A former cabin crew member has explained that coming late – but not too late – to check in could get you the perk of a free extra legroom seat or even bumped up to business class
Going on holiday is expensive enough without any additional add-ons. But, gone are the days when you could simply request extra legroom for free and now even selecting your preferred seat costs extra. Luckily, there are some ways that you can try and get a more spacious spot without shelling out any extra cash.
A flight attendant has explained that the best way to bag an extra legroom seat without paying up to £40 for the privilege is by being late to the check-in desk. It sounds scary – after all nobody wants to miss boarding – but checking in at the last minute can benefit you. Just make sure you’re coming towards the end of the check in period and not actually missing it!
This is because if a flight is overbooked those who come last are given the remaining seats. Sometimes this means you’ll be bumped up to premium economy or business class.
Other times, especially on airlines that charge for seat selection, the more expensive options like emergency rows or bulkheads will be left over. You’ll be assigned them and they have lots of legroom.
Kamila Jakubjakova – a former cabin crew member for Emirates – revealed that risking queues and getting to the airport slightly closer to your departure time means you could be offered an upgrade. She told The Sun: “Sometimes, airlines oversell tickets and don’t expect everybody to show up.
“So if the flight is overbooked, and everyone shows up, they’ll have to move economy passengers into business class, and maybe the last passengers who come to check in for the flight will be chosen, as they’re the extra ones.”
Of course, it’s not a failsafe plan and you might also be given the worst seats that nobody wants like the middle row. Or the row next to the smelly plane lavatory – so asses whether it’s worth the risk to you. But, Kamila claims that you can get even more perks by following another piece of advice. It’s all about how you treat the flight crew.
“It always pays being nice to flight attendants. If you bring some treats with you to the flight, for example, some candies or some chocolate, and offer them to us, then we will probably try to make your flight a little better or pay you back in some way,” she explained.
“We are nice to everybody, but, of course, if you go the extra mile, we’ll probably also go the extra mile in return.”
Over on Reddit, people have even claimed that you’ll get freebies for bringing gifts to your cabin crew. Again it’s not guaranteed so don’t bring a present just to get extra goodies as not every airline allows flight attendants the discretion to do so. But, one person noted: “Bring a small gift for the flight attendants. Chocolate, donuts, Starbucks gift cards. They will spoil you with snacks and drinks all flight long.”
Another added: “If you’re in economy, you might get a first class meal, free snacks that are usually purchased, free alcoholic drinks, etc. It’s absolutely worth it. Flight attendants are essential workers who worked through the entire pandemic – or got furloughed – and hardly received any recognition.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, violence against them has risen enormously. We should always thank our flight attendants. They are away from their families, lonely in hotels, working holidays so we can be with our families.”
Source: Daily Star
