings containing more than 9 passengers) is only available where the reservation has been made directly with British Airways Group Sales. Group customers who have made their reservation through a travel agent or a tour operator cannot currently book paid seating. Payment with Avios is currently unavailable for group customers.
• All un-ticketed passengers, including those travelling on a cruise or package holiday who have not yet received confirmation of their ticket numbers, are unable to choose paid seating until they have received confirmation of their ticket numbers.

Changes to seats

• On British Airways marketed and operated flights, you may change your seat (subject to availability) at any time. If you change your seat to a lower-priced seat, we will not refund the difference in price. If you change your seat to a higher-priced seat, you must pay the difference in price.
• You cannot make changes to paid seating on British Airways-operated flights marketed by other carriers.
• Paid seating is not guaranteed, as seating may need to be changed for operational, safety or security reasons, even after boarding the aircraft.
• If we change your seat, we will attempt to find you a suitable alternative. If you are unsatisfied with your new seat, you can apply for a refund of the paid seating.
• Paid seating is not transferable to any other passenger.
• British Airways changes your seat to an alternative seat and you are unsatisfied with the alternative seat
• British Airways cancels your flight
• You become ineligible to sit in an exit row and you inform us at least 48 hours in advance of scheduled departure of your flight, or
• You have paid for a cabin upgrade and do not wish to pay the difference to select your seat in the upgraded cabin.

The above does not affect any right to a refund you may have during a “cooling-off” period, if and to the extent applicable under local law. Details of this under Israel’s Consumer Protection Law 1981 are set out in our legal information .

• Cancel your flight
• Are involuntarily upgraded
• Are considered unsuitable to sit in the seat type you have selected
• Accept a voucher towards a future booking that includes paid seating (see further the relevant voucher Terms and Conditions), or
• Have booked a British Airways operated flight marketed by another carrier and choose to move to a different flight.
• On British Airways marketed and operated flights, if, in accordance with your ticket type, you choose to move to a different flight, you will be entitled to choose an equivalent seat on your new flight. If an equivalent seat is not available, any sums previously paid for seating will be forfeited and will not be refunded. Alternatively, you may choose a more expensive seat and pay the difference in price.
• On flights marketed by other carriers, if you choose to move to a different flight, you will not be entitled to choose an equivalent seat on the new flight and you will not be entitled to a refund.
• You have 30 days after the last flight in your itinerary to apply for a refund of paid seating, where due. Please submit your refund application online using our seating refund form . We cannot process refund applications at the airport or on board.
• Unless otherwise stated, we will only make a refund to the credit card used to pay for the paid seating, or in the case of Avios payment, to the Executive Club Member’s Avios account.  

Exit row seats

• Exit row seats are situated either next to or immediately behind the exit door.
• If you choose an exit seat, in the unlikely event of an emergency evacuation you will be expected to assist us in opening the emergency door. For this reason, you must: be over the age of 12 years old, not be pregnant, not have accessibility needs or be substantially blind or deaf, be fit enough to operate an emergency exit door, be able to understand printed or verbal instructions given in English, and be willing, as well as able, to assist in the case of an emergency evacuation. When requesting an exit row seat, you will be asked to verify your eligibility.
• British Airways has the sole discretion to determine whether you meet the requirements to sit in an exit row seat. If you do not meet the requirements, you will be assigned an alternative seat. The additional amount paid for an exit row seat will be forfeited and will not be refunded.
• If, after the date of requesting an exit row seat, you become unable to fulfil the requirements to sit in an exit row seat, please contact us at least 48 hours before your flight in order to claim a refund.

Using Avios as payment for seat selection

• Executive Club Members can use their Avios to pay in full or in part for paid seating on British Airways operated flights in Manage My Booking on ba.com or by calling a British Airways Contact Centre.
• Paid seating purchased with this payment option will be subject to these Paid Seating Terms and Conditions.
• All seats selected must be eligible for full or part Avios payment in order for Avios to be applied to the booking.
• The Avios payment rates are defined in a fixed set of currencies. If more than one Avios payment option is available, it is not possible to change the price option chosen once a booking has been made.
• The Avios payable will depend on the cabin class, route selected and the number of people on the booking. This will be displayed on the booking page.
• British Airways reserves the right to alter the applicable Avios payment rates at any time in its sole and absolute discretion, but this will not apply to bookings already made.
• When an Executive Club Member pays for seating using Avios, the Avios will be debited from the Member’s Executive Club account for each passenger on the booking.
• When Avios has been used as full or part payment for seating, those Avios will be refundable only in accordance with the rules detailed in these Paid Seating Terms and Conditions.
• When a seat selection is made using Avios as full or part payment for a member who is either on the Household Account or the Family and Friends List, the Avios will be taken from each Member’s Avios points balance in proportion to the size of each Household Account Member’s Avios points balance. Members of a Household Account can make full or part Avios payment for paid seating for people outside of the Household Account.
• Avios payment may not be used in conjunction with any other promotional offers, unless expressly stated otherwise.
• Members do not earn Avios and Tier Points on paid seating.
• It is not possible to use Avios for paid seating on bookings made through Concur or on group bookings.

Booking an extra seat for additional space

You can buy an extra ticket to keep the seat next to you free, for reasons like requiring additional personal space or to secure a fragile or precious item, such as a musical instrument or painting.

An item must fit in the seat, otherwise it will need to be checked into the hold. Find out more about baggage .

How to book an extra seat

• Please contact us  or your travel agent to make a booking for an extra seat as this type of booking cannot be made online.
• If you arrive at the airport and haven't booked an extra seat in advance, please speak to a member of British Airways staff. If there are seats available in the cabin you are travelling in, you may be able to buy an extra seat.
• At many airports, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick and some in North America, you can only pay using a card. Please check with a member of our staff at the airport to find out if options are available for converting cash to a payment card.

Additional personal space and safety

If you would like the seat next to you to be kept free for additional personal space, you can buy it as an extra seat for comfort.

You'll need to buy yourself an extra seat for comfort if:

• You're travelling in economy and need more space to easily fasten your seatbelt for take-off, landing or during periods of turbulence, or
• You're unable to fully lower both armrests of your seat. It's a safety requirement to have a fully lowered armrest between each passenger during take-off, landing and turbulence.

We can give you an extension seatbelt if you need it.

Please note:

• An extra seat doesn't give additional seat width – see our seat dimensions guide below for the minimum seat widths on our aircraft.
• On most of our long-haul aircraft, the armrests in the economy cabin don't fold away into the seat back completely. They stop at an angle of 45 degrees when lifted and can't be raised further.
• There must be a fully lowered armrest between each passenger during take-off, landing and turbulence. 
• Armrests are fixed in our First, business (Club World) and premium economy (World Traveller Plus) cabins and can't be raised or lowered.
• You can't buy an extra seat for comfort at the bulkhead or on an exit row.
• You won't be able to buy an extra seat on a British Airways-operated flight if your journey includes a flight operated by another airline.

Choosing seats with our partner airlines

If you book with us for a flight operated by American Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, JAL or Qantas, you can choose your seats in Manage My Booking .

If you’re flying with one of our one world alliance partners and are an Executive Club Gold/oneworld Emerald Member, a Silver/Sapphire Member, or a Bronze/Ruby Member, you can contact your local British Airways customer centre to choose a seat for that flight.

In all other cases when you're flying with one of our partner airlines, please contact them directly to choose your seat.

Please note that you cannot use Avios to pay for seats on flights that are operated by our partner airlines.

If you paid to choose a seat on a flight operated by any of our partner airlines and would like to get a refund, please contact them directly.

'I’m not being blackmailed': Travelers ask airlines to be more upfront about ticket costs

When Patricia Cregan and her sister flew to Walt Disney World Resort from their homes in England in January, they were annoyed to find out they had to pay extra to choose seats on their flights.

“If I wanted to book my seats, they were 80 pounds (about $100) per person outbound and 72 pounds (about $90) per person inbound,” Cregan told USA TODAY. “I refused. I’m not being blackmailed.” 

Cregan said she had booked the trip as a package holiday through Disney and wasn’t informed of the extra charges for seat selection on British Airways until after she had already paid.

“I phoned up to book this. At no point did anybody say – which was my argument with the guy from British Airways – at no point in the initial process or throughout the whole process did I know you had to pay to book,” she said.

Cruising Altitude: Airlines make bank from bag fees even if you hate them

Cregan is hardly alone. For travelers shopping for airline tickets by price, it can be almost impossible to know the true cost to fly until nearly the end of the transaction.

“In advertisements airlines are only required to present the fare plus any taxes and mandatory fees. Airlines are also required on their website to have a page that’s dedicated to listing all of their fees, but airlines are not required to display ancillary fees such as carry-on bag fees, checked bag fees or change and cancellation fees whenever they present a ticket for sale,” Andrew Appelbaum, counsel at FlyersRights.org told USA TODAY. 

Appelbaum said that travelers who book airline tickets through a third party, like Cregan did, can have an even harder time learning the true cost of their flights.

“When you look at these third-party sites, you might see some basic information such as no changes allowed, or no seat selection, or seat selection for a fee, but you won’t see the actual cost of the ancillary service,” he said.

Monica Layton, a screenwriter and actor from Louisiana, said she had a similar experience traveling to Europe as Cregan did on her Orlando trip.

“According to Travelocity (my ticket) included a seat choice, a personal item, carry-on and one checked bag,” Layton told USA TODAY. “I didn’t have any trouble selecting my seat with United, all the United flights, but then, when I got to the part of Lufthansa and Brussels, they didn’t allow me to do it.” 

Expedia, which owns Travelocity, explained in a statement that because United Airlines partners with Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines, tickets sold by United to some destinations in Europe may be operated by those other carriers, and when that happens, the operating airline’s ticket policies apply.

“When booking a flight on Expedia, the app will display fees and restrictions provided by the airline,” the statement said. “On codeshare flights, we are only able to display the fees and restrictions that the marketing carrier chooses to provide, which may not include separate fees collected by the operating carrier.”

The intricacies can be frustrating to travelers.

“It makes traveling very unpleasant when you don’t get a seat because if you don’t pay extra to get it, they usually give you a middle seat,” Layton said. “Why add this inconvenience? It’s all about money.” 

The Department of Transportation proposed a rule that would require airlines to be more upfront, both on their own platforms and on third-party travel sites, about extra fees that could be associated with a given ticket. That rule is expected to be finalized by the end of this month.

But unless that rule is enacted, Appelbaum said travelers will continue being slightly in the dark about the actual cost of airline tickets.

“Currently, it’s very hard to comparison shop. Unfortunately, it will take consumers more time to find the best ticket for them, and the airlines tout market competition. The way things are currently, it’s really hard for consumers to see the results of that competition. It’s hard for consumers to see the best ticket for them,” he said.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]

Simple Flying

Examined: the operational pros & cons of southwest airlines' unallocated seating.

This system is rather unique.

• Southwest's first-come, first-served seating system speeds up boarding, enabling more flights and revenue.
• Competitors like United use unique boarding orders to improve efficiency but face operational challenges.
• Unlike Southwest, budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier maintain assigned seating for revenue.

Anyone who has ever flown onboard a Southwest Airlines flight will be quick to understand that the boarding process is unlike anything offered by any other US airline. While most carriers traditionally maintain an assigned seating boarding process, in which groups of travelers will board at different times and head towards their assigned seats, Southwest does things differently.

The carrier boards passengers by group and then subgroup, but once onboard the aircraft, they are free to sit in any seat they would like, regardless of what boarding group they may have been in. This first-come, first-served seating arrangement is unique to Southwest and is nothing new.

Across the board, getting onboard a Southwest flight differs heavily, and one cannot be guaranteed what seat they will have in advance, although there are ways to ensure one gets onboard the aircraft sooner. There are reasons why Southwest's boarding process has evolved towards its unique nature today, and there are critics who argue that the system hamstrings the airline.

Obviously, other budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier operate standard assigned-seat systems, and thus, Southwest's plan is clearly non-traditional. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the pros and cons offered by Southwest Airlines' first-come, first-served seating system.

Operational strategies

As a low-cost airline, Southwest consistently aims to have its aircraft flying as much as possible for a few key reasons. Aircraft do not make any money on the ground; the carrier pays costly fees to either keep them on the stand or drive them over to a hangar.

More flights and more flight time means more revenue, and as a result, budget airlines like Southwest will aim to keep their planes airborne as much as possible. In a 2020 paper published by the University of Virginia Department of Economics , this issue was explored at great length, concluding that budget airlines will drastically reduce the turnaround time at the gate, scheduling less and less time between flights.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying!

TTurning a plane around at the gate involves quite a few steps, including deplaning passengers, cleaning the aircraft, changing staff, filing paperwork, and reboarding the jet. The first four of these tasks are relatively challenging to speed up.

However, airlines are constantly looking for ways to optimize their boarding processes to reduce the amount of time spent waiting at the gate. Furthermore, reducing the time spent waiting at the gate will undeniably prove beneficial in preventing delays, one of the key operational challenges faced by many budget airlines.

How Do United Airlines' Boarding Groups Work?

The southwest system.

At Southwest, the carrier aims to speed up the boarding process as much as possible, a key element of which is the lack of assigned seating. The airline assigns boarding positions 24 hours before check-in, boarding positions which are similarly allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Fortune . As a result, Southwest is able to significantly reduce the time it takes to board, as all passengers have an incentive to:

• Check-in as soon as possible
• Line up in an orderly file at the gate
• Sit down as soon as they find an acceptable seat onboard

With this in mind, the Southwest boarding strategy begins to make a lot of sense, allowing the carrier to incentivize a smooth and efficient boarding process. While the strategy has shifted in recent years by allowing certain passenger groups to access earlier boarding, the process has remained roughly the same for years.

With no premium cabins, extra-legroom economy class seats, or other bells and whistles that could require adjustments to the boarding process, this system works ideally for Southwest. For other airlines, such a first-come, first-served system could prove impossible to implement.

Competitor processes

Other industry players have also attempted to reduce boarding times, but none have gone so far as to completely eliminate seat selection altogether. United Airlines has recently undertaken several initiatives to overhaul the carrier's boarding process in an attempt to reduce the amount of time that aircraft spend at their gates.

Namely, rather than choosing to eliminate seat selection altogether, United has decided to board economy class seats in a unique order that will allow passengers in window seats to take first . As a result, passengers with middle seats and aisle seats will board next, an adjustment which the carrier believes could significantly reduce boarding times in the coming months.

However, there are operational limits that will hamstring United in this pursuit, namely the fact that this alteration can only apply to a very small portion of economy seats. Like all legacy carriers, United must be sure to board passengers in premium cabins first before boarding those with elite status and early boarding priority. As a result, the impact of this kind of policy would be significantly less than if it were implemented by an airline without these challenges.

Other budget airlines, specifically ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, have not been quick to follow Southwest's lead, maintaining traditional assigned seat strategies. For these airlines, the potential revenue gained by charging seat selection fees outweighs the operational benefits that could be offered by the kind of system Southwest Airlines is employing.

How Does The Southwest Airlines Boarding Process Work?

Across the board, Southwest Airlines is exceedingly happy with its unique boarding process, which it has perfected over the years. Furthermore, the airline has yet to provide an intention of changing its long-standing boarding system anytime soon.

Southwest Airlines

As the t-shirt says: ‘If it’s Boeing, I’m not going’

As boeing’s troubles mount, fliers are willingly paying hundreds of dollars in change fees, buying more expensive tickets, or traveling at inconvenient times to avoid flying on a 737 max or other boeing aircraft..

Remember the golden age of booking a flight, when the only things you had to worry about were: checked-bag fees, carry-on fees, cancellation fees, change fees, whether you’re an idiot for — or for not — buying trip-protection insurance, and, of course, ticket prices that have gotten so absurd that what once flew you to Paris today buys Tampa.

Now? Thanks to the door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon in January — and the disaster-movie viral video — fliers are adding another factor to their decisions. The plane’s manufacturer.

Or, to quote the T-shirt: “If it’s Boeing, I’m not going.”

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Some people have become so distrustful of Boeing that they are going beyond laughing at the memes (“When one door closes, another door opens” — Boeing) and actually taking action.

They are willingly spending more money and inconveniencing themselves to avoid flying on: 737 Max planes (of Alaska Airlines fame); any Boeing aircraft; or even on airlines that have Boeings in their fleet, United, American, Alaska Airlines prominent among them.

Ciera Wilson, a Needham mom booking two seats to Wichita for her grandfather’s funeral, is paying $150 extra, per ticket, and leaving for Logan hours earlier than she wants — at 3:30 a.m., with a 3-year-old — to avoid flying on a Boeing.

“I never thought about what type of plane I was on before,” said Wilson, a professional dog trainer who has now learned so much about aircraft manufacturers that she speaks with the authority of a retired pilot on a CNN panel.

In Wakefield, travel agent Allison DePesa has clients who are paying $250 to switch airlines rather than take their chances on ending up on a Boeing. Others have outright canceled flights, she said, preferring to drive the 1,300 highway miles between Boston and Disney World.

“Who am I to say what’s right or wrong?” said DePesa, a platinum planner with Marvelous Mouse Travels. “It’s an emotional thing for people to book travel.”

But wait — how’s a regular person supposed to know which aircraft your carrier will be flying? Easy! Well, sometimes. On some sites you don’t see the flight’s make and model until you’re annoyingly far along in the selection process. But on others, Kayak among them, you can filter results so you don’t even have to look at flights on a you-know-what.

Phew! Well, unless the airline changes your flight after you’ve booked it, said Jeanne Goodman, an IT manager from Jamaica Plain.

She and her husband had been planning to fly to visit their adult child in Illinois, but her child and spouse are so spooked by Boeing that her husband has said he isn’t going at all, and her child is urging her not to come, either.

“My only alternative is a 23-hour trip by train,” she said.

Then, like a lot of people who are nervous but still want to take the trip, she went through a rationalization. All the scrutiny on Boeing means that the company is paying so much attention that its planes are safer. Then she paused. “But I would have thought that after the Alaska Airlines incident, too,” she said wistfully.

Boeing’s current problems have resurfaced stories about the two deadly crashes involving 737 Maxes in 2018 and 19 (off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethopia), and are prompting some people to renounce flying altogether, or even sit in a middle seat (where you’re less likely to get sucked out) rather than the window.

The bacchanalia of bad news hasn’t let up since the now-famous gaping hole. Since January, amid investigations, hearings, and reports of more loose bolts, the CEO has announced he’s stepping down as part of a management shakeup, John Oliver has done a segment, and #Boeing is trending in all the wrong places.

“Pray for me, I will have my seat belt on the whole time,” reads the caption of a TikTok video with 2.7 million views that shows a young woman realizing her plane is a Boeing. “Do NOT look at the news if you are flying this week,” warns the caption on another video, this one with 2 million views and the praying emoji.

Need it be said that a conspiracy theory has entered the plot? A Boeing whistle-blower was found dead in his truck in March, with a gunshot wound to the head, and then a friend stepped forward to say that he had earlier warned her: “If anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”

Back in Needham, that got the attention of Wilson, the traveling mom. “I don’t make all of my decisions based on conspiracies,” she said, “but it is really convenient that the gentleman suddenly died.”

Meanwhile, many people flying these days made their plans before the Alaska Airlines incident, when they weren’t thinking about aircraft manufacturers.

Let’s join Megan McHue, a branding and strategy consultant from Rhode Island, on a recent flight from Paris to Lisbon. She settled into her seat, naturally looked forward, and there it was, in the seatback pocket: a safety-information card for the plane she was on — it was a Boeing! McHugh tightened her seat belt, checked the seal around the window, and spent the rest of the flight imagining the news coverage of the plane’s demise.

Crazy? Perhaps, but she was not alone. When the flight made it safely to Lisbon, amid a rough descent and landing, the entire plane cheered, she said, noting that they were likely all thinking the same thing: “Not today, Boeing!”

Beth Teitell can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her @bethteitell .

This Airline is Now Charging Peak and Off-Peak Checked Luggage Fees. Will Others Follow?

By Jessica Puckett

Bad news for the overpackers among us: It’s now even more expensive to check baggage on one of the most popular airlines in the US .

Following a recent spate of US airlines raising their checked bag fees in early March, JetBlue is once again raising its prices for the service. Under the airline’s latest policy, JetBlue plans to charge as much as $50 for the first checked bag and as much as $70 for the second bag during “peak” travel periods, including the majority of this summer .

A JetBlue spokesperson told Condé Nast Traveler in March that raising checked baggage fees is one step the airline is taking to help return the company to profitability and cover the increased costs of transporting bags. “By adjusting fees for added services that only certain customers use, we can keep base fares low and ensure customer favorites like seatback TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi remain free for everyone,” the spokesperson said, adding that the first checked bag is free for JetBlue Plus cardmembers, and Mosaic customers can check two bags free of charge.

For everyone else, here's what you should know about JetBlue's new checked bag fees—and whether or not other airlines might follow suit.

How does JetBlue’s new checked bag policy work?

The new fee policy operates on a sliding scale, with prices jumping during “peak” travel windows and dipping during times that are considered “off-peak.”

For most economy fares—including Blue, Blue Basic, and Blue Extra—the airline’s checked bag fees now range from $35 to $50 for the first checked bag, and from $50 to $70 for the second checked bag. The full pricing breakdown is available on the luggage page of JetBlue’s site.

According to JetBlue’s website, the airline considers the following days as peak travel periods over the next year: April 11 to April 29, 2024; June 20 to September 3, 2024; November 21 to December 2, 2024; December 19, 2024 to January 6, 2025; February 13 to February 24, 2025; and April 3 to April 28, 2025.

All other days are considered off-peak travel days. Looking at the date ranges for peak travel, they do fall during some busy stretches, including the spring break travel period, almost the entire stretch of summer travel, Thanksgiving week, peak Christmas travel , as well as President’s Day 2025.

Has this type of fee policy ever been used before?

“Variable pricing is hardly new,” says Gary Leff, a travel specialist who writes the aviation blog View From the Wing . “It’s just unique for checked baggage.”

Some airlines use a sliding scale of fees for extra charges like seat selection and pricing for award trips using frequent flier miles —the more in-demand the route or travel window, the higher the cost for these services. “Some of the ultra low-cost carriers vary their bag fees as well, but it's not rigidly spelled out in the same way,” says Brett Snyder , president of Cranky Concierge , a firm that provides travel planning and airline assistance.

Will other airlines adopt JetBlue’s new checked baggage fee policy?

It’s not yet clear if charging extra for checked luggage during peak travel periods is something that will spread throughout the industry. But airlines do tend to copy each other in these areas: When one carrier raises fees, others generally follow in a domino effect—like travelers saw happen with baggage fees in early March.

“I would never be surprised to see an airline adopt a new method of charging fees that would allow it to increase revenues,” says Snyder. “This plan allows JetBlue to keep bag fees at the same low level as other airlines during off-peak times. But during peak times, it can charge more and make more money since it knows people are more likely to have to travel anyway.”

But since most major air carriers raised the cost of checking a bag only weeks ago, they might be slower to adopt JetBlue’s model, possibly waiting and watching to see how it performs. “JetBlue was first with the most recent spate of baggage fee increases, just two months ago. Since the major carriers just increased bag fees after JetBlue did, I don’t expect them to follow suit at least right away,” Leff says.

Traveler reached out to major US airlines to ask whether they might adopt a sliding scale of fees in the future, but most declined to comment, and others did not respond by time of publication.

What do these fees mean for the industry, and how can travelers avoid them?

Checked bag fees are part of the bread and butter of airlines’ profits. US airlines collectively earned nearly $5.5 billion from checked bag fees in the first nine months of 2023 alone, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics . During that time period, American Airlines brought in more than $1 billion in the charges just by itself.

Airlines want to keep these fees as profitable as possible. “There’s an argument for charging more for checked bags when the capacity of aircraft to carry them is limited, for instance on routes where people tend to check a lot of baggage,” says Leff. (For its part, JetBlue has said the price increases are in part due to higher wages and the surging price of fuel, among other inflationary pressures.)

If travelers want to avoid the sliding scale of fees, there are a few key points to pay attention to in JetBlue’s new policy. “There is a discount for booking checked bags in advance instead of waiting to do it until the last minute,” Snyder says. Under the new rules, passengers can save up to $10 if they pay for a checked bag more than 24 hours before departure (essentially, before check-in opens). “If someone has to check a bag, they should do it in advance. Otherwise, the only way to avoid this is by not checking a bag. That might mean stuffing everything into a carry-on , or looking into shipping services that send you baggage ahead of you,” Snyder says.

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