Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Although cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages remain readily available, passengers who prioritize cheap travel are seeing fewer seat options. American Airlines has announced that it will start adding a fee for passengers who want to sit in the first two or three rows of coach.

Referred to as “Express Seats” American will charge between $19 to $39 to sit in the front of its planes. The fee and number of rows it will apply to will vary depending on the length of the flight and the size of the plane.

Another advantage of their Express Seats package is that passengers who purchase it will be given priority boarding, making them among the first on the plane. Passengers boarding order impacts their ability to use increasingly (because the price of checking bags keeps going up) limited space in overhead storage compartments.

American is not planning to charge more for seats beyond the first few rows in coach with the exception of exit rows. Elite frequent fliers and customers who pay full fares are not subject to the new seat fees.

American’s Express Seats option can be purchased exclusively via airport self service check in machines starting 24 hours prior to departure time until 50 minutes prior to departure time for travel within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This is the third fee initiative American has introduced this summer as part of its “Your Choice” program aimed at creating additional revenue. In June, American announced a fee (ranging from $9 to $19 each way) that allows passengers to enter a plane in the first boarding group, pay half the normal change fee, and stand by for an earlier flight without paying an additional fee. The second fee initiative was a $10 each way charge for customers to be added to the first group of passengers who board the plane.

American has acknowledged that it will be looking to add more fees to its perks depending on how customers respond to its new fee options.
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