Great post ! thank you for sharing this info.

All, has anyone used the EXTRASEAT process to put something in their extra seat (like the cellos referenced in the news article on the first page)? I would love to buy an extra seat for my wedding dress if they will actually let me put it on the seat. If I'll be forced to put it overhead, it makes no sense to buy an extra seat as I'm 1k and should be able to board in time to find overhead space. I will be flying from SFO to CHS (Charleston), likely with a layover in EWR.

I can't imagine they would just let you keep the dress on the seat during takeoff and landing - anything in the cabin needs to be secured.

SFO to EWR will be p.s. or an international bird. Definitely will have closets - and a good ticket to burn an RPU on as a 1K.

EWR to CHS - that's going to be less fun - not sure what regional jet flies that these days - but most regionals have very little space.

Couldn't she just put a seatbelt around it? I would rather get hit on the head with a wedding dress than a cello

I agree, I'd never thought they would let anything sit on the seat during takeoff and landing (even a nice, soft wedding dress)! That's why the cello article was so surprising.

I'm definitely going to attempt an RPU (or use miles/co-pay to upgrade) on the route from SFO to EWR, before going onward to CHS. It's really that subsequent flight that I think is the problem. My company HQ is based near Newark which is why I would prefer to fly through there, but I could also try for a layover in Chicago as I assume United's CHI-CHS flight will be on a larger plane, given the distance.

Thanks all for your comments!

This is the best discovery ever. Real redneck relaxin' if I do say so myself!

My round-trip to Hawaii was available in coach saver, but no saver first class. SFO-KOA and LIH-SFO are long enough that being cramped in with a third passenger is just enough to make the experience tiring. But three seats in a row for me and the s/o will let us stretch out and enjoy the start & end of our vacation.

135k round trip for an entire row in saver coach
360k round trip in standard first

No brainer!

If saver first opens up for two, I'll consider switching one or both legs - but I'm very happy to have stumbled on this thread! Gracias, y'all!

Buying Extra Seat vs Paying for Economy Plus
 

I currently do not have United premier status but use the Club card for baggage and priority access. I recently booked an October IAD-LAS round trip with a companion on a cheap economy fare. When I asked my travel agent to check into booking us Economy Plus seats, she suggested that it is currently cheaper to buy an extra seat for the trip than to pay for the two of us to move our seats to Economy Plus. She also asserted that I will earn award miles for the third seat (not premier qualifying). I know that the standard seats will not have the same legroom as Economy Plus seats, but do you think the overall comfort will be as good or better by having the third empty seat for two people in a 3-3 row configuration?

I have heard about oversized people buying extra seats, but have never really thought about buying an extra seat as an alternative to paying the Economy Plus up charges on transcontinental routes.

If leg room is what you most need, this may not work unless you put the carryon bag under the middle seat, leaving the space in front of you empty.

But, if you're broad shouldered and have big arms, then having the middle seat empty would be great.

I'm not sure about earning miles for that extra seat, but I personally would get an extra seat in Y vs. paying up to E+ - and I am 6'3". That empty seat is a lot more space than you would gain by grabbing two E+ seats.

An extra seat between you gets you more arm/shoulder room. Economy plus gets you more legroom. So if there's one type of space you'd prefer more than the other, that can guide your decision.

You can get miles for the additional seat sort of - you will have to book the 2nd ticket under some sort of name, like EXTRASEAT JONES. You can sign EXTRASEAT JONES up for a frequent flyer account that can accrue miles. You won't be able to do much with them unless EXTRASEAT JONES flies enough to get 10k miles (short-range one-way award ticket.) But the miles will NOT accrue to your own frequent flyer account.

Pro Tip: You can often get yourself an empty middle seat if you and your companion book the A and C seats or the D and F seats in the back of the plane, if the plane is not full. If you do end up with someone in the middle they are generally happy to switch to an aisle or window seat.

Pro Tip 2: You can also buy up to E+ on board the aircraft, so you can try tip 1, and if it doesn't work, buy up then. (You can watch the seat map in advance of the flight and get a good idea whether you should buy up before boarding.)

I did check the United website and it does state that the base miles for the extra seat will accrue to the flyer's Mileage Plus account and show up with the notation "Extra Seat." (No credit towards premier status.) The site provides a Mileage Plus link to request crediting if it does not happen automatically. Surprisingly, United also states that if the traveler has a luggage allowance, the extra seat purchase will double the traveler's luggage allowance. It also stated that the traveler will be provided a boarding pass for the seat to verify to personnel and other passengers that the seat was purchased to remain vacant. This is all listed on the web site.

After AMEX travel ticketed the reservation and linked the PNR for the extra seat, the ticket shows the name format LASTNAME/EXST . When I tried to check the reservation on united.com with the confirmation number, I received the note "This reservation cannot be viewed online. Please contact a United Representative for further assistance."

Based on this information, it is an error for anyone to advise setting up a bogus second Premier account for collecting extra seat miles, as the credit flows to the main traveler's Mileage Plus account.

Not sure if it is standard practice but when I purchased an extra seat ticket on Alaska last fall, their price was cheaper than the
Main ticket because they did not assess the security fees for the extra seat. However, United's website states that the ticket can be purchased for the same price as the main ticket if purchased at the same time, which implies that all fees will be assessed. When I ultimately had to cancel my Alaska flight, Alaska charged me the penalty for the main ticket and issued a credit voucher for the remaining amount, but generously gave me a full cash refund on the extra seat. However, United states that the extra seat carries its own penalties and that a ticket change will be assessed a penalty for the extra seat in addition to the penalty for the main ticket. It appears there may be many nuances in extra seat policies that differ among airlines.

I see you don't post much, but if this post is an indication of quality of your posts, ^ ^ ^

LASTNAME/EXST is correct, don't confuse anything with new accounts.

Enjoy the ride, this year I've flown more AA and AS with no status, and that empty middle seat is GOLDEN :D

E+ with empty middle is better, but VERY rare these days ....

What happens to the extra seat during IROPS, bad weather: etc? The extra seat is only of value if it is beside you. Will the empty seat be refunded if one doesn't get an extra seat beside oneself under those circumstances?

If the flight is overbooked what is the status of the overbooked seat? If I give up my seat I might get a hotel room, meal vouchers no an upgrade on my replacement flight. Does an empty seat receive an equivalent cash 'reward'?

The idea of it being an extraseat is that it will stick next to you. It's not your normal reservation, but has a special coding on UA's system to make sure no agents separate you from it.