Originally Posted by pagophilus

The problem is not that certain fares require payment for seat selection (even though I don't like it, that's not the issue here). The problem is that certain fares don't allow seat selection. I booked a few Philippine Airlines flights recently. One of them being one way, which is a higher fare class, allows seat selection, with some seats requiring payment. The other bookings don't allow it at all, even for payment, meaning you have to wait until check in.