Here’s how to guarantee the seat beside you on your next flight will be empty.
Some U.S. airlines are blocking middle seats or limiting capacity. Supposedly it’s to help social distancing; but given how germs spread on planes, encouraging people to fly may have factored into the decision, too. Regardless of the reason, this practice won’t last forever. Indeed, these past two weeks have seen more than a few full planes.
So what to do if you don’t want someone sitting beside you on your next flight? There’s a straightforward way to make sure that seat will stay empty.
Buy it.
Yes, you can buy an extra seat. Airlines don’t just sell extra legroom; they sell extra width, too.
People who travel with a musical instrument have been doing it for years. (Alas, your cello can’t earn frequent flier miles on Delta.) So have people of size who can’t comfortably or safely (per an airline’s rules) fit into a single seat.
But on most U.S. airlines, if you want to book a second seat, you don’t need to have a special reason. You just have to pay. (Usually it’s the same price as your first seat.)
Here are links to the main U.S. airline’s rules for purchasing an extra seat. Some require you to call the airline’s reservation center; others allow you to book the extra seat online.
Alaska Airlines (call)
Delta Air Lines (call)
Jet Blue (call or online)
Spirit (call or online)
The following airlines don’t have published policies on buying a second seat, other than for passengers of size. But you can book two seats for any reason by calling their reservation centers.
Frontier Airlines is still figuring things out. The airline initially offered passengers the right to keep the middle seat beside them empty for $39, but reversed course when it faced a Congressional backlash.
And Southwest Airlines won’t let you purchase a second seat for additional personal space unless you need the extra room as a person of size.
Twist’s Take:
Imagine yourself on a plane, the middle seat empty beside you, as the aircraft door swings shut and you revel in the knowledge you won’t be fighting over the armrest because you won the airline version of musical chairs.
Now imagine yourself planning your trip, heading for the airport, going through security, and boarding the plane, all the while knowing the seat beside you is going to be unoccupied.
Don’t want to lose the empty-middle-seat lottery? You can pay to win.
