Economy class seats on a plane are notoriously tight, but upgrading to a bigger seat or more legroom is not always an option. The fees airlines charge are often exorbitant. Fortunately, a travel expert is sharing some tips to score extra space without extending your budget. The Wendy Perrin travel blog offers these strategies:
Fly busy business travel routes. Business travelers tend to fly from U.S. hubs, such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago or Miami to international business destinations such as London, Singapore, and Zurich. The economy class cabin on these flights are often not full, so you could luck into empty seats in your row.
Fly mid-week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the least popular days to fly.
Book separate seats. If flying with a companion, book the aisle and window seat, and preferably toward the back of the plane. Middle seats are the last to be assigned, so if your flight is not full you might luck into having an empty seat between you. If someone does get assigned the middle, they will probably prefer to trade for your aisle or middle seat.
Monitor the seating chart. The week before your flight start looking at the seating chart and move your seat if you see your row is full but others are empty. However, before you switch make sure there is no fee to change seats.
Talk to the gate agent. Ask if there are any empty seats on the plane and if you could be seated next to one.
Do you have any tried-and-true tricks for getting more space on the plane? Message The Seniors Trust on Facebook or Twitter and share your secrets.
