Reserved Airline Seating Controversies Cause PaxEx Turbulence
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APEX Insight: Ryanair has been tackling complaints from some customers that they can’t sit together unless they pay for the privilege, but the airline’s CEO is defending the airline’s reserved seating policy.
The Ryanair seating dispute began with a couple who couldn’t find two seats side-by-side on their flight. They took their complaints to social media, where other couples shared their stories of being split up on the plane. But, when the couple booked their tickets, they had not paid for reserved seats, which is an option available for an additional two euros for singles or four euros for families.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary explained that about half of the airline’s passengers now choose to pay to preselect seats. As more passengers do, the remaining seats are scattered throughout the cabin. Ryanair has said it tries to sit families together whenever possible but, as O’Leary put it when responding to angry callers on the Irish radio show Liveline, “they are highly likely to be dispersed if they choose a random seat.”
“[Passengers] are highly likely to be dispersed if they choose a random seat.” – Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO
JetStar in Australia also earned the wrath of customers and some negative press recently when a family didn’t understand the reserved seat bookings process and wasn’t able to sit together during a flight. A number of airlines – both low-cost and full service – charge customers to select their preferred seats. Most airlines also have dynamic seat pricing, which usually makes the window and aisle seats more expensive because there is greater passenger demand for them.
Of course, reserved seating issues can arise for passengers traveling alone too – and not just for Ann Coulter. In March, an Air Transat passenger complained about the airline’s seat reservation system because it wouldn’t let her book a seat in an empty row, in order to leave room for families sitting together. “It felt pretty bad saying that a single traveller is worth less than what a couple might be,” the passenger told CTV Calgary.
Bus-style seating arrangements have worked well for at least one airline over the years. Southwest maintains an open seating policy which lets passengers pick whichever seat they want once they are in the cabin. The airline’s Business Select Fares guarantee an “A” group boarding pass which lets them board first, for a better chance at the seat of their choice. Couples and families can book those fares, if they like. Southwest also has a Family Boarding process for adults traveling with small children, which allows them to board between groups “A” and “B”.