A new travel trick could help you get the best seat on the plane, but it’s not without risk.
The new trend, known as ‘check-in chicken’, has people leaving check-in until the last minute in order to get a more desirable seat.
The theory arises from the belief that some airlines assign the worst seats on planes first to encourage passengers to pay for the best ones.
However, this is an idea that has been refuted by numerous low-cost airlines over the years.
One believer in this trend is Chelsea Dickenson, who runs the website Cheap Holiday Expert.
It claims that some low-cost airlines “actively break up people who have booked together if they choose to ‘skip’ seat selection, as it will cost them money to later have to pay for seats together.”
‘In fact, not only will they separate you, but they will often put at least one of you in a ‘bad’ seat, which is usually the middle one or next to the toilets at the back of the plane. Or they will simply place them far from each other.
“For those traveling alone, they are likely to get a middle seat in a less desirable location, such as not near the front.”
A new travel trick could help you get the best seat on the plane, but it’s not without risks (File Image)
Using this idea would, in theory, help you avoid selecting a less desirable seat, such as in the middle of the plane, when seats are automatically assigned.
Ms Dickenson continued: ‘I’ve been playing Check-in Chicken for years, even before I knew it had a funny name, and it has a pretty high success rate.
‘I’d say it’s worked for me about nine times so far. The key is not to leave it too late.
“What I do is check the seating plan during the day before my flight, and when I’m happy with the seat selection I have left, that’s when I check in.”
However, there are other times on a flight when it may be a good idea to simply check in without paying for any seats.
For example, on a recent trip from Ireland to London, this author was assigned a seat at random after deciding not to pay the extra cost for one, and was given a seat with extra legroom since no other Passenger wanted to sit next to the plane’s emergency exit.
However, the tactic carries an element of inherent risk, as you may not be able to board yours entirely if all passengers have checked in and chosen a seat for their trip.
The new trend, known as ‘check-in chicken’, has people leaving check-in until the last minute in order to get a more desirable seat (File image)
Another point to keep in mind is that it is unlikely that you will be able to get a seat with friends or family.
The only way to guarantee this with certain airlines is to pay the price that comes with having multiple seats together.
Many aircraft oversell their flights (Wizz Air and Ryanair have an average load factor of around 94 percent), so this is not impossible.
If you go to the airport check-in counter, you may still be able to get a seat on the plane if you don’t show up, which is often the case on many flights.