The issue with flying with an empty seat next to you

On my last flight back from Europe, I was seated next to a large man who shook off his thongs the moment he took his seat and coughed into his hands for most of the 14-hour flight.

Because of his immense size, he couldn’t help but lean on me the entire trip.

As seating companions go, he wasn’t so bad. He was quiet, wasn’t aggressive, didn’t get up much and didn’t reek of alcohol or smoke.

I set a low bar for the stranger seated next to me on a flight. As long as they’re not vomiting, drunk, sick with COVID, watching their iPad without headphones, smelly, psychotic, or a child whose parents expect me to babysit them, I can get along with them fine.

Even so, every time I book a long-haul flight, I try to choose a seat with the best chance of having no one seated beside me. I prefer an aisle, so if it’s a three-seat-across configuration, I’ll choose one where the window seat is taken but the middle seat is yet to be filled.

Those seats will be filled last and it’s just a matter of how full the flight will be. I hover over the seating plan in the days leading up to the flight, sometimes changing seats if a better possibility turns up.

Despite all my attempts to engineer this optimum seating arrangement, I’m about as good at it as I am at winning the lottery.

Usually when the sought-after spare seat does appear next to me, it’s when I’ve least expected and prepared for it.

The extra space makes a huge difference. Not only do I avoid physical contact with a stranger but I have somewhere to stretch out a little, place my blanket and books, and an extra tray table if needed.

It’s almost like premium economy, without the charges.

So, would I pay for it?

Virgin Australia has started rolling out Neighbour-Free Seating on its 737 services on domestic and short-haul international flights, two years after Qantas introduced a similar plan.

Air India, SriLankan Airlines, Fiji Airways, Emirates and Etihad are among a number of international airlines offering the same option.

During the pandemic, many airlines implemented programs that blocked the middle seat to allow for more social distancing, usually at no additional cost to passengers.

The extra space was popular with everyone from solo travellers to families who needed room for the massive amount of stuff they take on board to feed and entertain their kids.

Post pandemic, passengers must pay for the privilege, which I think is fair enough. Typically, passengers have the option to bid on the spare seat or make an instant purchase, with prices determined according to route.

As prices are dynamic, they can be quite inexpensive, or they can be hefty. Emirates, for instance, offers empty neighbouring seats for purchase at the airport check-in counter prior to flight departure, and costs currently range from AED 200 to 600 ($85 to $252) per empty seat, plus taxes.

That means you could be up for a few hundred extra dollars on a return long haul. Is it worth it?

You might consider a few more caveats. Neighbour-free seats are only available in economy and are by no means guaranteed. In many cases, you select your seat followed by your free seat, pay for them both, and keep your fingers crossed. You “may” receive notification of your success 48 hours before your flight, according to Qantas.

You’ll be refunded if the seat can’t be blocked for operational or security reasons (and if with a full flight they sell the seat, I assume). If you change or cancel your flight your seat won’t be refunded.

I have one question. If you’re successful in purchasing the spare seat, do you have ownership of it for the flight?

Usually when there’s a spare seat between me and the next passenger, we come to an unspoken agreement that we share the space to place our things.

Occasionally, that person usurps it and curls up on it to sleep. There’s never much you can do about it, as no-one owns the seat.

If you’ve paid for the seat, you might feel that you are entitled to block others from using it, even if just to place an extra pillow and blanket.

Given the fraught nature of flights these days, seems like there’s potential for a whole new world of argument and resentment.

I pity the flight attendants.