Scoring an empty
seat beside you on a flight can feel like winning the lottery—but would you pay
for the privilege? Virgin
Australia is betting some travelers will, launching a “neighbor-free
seating” option on select domestic and short-haul international flights.
Unlike other
airlines that let passengers simply purchase adjacent seats outright, Virgin
Australia is using a bidding system. Economy ticket holders can submit an offer
through the airline’s app after buying their ticket, with bids starting at
AU$30 (US$19.62). Successful bidders are notified up to two hours before
departure.
There are a few
important details. First, an empty seat isn’t guaranteed—other travelers can
still purchase it during the bidding window. If someone else secures the seat,
your bid is refunded. Second, only bookings with a maximum of two passengers
are eligible, and each passenger can bid on only one seat. The winning bid
covers just the empty seat; it doesn’t include extra baggage allowance. Economy
X and business class passengers aren’t eligible.
Virgin Australia
introduced the program based on the results of a 2023 consumer survey, which
found that 42 percent of passengers would consider paying to keep a middle seat
empty on international flights, while more than one-third said they’d do the
same for domestic flights longer than three hours.
According to Euro
News, this neighbor-free option is currently available on selected routes,
such as Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane to Sydney and Sydney to Perth, with
plans to expand it to more destinations over time.
This isn’t an
entirely new concept in the airline industry. In Europe,
carriers like Air
France and Lufthansa
also offer similar schemes aimed at allowing passengers some extra breathing room.
Air France’s “Empty Seat – My Extra Space” allows travelers to reserve up to
three neighboring seats at check-in, depending on availability, with prices
varying by route.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa offers
a “Free Neighbor Seat” program for both continental and intercontinental
flights, and a “Sleepers Row” option that lets passengers book a full row of
seats in Economy for long-haul flights, complete with a thin mattress, blanket
and pillow. If there’s availability, these reservations can be made at check-in
or at the gate for flights over roughly eleven hours, but not in advance.
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