easyJet introduces free allocated seating from November

Budget airline easyJet announced passengers will be allocated seats free of charge or will be able to choose specific seats for a fee.

Published 05 September 2012 in News

easyJet is about to remove the stressful rush to find a seat, as it rolls out a new system of allocated seating which means those travelling together and families can be certain of being seated together.

All passengers will be allocated a seat for free on easyJet’s flights but will be have the choice of selecting their seat for a fee when they book flights or add them later to guarantee where they’ll be sitting. However, those travelling on the same booking will be seated together wherever possible thanks to easyJet’s reservation system which uses a seating algorithm.

There are three bands of pricing, dependent on the seat selected:

• £12 for extra leg room (front row and exit rows)
  
• £8 for up front seats (row 2-5 on A319 or 2-6 on A320)
  
• £3 for any other seat

Alocated seating was trialled during the peak summer season to stress test the new systems and procedures. The trial flights showed that allocated seating can be delivered at the same time as maintaining strong levels of on time performance and without adding cost.

The service will be rolled out during the winter season when fewer people travel to ensure a smooth transition from one system to another. 

easyJet plus! annual cardholders and Flexi Fare customers will able to select a seat free of charge as well continuing to enjoy the benefits of Speedy Boarding’s dedicated check-in desk and Speedy Boarding - allowing them to board the aircraft first.

Passengers purchasing Upfront or Extra Legroom seats will be given access to the Speedy Boarding dedicated check-in desk and will be first to board.

Carolyn McCall, Chief Executive of easyJet, commented:

"Allocated seating gives all our passengers a better boarding experience and offers the choice of selecting a seat to those who want to.  On trial flights the majority of passengers were simply allocated seats when they checked in.  Some passengers chose particular seats with bestselling seats usually those near the front, for those who wish to get off the aircraft quickly at their destinations, and exit row seats with their extra legroom."

Some interesting facts emerged from the trial flights:

• On shorter journeys seat 6A was the best seller while on longer flights it was 1A
• On shorter journeys seat 16B was the least popular while it was 19B on longer flights
• Passengers preferred seats on the left hand side of the plane with seats A, B and C out selling D, E and F

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