Do you need to pay for seat selection in economy class on international flights? Journalist investigation → Route | Seating | International flights

Recently, Ms. Wang, a passenger, reported to China Central Radio and Television that she recently purchased economy class on an international flight of China Eastern Airlines. The day before her trip, she found that she had to pay for all available seats on the China Eastern Airlines app.

On the day the flight took off, Ms. Wang chose to check-in at the airport, but the staff arranged a free seat for her. "The airplane seats are divided into economy class, business class, and first class, and there are already high and low ticket prices. Why do economy class seats need to be paid for?" She felt puzzled.

The investigation by reporters found that economy class seats on international routes such as China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, and Shandong Airlines all have paid seat selection, while the number and cost of free seats vary among different airlines. Hainan Airlines customer service staff explained that there are indeed several rows of economy class seats on international flights that require payment for seat selection, as the first few rows of emergency exits and economy class seats are spacious and comfortable to sit in, resulting in higher prices. In addition, consumers and airline staff have also revealed that since last year, the number of paid seats has increased compared to before.

According to public information, since Hainan Airlines first introduced the "seat selection fee" in China in 2013, domestic full-service airlines such as China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines have gradually "tested" paid seat selection services on international, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan flights. In early May 2015, China Southern Airlines implemented "paid seat selection" on the international long haul route, but this charging project was suspended during the execution process.

Economy class "paid seat selection"

Frequent roast from passengers

Ms. Yu reported that she found no free seats available during online check-in

In June this year, Ms. Yu booked economy class on a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong. The day before the flight took off, she checked in online and found that there was no free seat available, so she had to pay for a seat selection.

"I called customer service to inquire, and they said that all the free seats have been selected." Ms. Yu said that the next day, a friend who was traveling with her checked in at the counter of Beijing Daxing International Airport and found that there were free seats available.

Ms. Yu said that in order to save time, she usually chooses seats online, but it is difficult to find free seats. Generally, the seat fee at the safety exit is three to four hundred yuan, and other seats also cost one to two hundred yuan. "I think seats with good seats can be charged appropriately, but there shouldn't be so many paid seats."

Mr. Gu has also encountered similar situations on a Southern Airlines flight. He introduced that at the end of last year, he took a flight from Guangzhou to Singapore on China Southern Airlines. When he was selecting seats online, he found that there were fewer free seats, and he had to pay for aisle and window seats, while he could only pay for seat selection.

Mr. Gu had already booked his flight and selected his seat. Before the flight took off, the airline changed the aircraft model, adjusted the passenger seats, and cancelled the original seats. When he re selected a seat, he had to pay a higher price. "I think it's unreasonable for passengers to bear the loss of benefits caused by the airline," he said.

The "Paid Seat Selection User Manual" on the official website of China Southern Airlines states that paid seat selection only allows the selection of seats marked as "optional seats" in the seating diagram, and other seats in "occupied", "locked" and other states are not processed. "The actual usage conditions may change, and our company will not notify us separately. The information published online shall prevail."

A staff member from China Southern Airlines explained that sometimes the airline randomly adjusts seats based on the number of flights and various factors such as aircraft balance, with manual counters being the main method, when there is a discrepancy between the free seats displayed on online seat selection and counter seat selection.

According to another staff member of China Southern Airlines, since last year, there have been more paid seats in economy class on international flights, accounting for more than half of the total. "In general, the first few rows of seats, whether by the window or in the middle, are charged. The middle position in the back row is free, but some seats by the window and aisle in the back row are charged."

Survey: There is no unified standard for seat selection fees

Recently, reporters investigated multiple airlines such as China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, and Air China and found that economy class does have paid seat selection, but the number of free seats varies among different airlines and the cost varies.

On June 29th, the reporter called Air China customer service as a passenger to inquire about the seating situation on a flight from Beijing to London on July 2nd.

Air China customer service personnel stated that rows 31-60 of the flight belong to economy class. 31-50 rows of seats require payment, and there are still seats available for selection, with prices of 100 yuan, 200 yuan, and 800 yuan respectively. Among them, seats priced at 800 yuan are for emergency exits and large spaces. In addition, rows 50-58 are free seats, and currently only the middle seat is available for selection. The seats in the back rows have been locked and need to be selected at the airport. "There is no difference in seat size, mainly the difference between the front and rear rows."

The reporter also inquired with Air China customer service about the seating situation on a flight from Beijing to Singapore on July 3. The customer service representative stated that the economy class of the flight was in rows 35-61, and rows 36-48 were all paid seats. Among them, there are several free seats in rows 45, 46, and several of them. The emergency exit seat fee for this flight is 400 yuan, while the other regular seats charge 100 yuan. "In terms of pricing, emergency exits and large space locations are generally more expensive, with the front row being more expensive than the back row. The specific pricing is subject to booking."

Afterwards, when the reporter inquired with Hainan Airlines customer service about the seating situation on a flight from Shenzhen to Los Angeles on June 28th, it was found that many seats were marked with seat fees. The customer service representative stated that the seats in rows 31-37 and emergency exit positions in rows 46 of the route were paid seats, priced at 800 yuan.

The situation of paid seats on a flight from Shenzhen to Los Angeles on June 28th

The customer service staff of Capital Airlines stated that the price of seat fees depends on the length of the flight. For example, within nine and a half hours, the seat fee for the economy class safety exit of Capital Airlines is 800 yuan, and other seats are not charged. Flights with a two to three hour flight will be cheaper.

When the reporter consulted Shandong Airlines about the SC4707 flight from Yantai to Seoul on July 14th, customer service personnel said that the first three rows of seats on the flight were charged, with a reference price of 100 yuan. "In general, paid seat selection is available in the first three rows and emergency exits. When selecting seats online, only a portion of free seats are available for the purpose of balancing the aircraft's carrying capacity."

According to a staff member of China Southern Airlines, the price of paid seats is related to location and mileage, and the price varies depending on the location. There is currently no unified price standard, which is based on the actual display of each flight.

"Under normal circumstances, some seats by the window or aisle are free, while others are not. Each route is different," said a customer service representative of Air China. As for the proportion of paid seats, they cannot see it and have not counted it, because the flight models and paid seats are not fixed every day.

Staff from multiple airlines have stated that there is no regularity in which seats can be chosen for free. Even on the same flight, the number and area of free seats available at different times are not fixed, and the actual display shall prevail.

Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, stated that airlines should inform consumers in advance or remind them in a prominent way when selling tickets. Online seat selection for their selected flights will involve fees, that is, clear pricing. If there is no reminder or clear notification, it is suspected of price fraud.

Airline launches

Is the "paid seat selection" service reasonable?

"Paid Seat Selection User Manual" on the official website of Southern Airlines

On July 20th, the reporter saw in the "Paid Seat Selection User Manual" on the official website of China Southern Airlines that the paid seat selection service has currently opened all domestic city departure segments, including international flights originating from China.

Several airline staff have stated that there are indeed some paid seats on international routes, and this measure has been implemented for several years. According to public information, in 2013, Hainan Airlines was the first to introduce seat selection fees in China. In 2014, Air China announced that it would trial seat selection fees and implement paid seat selection services in specific areas of economy class. In 2015, China Eastern Airlines also launched the "Preferred Seat" service. If passengers want to prioritize seats in the first row on the right side of economy class and some emergency exits, they will need to pay an additional 500 yuan.

In Mr. Gu's view, the original price of a plane ticket is a floating price, and passengers assume that the ticket includes seat costs, which should be a commercial consensus. "The prices of business class and economy class are inherently different. The same class means no difference in products and services. Why is economy class still divided into three, six, or nine classes for seats?" And when the ticket prices are the same, counter check-in can get the same seat for free. Why do you have to pay for online check-in in advance?

Regarding this, Hainan Airlines customer service personnel explained that there are indeed several rows of seats in economy class on international flights that require payment for seat selection, as the front rows of emergency exits and economy class are spacious and comfortable to sit in, resulting in higher prices.

Chen Yinjiang said that passengers who check in at the airport usually get a free seat. If you choose a seat online but have to bear the "seat selection fee", which increases the ticket price, it is a time difference and does not provide substantial and valuable services. In addition, the flight itself has already set up fare items such as business class and first class, and it is not reasonable to set up seat selection fees in economy class.

Chen Yinjiang also pointed out that the purpose of airlines launching online seat selection is to facilitate consumers, save labor and material costs, improve service and efficiency. If online seat selection is to charge high "seat selection fees", passengers may no longer choose seats online, which will be a waste of resources and a decrease in service level, and even regress. This goes against the original intention of setting up online seat selection services and will also increase the labor costs of airlines.

How to balance airline profits and consumer interests?

According to public information, starting from the summer of 2011, major US airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines began charging fees for some special seats on their planes. Delta Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, and United Airlines charge additional fees for seats with greater legroom; American Airlines and American Airlines charge additional fees for seats in the front window and aisle of the aircraft; Passengers of Loyal Airlines and Spirit Airlines must pay for seat selection in advance, otherwise they can only wait for seat allocation during check-in. Data shows that in 2018, American airlines collected approximately $4.2 billion in seat selection fees.

According to media reports, a survey shows that 50% of American passengers express disgust towards seat selection fees. Some foreign passengers also roast that it is justifiable for airlines to tap the "potential" of making money, and consumers' feelings and acceptance should also be considered. For example, Ryanair had previously planned to launch paid toilets on their planes, but had to abandon the plan due to passenger resistance.

"Although there are some paid seat selection regulations internationally, airlines should provide consumers with higher quality and personalized services through innovative services to gain benefits, rather than indirectly charging related fees." Chen Yinjiang said that once leaving consumers with a bad consumption experience, it will affect the airline's image in the minds of consumers and also damage its own brand image.

Liu Junhai, a professor at the Law School of Renmin University of China and vice president of the China Consumers Association, said that this phenomenon has existed for many years. The same seat is charged for online seat selection, but it is free at the airport. It seems that passengers have the right to choose, but it gives people a feeling of confusion. Airlines must innovate their thinking and provide value-added services in order to increase revenue and reduce costs. They only focus on paid seat selection without improving services, which may lead to price hikes.

How to balance airline profits and consumer interests? Liu Junhai believes that the Civil Aviation Administration of China can hold a hearing based on the Consumer Rights Protection Law, conduct democratic consultations and open discussions, and find diverse and shared solutions. For example, if the price of economy class seats is the same, the paid seat selection will be cancelled and followed by a "first come, first served" principle, or linked to the ticket price and discount. Regardless of the regulations, the right of consumers to choose seats should be respected and protected.