Alaska Airlines to Charge Extra for Bulkhead & Exit Row Seats in 2015
Steve Cohen December 05, 2014
You’ll soon be able to reserve extra legroom in bulkhead and exit row seats on Alaska Airlines, but it will cost you.
Alaska Airlines will begin charging an extra fee sometime during the first half of 2015 to passengers wishing to reserve bulkhead and exit row seats — which offer between 7 and 9 inches more legroom than other seats.
It used to be first come, first serve when trying to reserve the most desirable coach seats with extra legroom, but nowadays, a growing number of airlines are charging for the opportunity to avoid a bone-crunching economy seat.
AirTran Airways, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines and Virgin America are among the airlines currently collecting an additional fee in connection with reserving these seats. Alaska’s move to join the aforementioned airlines in extracting fees for legroom that was once available free of charge, is expected to generate as much as $15 million in additional revenue annually.
Alaska executives addressed the fees on Thursday in a presentation to investors, during which they estimated the fees would range between $15 and $50, depending on the length of the flight. Executives went on to note that passengers who shell out extra for the seats will receive priority boarding and a free drink onboard.
[UPDATED 12/08/14: An earlier version of this story named Northwest as one of the airlines currently collecting fees in connection with reserving bulkhead and exit row seats. The airline did charge said fees prior to 2008, when it was absorbed by Delta Air Lines.]
[Photo: Alaska Airlines]
You’re Reading
Its not as big of a change as it was initially thought based on the vague investor day presentation. Elites and partner elites with priority seating will still get the seats for free, no change there. The change is those with no priority seating benefit will be able to buy them at online check in instead of grabbing them up for free. They will not be for sale prior to 24 hours before departure. depending on loads, the seats could all be taken before check in time comes around. On the lighter load flights, they will go empty if there are no elites and no one pays for them
I wonder if elites will still get these seats complimentary. It's not really a money grab if so, because currently AS reserves bulkhead and exits for elites and doesn't charge for them. If they sell them to everyone and allow elites to book them for free, it's really just an additional option for everyone that didn't previously exist.
Granted, northwest airlines did do that initially before merger with delta but its a far stretch to consider them "current"....
I love airline executives hubris and continual money grabs. Just waiting for an entrepreneur to realize customers are angry and willing to jump for a new airline. Unfortunately the legacy airlines will use government regulations as a barrier to entry. But their hubris is much wider than any protective moat or hurdle they think protects them
NWA? Really?