Reach the airport quite early and connect with the gate agent. Let them know that you want a window seat and if they can help you out. Ask them kindly for your preferred seat. There are so many instances where passengers do not board the flights and the crew and gate agents get to know about them till the last minute.
Most airlines allow you to choose your own seats when you book a trip online. Look for a link saying something like "pick my seats" after you've chosen your flight. Click on a seat next to the window. If you have connecting flights, click on "next flight" so you can choose a seat on that plane as well.
Check-in and preferred seats
This usually comes with an extra cost. “Window seats usually are the priciest as compared to aisle seats.
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.
Know When to Ask
Talk to a gate agent and let them know that you're interested in moving up. "Once onboard there isn't anything we can do as a flight attendant," Kamalani said of her airline. Gate agents will typically have a list of frequent fliers who are first eligible for upgrades.
The best way to get upgraded to first class for free is to earn elite airline status. Complimentary upgrades are offered to frequent fliers on all the major airlines, although not necessarily on every route.
Ask and you may receive. Flight upgrades are difficult to get and are even more impossible to attain if you don't ask for them in the first place. Simply and politely ask for one and remember to smile and be positive--flight attendants and employees won't take too kindly to any sense of entitlement you may give off.
Airlines like American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines charged high fees for both window seats near the front of the plane and middle seats near the back. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines only charged for the nicer seats. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines charged nothing at all.
For low-cost carriers, the lack of an allocated seat is often justified due to the low initial fare. By charging a premium for choice, these carriers can keep unallocated seats at a reasonable ticket price. Now, many passengers are having to pay extra for allocated seats on services that did not previously charge.
The Bottom Line: Buy Online
To get the cheapest plane ticket, always book online. Even if this means booking a ticket on your phone in the airport parking lot, you'll be better off. Airport ticket prices just aren't less expensive, as people seem to think.
“The vertical ducts are located behind the passenger compartment sidewall panels and they prevent the installation of a window in one row on the left side. This is standard on all Boeing 737 aircraft, not just ours.”
Window Seat – Pros and Cons:
You can look out the window and enjoy the view from liftoff to landing. You have a place to rest your head as you doze away. Accessibility to the restroom requires passengers to exit first. Some people say it helps with claustrophobia.
The best you'll do is a completely normal aisle, window or middle seat. It's nothing new for airlines to charge for preferred seating assignments, exit rows and what not, but whether it's an aisle, middle or window – it's traditionally been the same price.
“This was a very critical situation, because the runway was very short, and we would not have been able to stop.” As long as you ask though, you should be okay – there are no rules or laws against swapping seats. The best place to sit is actually the back of the plane, according to one flight attendant.
Occasionally, aircraft with a seating structure of 2+2 may letter the seats as "ACDF" to keep with the standard of A/F being window and C/D being aisle on short-haul aircraft (which generally have 3+3 seats).
It said that if passengers have no particular preference for seats and do not wish to pay for advance seat selection, they can either reserve any free seat available at the time of web check-in or at the airport kiosk check-in or counter.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) set the upright seat rule for two main reasons: it makes it easier to evacuate the plane in the case of an emergency and it can help limit injuries. It's a frightening fact, but most airplane accidents happen upon take-off or landing.
Each airline holds back a number of seats on every flight to make them available for their mega frequent fliers and big travel spenders. And if those folks don't show up, the airline releases those seats on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Exit rows, aisle or window seats, and anywhere close to the front are typically considered the best seats on a plane. On a short business trip, you might want an aisle seat near the front of the plane so you can debark as quickly as possible on arrival.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ever wonder how airlines decide who gets a seat upgrade on flights? Airlines say it's strictly by the book: Loyal customers are rewarded based on their status in frequent flyer programs.
Flight attendants generally agree that there's no successful way of sneaking into a premium cabin. One flight attendant says cabin crew have a list of first and business class passengers. Such behavior can land passengers on an airline's "watch list."
Not unless you have a first class ticket. First Class seats are not up for grabs just because there is no one sitting there. If you want to sit in First Class, you need a first class ticket. You might be able to score an upgrade, but you pay for that also.
If you have been inconvenienced by the airline, don't hesitate to ask for an upgrade. Again, airlines don't generally upgrade people for no reason, but if they have caused you a problem, that may be reason enough.
Ask about first-class upgrades at the check-in counter
Airlines make more money from filling their flights' first-class seats, so next time you're feeling a little spendy, you can ask at the ticket or boarding counter if there is any availability at the front of the plane.
Usually, the closer it is to departure, the cheaper the upgrade discounts will get. That said, you have to find a balance somewhere in-between, because the closer it is to departure, the less likely it is that you'll be offered an upgrade.