Originally Posted by
kai.lileboo
Hello Johan,
On all short haul flights all rows in the front part of cabin (from the curtain up to the exits are marked with $. That means that this part is reserved for full S class economy passengers and all other platinum, gold and silver KL-AF and elite plus sky team members. Normally the middle seat is kept empty. However a lot of times there are more than 30!!! platinum members and more than 50 all eligible select seating customers on the same flight.
The quoted entry it appears there is an official KLM policy to keep the middle seat empty for elites on short hauls, when possible.
I am flying between Rome-Amsterdam 1-3 times per month and are often one of the few elites on the plane (easy to identify if you count the pax that sit in the lounge and stand in line for the pre-boarding, especially at FCO). Pax are a combination of many tourists and some business people. But the "normally the middle seat is kept empty" rule when flights are far from full really does not hold, not flying from Rome, not flying from Amsterdam. I have had too often that I sit next to a tourist while surrounded by other tourists that enjoying their empty middle seats. Okay, it is only a 2 hr flight, but still..... if there is a policy why not following it?
Next time I will indeed check, and if needed, change my seat at the airport. Good suggestion!