A United Airlines flyer stuck in a middle seat wonders if it’s alright to offer cash to someone with a window or aisle to switch with him? He only has a window to offer to he correctly understands that no one is likely to do a straight trade.
I’m flying last minute with my girlfriend and there are only middle seats left in economy (no first at all). Would you take $100 or $200 cash to switch from a window/asile to a middle seat (3hr flight to DEN)? is it rude to ask? I’ve never done something like this so I don’t want to be rude or ask if this is completely outrageous.
The internet was widely divided, but clearly the key is to ask nicely, and take whatever answer is given, don’t be snarky in response if a seat opponent says no to a trade.
There’s nothing wrong with asking someone to trade, and nothing wrong with offering them money to do so. In fact more people should do this.
- Just as airlines charge for seat assignments, passengers have something of value, why not take that asset and sell it to someone that values it more?
- Indeed, shouldn’t the airline even encourage this and take a slice of the proceeds? Airlines rarely turn down extra ancillary revenue, especially since it’s exempt from the federal 7.5% excise tax on domestic airfare (so it’s tax arbitrage, too).
The passenger asking about a cash offer to another passenger to improve their seat is flying United, and the United app actually has a pretty nifty tool that helps you improve your seat assignment. It had a 40% success rate in July.
For other carriers, you can set a free alert with Expertflyer. At a minimum, you may not get two seats next to each other if that’s what you’re after, but improving from a middle seat gives you better trade bait.
I’d suggest that United’s app is good enough that it should be pretty easy to build in a simple seat marketplace for other passengers on the flight to bid and engage in an exchange.
Putting the airline in the middle, processing payments, and taking a cut would also solve for potential conflicts that could flow from
- A passenger not fulfilling their end of the bargain (taking payment and not moving, or switching seats and payment occurring with fake currency)
- Pre-selected meals if first class is involved
To be clear, even switching seats without airline permission is potentially verboten. Re-selling a ticket isn’t permitted. And re-selling an airline seat isn’t technically going to be allowed by most carriers either. But there’s nothing improper or immoral about making the offer or accepting such an offer.
If someone wants to pay me $100 to switch from a middle to and aisle or window seat, sure. I’d accept it. If they are going to ask and pay that much, it must be extremely important to them, so I’d be there to help. If it’s cross country > 3 hours, maybe I’d be wanting $150. I don’t believe there is much value in paying for different seats on most aircraft. I would pay $200 more for a business class seat like the 777 or 787 that fly cross country but that’s about the max for me. I got spoiled with status when I’d pick the right aircraft and get upgraded but anything about $200 just cannot be justified. I don’t understand people’s value point of view to pay ridiculous amounts for a seat.
BTW – Spirit’s new aircraft have 1″ wider middle seats vs. Aisle and Window. – They’re also the only airline that I will pay up to $50 for a big front seat because I always walk off their flights with pain in my shoulder blades since they have the worst seats. I’ve learned to take 3 motrin before any spirit flights.
two hundred would suffice. it’s for three hours.
Gary, the “internet” you refer to is reddit. That’s teenage basement dwellers. That’s incel losers. Soy boy betas. People with no rizz, nor work experience, nor, frankly, life experience.
I couldn’t care less what reddit thinks.
I would push back on your insinuation that offering money is appropriate. Such offers are culturally sensitive (or insensitive). Quite frankly if somebody of your own background is offering money, you are furthering a negative stereotype about your own people.
Do not offer or accept money.
Presented with such an offer, I likely would respond in a traditional manner of a friendly nonstop sales pitch of the benefits of buying a life insurance policy. That was the traditional way of making an adjacent passenger self-quarantine, before the current Travel Era of screens and viral tiktoks. At best, I could earn a lucrative commisson on the life insurance policy.
“… your own people”? Please, we’re all human beings. Our people are people. No individual is a representative of any “people.”
What’s the big deal? Ask nicely but prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
SFO/EWR:
“I would push back on your insinuation that offering money is appropriate. Such offers are culturally sensitive (or insensitive). Quite frankly if somebody of your own background is offering money, you are furthering a negative stereotype about your own people.”
I dunno, I think maybe you’re one of those “…basement dwellers…incel losers, soy boy betas” for whom you show so much disdain; I can’t think of anyone else who would have so much time on their hands and so few productive things to do that they’d try to turn a strictly financial transaction, no different from the transaction of buying an airline ticket, into a feeble, ham-handed attempt at culture-baiting.
If, or when, you ever grow up and become a real man, I hope you’ll be able to come right out and say what you really mean, however odious, rather than trying to hide behind a wilted word salad of cowardly euphemisms.
If I were an avid traveller I honestly wouldn’t be suckered into such a pathetic deal. You’d have to offer more than $200 for that kinda thing
two hun do for three hour flight, just take it.
less than six hundred you don’t have to file taxes.
someone who thinks shouldn’t take/offer money never lived off of tipping.
Nevertheless, it’s kind of a gratuity, mind your own business.
@Don G You’d claim this on taxes if it was >$600? The IRS must love you. No paper trsil, so how does the IRS catch you? Of course, everybody, I’m not supporting/suggesting tax evasion here.
@Dave W. You’d have to file a 1099SW (Seat Swap).
Since when is Reddit a piece of garbage? If you’re looking for the answer to a question a hit on Reddit is far more likely to actually have an answer than your average page offered up by a search. For a non-specialized question it would be my second choice after anything in the StackOverflow realm.
I like your idea about airlines creating a seat switching marketplace, Gary. Society could then safely reject all requests to switch seats. No more excuses for people to demand switching seats for family to sit together. No more freeloaders begging to switch to inferior seats after buying basic economy. You had your chance. Only question is that it may undermine airlines selling seat selection fees when planes aren’t full yet though, so not sure airlines would go for it.