How to avoid the worst place in the plane this summer

Photo: depositphotos

Passengers come up with whatever they can to avoid flying in the most uncomfortable seat on the plane - in the middle between two other passengers: they argue, negotiate, and even lie in some situations.

If you are planning a trip this summer and are not going to pay extra for a particular place in the economy class, the chances are high that you will be put in the middle of the place or just at the very end of the cabin.

It all comes down to money. Airlines expect that passengers will prefer to add some amount for the sake of a more comfortable place. Over the past year, the company earned about $ 11 billion on this service, which is 24% more than in the year 2014.

However, more than half of air travelers, according to the resource Qualtrics, claim that they are annoyed by bad places in the cabin. Therefore, they are happy to listen to expert advice on how to get a comfortable place better and easier.

"Book your flights in advance and only with airlines that offer seat selection at checkout," says Mark Beals, a mortgage banker in Mill Creek, Wash., who regularly uses this strategy.

Most international airlines still have a “first come, first served” policy. It is much more difficult with domestic flights and with the so-called low-cost airlines that offer cheap flight tickets.

There are also free mobile applications, for example - Seateroo, which allow you to change seats with another passenger for an additional fee. The starting price of “trading” is $5, and the resource itself must receive a commission for each operation in the amount of 15% of the amount at which passengers settled.

Lawyer James Goodnow of Phoenix prefers to negotiate on the spot.

“If you are flying with a child or other family members, simply ask the person to switch seats with you so that they can sit next to you. If that doesn’t work out, there’s another argument: promise your fellow passenger to buy him a drink during the flight,” advises Goodnow.

Laura Marzola, from Charlotte, who previously worked as a flight attendant, says she shouldn’t put pressure on her neighbors.

“From my experience, most people, especially those traveling alone and without children, are quite flexible when it comes to locations. Many are willing to switch places if you have a compelling reason, such as health,” says Marzola.

And the head of the tour operator for Costa Rica, Don Halbert, even suggests drastic countermeasures - book the worst seat on the flight at the very end of the cabin, since everyone else will try to avoid it.

“This way, you’ll have multiple seats at once, which is much better than the extra inches of space and paying extra for a comfortable seat,” says Hulbert.

Another big problem for air passengers this summer is long queues for inspection at US airports, which is partly due to increased security measures after the terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Turkey.

Read also on ForumDaily:

How to avoid long queues in airports USA

7 Tips: How to Usefully Survive the Waiting in airport USA

How are the US going to solve the long queue problem in airports

TSA will introduce an automatic rapid inspection system

Go to the page ForumDaily on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and comment on materials