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Comment by tuna-piano | Hacker News Reader

My two tips for how to keep the adjacent seat empty on normal flights:

1. If you book when there are still many empty seats, choose a window/aisle seat near the back of the plane. Those middle seats are usually the last to be filled.

2. If you're traveling in a group of 2 and there are 3 seats per section, choose the window and aisle of an empty section (preferably near the back of the plane). Chances are good that if there are any empty seats left on the plane, it could be your middle seat. If someone does happen to book that middle seat, I think 99.99% of the time that person would be happy to change to the aisle/window so you can sit next to your partner.

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Likewise, whenever I book a last-minute flight with only middle seats available, I make sure to ask the agent to place me between two passengers with the same last name.

Why would two people in the same family book seats not next to each other?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14638000 :)

see tip of the parent comment

Of course, the last time I did that I ended up between two people who did not want to move, yet still wanted to talk to each other the entire flight with me in the middle.

You did this, and the agent agreed? What airline?

Why do airlines expose the last names?

Well they're not going to ask "Is the seat between Mr and Mrs Jones all right?", there's no need to expose the name to you when you ask to be placed between people with the same last name.

That's still data I'd rather they don't share -- no need for anyone to know that I'm married to the person in the aisle seat. Minimize exposure.

Exposure to what?

Before the middle seat person gets on the plane, they only know that there are two people there who are married, not that you specifically are one of them. The existence of married people is not a secret.

After you're on the plane, it would probably become apparent that you and your spouse are married, or at least related in some way to each other. If you have some game with your spouse where you pretend to not know each other in public or something, I guess maybe it could ruin that, but otherwise I'm not sure what the harm is.

That's when you join in on the conversation.

Which sounds like a fun way to punish them, or coerce them into switching with you, but as an introvert, I think I'd rather just put on my headphones.

What agent are you talking to that has access to the names of all passengers and is willing to abuse it for you?

Every agent who has access to the flight booking system has access to the names of the passengers on the flight.

I'm surprised people are surprised by this... They even yell out names to people that need to check in...

Generally, agents in legacy airline lounges (e.g. a United Club, Admirals Clubs, etc.) are willing to do things like this.

Anecdotally, I've noticed that they tend to be more senior (so know what's possible / what they can get away with), less busy (so they're less frustrated and frazzled), and tend to deal with much more experienced travelers than a normal gate agent (so, again, they're less frustrated).

Yep, a United Club agent is where I got the idea originally.

> legacy airline

Thanks to mergers and lack of DOJ anti-trust enforcement there are now only legacy airlines.

See also: the phone reps for high-tier members, for the same reason. (Not that I'd ask for this particular accommodation, but having access to the premium member line is one of the most useful perks of concentrating your travel.)

But your plan will fail and seat you between me and my wife, since we don't have the same last name.

His objective isn't to determine whether you and your wife are married, but to identify one married couple who have an empty middle seat between them.

Unless you and your wife are the only married couple on the plane fitting that criteria, it's irrelevant.

Like Ron and Reggie Kray?

I used to do (2), before I did a recent India trip with my wife. I have been lucky all my life when it comes to having nice co-passengers, but this guy shattered my track record. He had the middle seat, and was willing to exchange it for the aisle (but not the window) seat. Among the things he did to me were wake me up every 30 mins on a 15 hr flight, drunkenly pour a drink on my pants and use my shirt as a napkin after a cutlery-less meal.

YMMV (and I hope it does)!

That's awful, but it doesn't seem related to this tactic. If you had booked two adjacent seats, he would have just ended up in the third, and you'd have the same problem.

Correct. I think as part of being grateful for his willingness to exchange seats, I humored him for an hour or so, before starting to cut my losses.

3. Resist the urge to boast about your most effective techniques in public.

I do the same thing of getting a window and aisle in the back when booking seats for two. I've never had trouble trading. I think there are some people who might prefer middle to window (you'd rather climb over one person than two if you have to use the bathroom) but nobody prefers middle to both aisle and window.

I can’t help but share my slightly riskier plane seating hack as well...

On any flight with assigned seating, wait until everyone has boarded. Wait until they call your name (or until you are the obvious last to board). Proceed to sit in any open seat within economy, with the most empty seats adjacent.

Usually staff at the terminal desk will also tell you where the open seats are...

Don't forget to check in your carry-on while you are at it, since all overhead bins are already filled by the time 70% of the passengers are boarded.

I often check in my bag anyway if I have a long flight and a layover long enough that I can have lunch at my connection airport. I only bring a light backpack that can fit under the seat in front of me.

Stick it in business class overhead bin on your way through.

Well if you do find an adjacent empty seat you can just pop your bag under the seat in front of it.

International flights are usually undersold.

I pick the middle seat. People will just opt for another row with a window or isle open and the middle seat open so they can have some space.

I often end up with a row to myself.

Really? What kind of international flights (src/dst/airline) have you seen being undersold the last five years or so? (I have seen so many flights that have been kinda the opposite. It was markedly different back in like 2008-2013.)

In mid-late April this year, I flew with Delta from Minneapolis to Tokyo Haneda and the flight was around 70% full in Economy - I was the only one in my row, and the row ahead was empty (by row I mean a set of three seats; I don't know the phrase for that).

The way back was pretty full though (middle of Golden Week for Japan). I must have been pretty lucky for the trip there!

Not parent, but Oman Air Paris to Muscat leg has been ~50% full at the most the last 3 times I took it. They're a top notch airline, flying Boeing 787, and their Muscat to final destination leg has always been full (same as the Muscat to Paris return flight), so I can't figure out why other than "I've been lucky" when the likes of Emirates/Etihad/Qatar Airways/... are full as can be.

Picture from my mid-May flight after closed doors: http://imgur.com/a/8ikMP

I just did Bangkok to Muscat on Oman and the fight was amazingly empty. We were on a 787 and I'd guess we had about a third to half the seats booked.

Combined with their decently low price, recent fleet and good services, they're really becoming one of my favorite airlines for EU->Asia. Now if only muscat airport could be a bit better ...

You do realise they won't be around for much longer if their flights are half-empty?

Given that it's owned by the Government of Oman, which is in charge of a "high income economy", it's probably pretty safe.

Last two years:

AT: CMN <-> BER, CMN <-> FRA

HV: AGA <-> AMS

KL: AMS -> CUR

AR: EZE -> MAD

I prefer to fly Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and unless it's some holiday coming up at the destination I usually have the whole row for myself.

I don't think it is necessarily that they are undersold, although I am sure many are, but the rate at which people change or cancel flights is quite high and international flights are harder to oversell for various reasons.

LHR <-> IAD

IAH <-> LHR

IAH <-> DXB

DXB <-> PER

I flew DXB-PER return about 5 times in the last 12 months and only once did I get it undersold. And I have no idea why that happened. Wish I remember which trip it was now, have to see if I can find a photo of me laying down across 4 seats!

I've been on two Moscow-Tokyo flights (Aeroflot) that were less than one third full.

I've been on a couple of intercontinental flights using Etihad, Swissair, Lufthanza and British Airways between Europe and Asia, most of which were not fully filled for the long legs between major hubs.

I've also seen a few full flights, so I guess it depends on luck and the seasons.

Industry standard is to overbook economy by about 110% (there's a whole department dedicated to calculating this figure) and sometimes business class too.

Domestically, sure. The margins are better on international flights which might be why there tends to be more empty seats.

International flights are also more likely to be weight-restricted (like UA's TATL 757 operations).

Very much not "usual", possibly more likely for some sectors and times.

But flying ex-PER (and sometimes MEL, SYD) on Qantas (QF), Emirates (EK) and Cathay Pacific (CX) I rarely get flights with any more than a few empty middle seats.. and many times completely full including the flights on from their respective hubs to all sorts of US, European and Asian locations. Including mid week flights.

I did once get a super empty flight DXB-PER for some reason, it was mid week but I've never had that since, no idea why that one was so empty unless it was because it was right as they started their dual A380 service [I don't remember if that was true]? That was glorious had 4 seats to myself to stretch out and slept most of it. great for a 10h flight [I made about 10 20+ hours trips last year]

And SYD-DFW A380 on QF is weight limited so you get more empty middle seats there.

Possibly true for some sectors and times of week or something but airlines are hotly contested and they're just not going to be profitable flying planes with loadings not approaching capacity.

I usually only fly on planes with 2-seat side rows when travelling in a group of 2.

That second one is genius, thank you! I was reading the first two sentences like 'ok, but what if...' then I got to the third and '...oh. Well played!'

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