I found a refreshing story on Reddit.com relating someone asking to switch seats on a Delta Flight. Most of the stories that I have heard and read about on people looking to switch seats have people trying to game the system. They will beg to switch your aisle seat to be next to their spouse and offer you a seat in the back of the plane by the bathroom. Often they will describe it as a comparable seat change.
In this instance, a man had an aisle seat and a man asked him to switch seats with him so that he could sit next to his girlfriend. The proposed seat was two rows in front of this person’s aisle seat but was in the middle seat. Clearly a downgrade. The difference in this story is that the man requesting the change acknowledged the downgrade and offered to pay the man for his inconvenience. He offered him $100 in cash which was accepted. Each party was happy with the exchange. So this turned out to be a win win for everyone.
So would you change from an aisle seat to a middle seat for a 2.5 hour flight for $100? For me, I would change for some amount of payment but $100 would not be enough. I acknowledge that I can be bought but my price is higher than that. In my thinking, my price would be impacted by the length of the flight and who was sitting on either side of me. Granted my price may drop if I had a crying baby sitting next to me or some other negative criteria impacting my flight experience.
My decision process on switching seats would involve the following thoughts:
- Short Flights (Under 2-3 hours): Lower threshold of consideration. Offers of $100 – $300 are often seen as reasonable, especially if you’re asking someone to move from an aisle or window to a middle seat, or if they’re giving up a slightly more desirable seat for a less desirable one (e.g., an aisle in the front to an aisle in the back).
- Longer Flights (3+ hours or international): The price should increase significantly. For a longer flight, especially overnight, an offer of $500 – $1,000 might be more appropriate, particularly if the inconvenience is substantial.
- Significant Downgrade: If you’re asking someone to give up a highly coveted seat (e.g., an exit row with extra legroom, a bulkhead seat, or even a first-class seat) for a standard economy seat, the compensation needs to be much higher so add a premium of $250 to $500, depending on the original seat’s value and the flight length.
- Aisle or Window vs. Middle: A middle seat is generally considered the least desirable. Asking someone to move from an aisle or window to a middle seat requires higher compensation.
- Legroom/Space: Seats with extra legroom (exit rows, bulkheads) are premium and often paid for. Asking someone to give this up will cost more.
- Proximity to Amenities: Seats near restrooms or galleys can be noisy. These seats will be considered a considerable downgrade.
- Front vs. Back of Plane: Many people prefer to be closer to the front for quicker deplaning.
- Comparable Seats:Â If you are offering an equivalent or better seat like an aisle for another aisle in a different row, there should be little if no compensation required.
- Little Children:Â If a parent requests a change of seats to be next to little children, ask for little or no compensation unless it is a major downgrade.
- Significant Other or Friend:Â I tend not to be too sympathetic to these requests so would look for some monetary exchange.
- Passenger’s Attitude: If the person requesting the change is nice they will be view more kindly than an entitled person. I would expect more consideration from the more annoying person.
At the end of the day, I would factor in all of these elements to see if I want to switch seats and what consideration I would be willing to take. In the simple situation of a short flight and moving from an aisle to a middle seat, I would ask for $200 to $250 but this amount would be open for discussion.