sapman986

Hi,

Hoping someone on here familiar with EK can answer this one as there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on the web.

I am trying to book a group of 7 going from EWR-ATH this summer. None of them have any status on EK.

As such, I wanted to book them 'better' seats and paying for this is an option, however it is not obvious which fare I should book.

Per the EK website:

"If you’re travelling in Economy Class on a Flex Plus fare, you can select a regular or a preferred seat (except on A380 upper deck) through Manage a Booking at no extra charge, from the moment you purchase your ticket. You can also pay to select a Preferred Upper Deck on A380, Twin or an Extra Legroom seat.

If you’re travelling in Economy Class on a Flex fare, you can select Regular seats through Manage a Booking at no extra charge, from the moment you purchase your ticket. You can also pay to select a Preferred, Twin or an Extra Legroom seat

If you're travelling in Economy Class on a Special or Saver fare, there is a charge for seat selection. You can use the Seat Selection tool available through Manage a Booking to select, view the cost, and pay for your chosen seat."

EK doesn't show seat maps on their website, but Expertflyer has that info. See attached for example.

I'd like to book 17D - 17K (7 seats).

1. What is the charge to book a 'Paid & Premium' seat like 17D-17K?

2. What is the minimum fare I need to purchase such a seat? Saver, Flex, or Flex Plus?

TIA

skywardhunter

Row 17 is an extra legroom bulkhead row, so is the most expensive and not complimentary with any type of Economy fare. Further booking a more expensive type of ticket just for the seat selection may not make sense if the cost of the seats separately is less than the fare difference.

On the 77W rows 18 - 21 are "preferred" and thus included with Flex Plus fares. All other seats are regular seats, excluding the twin seats right at the back (I think 47-50 AB and JK). So easiest would be to book a Flex fare if the premium over saver is reasonable, as the seats aren't cheap on their own. If you want the extra legroom seats (rows 17, 24, 38, not sure of the offset of the centre row, but you get the idea) those are relatively expensive, and a single seat for a single sector such as EWR-DXB could run you in the region of $60-$80, multiply by 4 flights and that's quite expensive. However then if you do definitely want those, book a Saver fare and pay for the exit row from the savings, else just go for Flex and get regular seats.

sapman986

Does that mean a saver fare has the option to book those (row 17) seats?

This is a direct flight from EWR-ATH which, when EK first started charging for seats in 2016, had a published charge of 15-25USD . I couldn't find any information about what the current charge is.

skywardhunter

Any fare can pay to book those seats, and because they're extra legroom they are significantly more expensive. $25 is probably the cost of a regular seat.

DYKWIA

I recently paid £70 for an exit row seat on the A380.

skywardhunter

Route adds relevance

DYKWIA

Good point.... MAN-DXB.

Zol

An important matter to note, row 17 is bulkhead and sometimes blocked by EK for bassinet use etc and may not be available even for purchase until airport control takes over

ft101

I've got some B777 bookings in Economy now and can confirm none of Row 17 is bookable on Manage a Booking, presumably due to it being bassinet rows as Zol says. Same for 23 and 38 D, E, F, G.

beeorchid

A colleague booked MAN-DXB-BKK return a month or so ago in Y Saver and was quoted £60 per leg (£240 in total per person) for the two-seats-together upstairs on the A380. Seems rather steep but this was a Saver ticket. I wonder if any FTers know whether seat reservations are the same price, regardless of booking class (Saver, Flex, Flex Plus)?

skywardhunter

I believe (but not sure) that they are the same. That price is in line with what I've heard for the twins

Will08

Whether you book saver, flex or flex plus the price is 60 quid per person per sector on that route. Other routes may vary but the type of ticket you purchase does not reduce the price of the twin seat.

Surprisingly a DXB-MAN flight 16 days out only has one twin seat left to purchase, so obviously a lot of people are happy to pay it...

skywardhunter

Or Plats choosing them. Ex CPT I regularly see the twins available to choose during OLCI, though generally some are taken (presumably paid for)

DYKWIA

UK-DXB fares are really low at the moment. I paid £380 for a flight in March. So, £130 for seats (£70 exit row seat outbound, £60 twin upper deck inbound) doesn't seem too bad.

ft101

GLA-DXB £75 for Leg Room and £40 for Twins on B777. Same for DXB - BKK and DXB - EDI.