This Airline Will Let You Bid For A Neighbor-Free Seat

Have you ever found yourself on a plane, cursing yourself for choosing the seat that you did? We’ve all found ourselves with a bad neighbor on a plane from time to time and unless we’re flying business or first class, it can prove to be a real nuisance. Etihad Airways has come up with a novel concept of allowing passengers to bid for the seats next to them so that they can have as much as the entire row all to themselves.

Etihad Airways is calling this the “Neighbour-Free Seat” concept. Passengers can bid on up to three extra seats adjacent to their seat. If their bid wins, the seats adjacent to theirs will definitely remain vacant throughout the entire flight.

The airline’s website explains that passengers can place the bid when they’re buying their seat. The bids will have to be between the minimum and maximum bid range for a seat. If the bid wins, the passenger will be notified 32 hours before their flight takes off.

Passengers traveling on longer routes may find this option very useful. They can get extra room for themselves or just have peace of mind that they won’t have to bear someone’s cologne for 14 hours.

Etihad hasn’t disclosed the specific pricing range for the bids so it’s unclear whether it will just be cheaper to bid for the entire row or use that money to buy a business class seat, which not only gets you a flat bed but all of the pomp and circumstance that comes with flying on a premium class.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: airplanes, _cold