Thankfully one of the (many) joys of travelling alone is that generally I'll always be able to book an aisle seat even at the last minute "somewhere" so it usually works out ok anyway and if travelling with someone it's also great to be able to use that charge / rule as a great excuse to intentionally end up separated from them and so get a bit of peace to sit and actually WATCH an entire movie, or read a book without interruption or without having to make inane small talk for the sake of it !
NIrish - that response from Emirates is a bunch of crap:
- They actually started charging for pre-assigned seating not two years ago - but LAST MONTH - see here http://gulfnews.com/business/aviatio...er-3-1.1898007
- I resent their assertion that it's only "families" who have a need to select a seat - I certainly don't want to be squashed in the middle seat for 14 hours and since they don't impose the charge on kids under 2 that kinda shoots their fox on that one
- It's a downright lie for them to say they're "not charging" for pre-assigned seating - the bald fact of the matter is that if I wish to book seats now (as I always do just after I book) I'm required to pay £80 that I did NOT have to pay only in August/Sept of this year.
In fact the only truthful thing that they have said is that you can choose the seat you want free within 48 hours of boarding IF you have the facility to check-in online and if the choice of seat you want is still available. There is no guarantee anymore that you'll get the type of seat you want (in my case Aisle) and it's also a fact that many travellers have difficulty with online check-in when on holiday.
Whether people want to play Devils Advocate is up to them but it's an indisputable fact that a service which was free just last month is now chargeable and no amount of weasel words from Emirates can hide that fact.
Last edited by scottish-guy; December 1st, 2016 at 04:51.
What is all the fuss about? It is only £80 total for the four sectors and is a charge levied by many full service airlines including British Airways. Aisle and window seats tend to be the preferred seats and therefore it seems entirely reasonable to pay a modest fee of £20 per sector in order to guarantee the seat location of your choice. You still have the choice of not paying the fee and accepting the risk that you might not get an aisle seat on all sectors when you select seats 48 hours before the STD. I assume (but can't check as I don't have a current EK booking) that you can also log in and see the seating chart to monitor availability in the intervening period and and then make a judgement as to whether to prebook your seats if aisle availability is starting to look tight. I prefer flying Qatar who I think offer superior service and comfort to EK - they do not currently charge for seat assignment but it would not surprise me if that changes. Whatever I hope you have a comfortable flight and enjoy your trip.
christianpfc (December 4th, 2016)
I just looked at Emirates site and agree with Scottish. Emirates are screwing passengers by not making it clear at the time you make the booking. Having checked some flights on their site, there is a note against each stating -Originally Posted by scottish-guy
To me "carrier-mposed surcharges" more than implies any surcharge for seating. It would be interesting to get a legal opinion on this, but who's going to spend the money on that other than a group in a class action?All prices below include airfare, taxes, fees and carrier-imposed charges for 1 passenger
But I also agree with Andaman! and others who point out that other legacy carriers are also adding surcharges for seat selection - and in BA's case they have been doing it for years. I have no doubt this will become standard across the industry within 2 or 3 years. The problem with Emirates decision re selection 48 hours in advance is I assume that means Scottish will have to check in at four different times. With BA being non-stop, it's just twice.
As to Arsenal's earlier point, it is surely that air fares have fallen significantly over the decades in real terms. Going further back, BA used to have the monopoly on the non-stop Hong Kong/London route. When Cathay Pacific and British Caledonian were given rights in 1980, both carriers offered a short-term special promotion "low price" one way fare of £99. It didn't last more than a few months, but using base inflation rates that £198 would now be worth £768.
Irrelevant Scottish? That the same ticket is 20 quid cheaper now than it was 27 years ago. You got any other examples of minus inflation? Emirates aren't a charity you know. The airline profits per $ spent are the lowest in the aviation industry.
I agree with Scotty! It is the principle of adding a Surcharge and not listing it in their Information regarding the ticket price.
At least in the US the airline must start listing all add-ons. That is truth in pricing. Of course Mr. Trump may change all that in the interest of making Democrats pay for not voting for him!!! HAHAHA
I beg to differ. Emirates now show several columns of prices for the same trip. If you hover your mouse over the column heading you can see exactly what each price level gives you
Airline ticket prices have never been cheaper and if my original post wasn't clear the date was for Jan 16 2017, a random date I picked to price check. It's the extras that allow them to stay in business.
My mistake! I did not get as far as that particular page and you are correct. However I am still correct that on both pages there is a very clear statement that the price includes all "carrier-imposed charges". What is a seat surcharge if it is not a "carrier imposed" charge?
Only when you select your fare type, a box opens up stating as the last item that seat selection is "restricted". To find out what that means, you have to click on the information icon. Only then is it clear that unless you are a family or in the upper tiers of their membership scheme, there will be a surcharge for specific seat selection. However, given that the statement "All prices below include airfare, taxes, fees and carrier-imposed charges for 1 passenger" is clearly printed no less than two times before you get that far, I do believe that for many bookers the site is at best confusing. I also think it is very sneaky of any airline to add this information at that stage in the booking process without first announcing a new policy of charging for specific seats on the main page.
Last edited by fountainhall; December 1st, 2016 at 13:14.
Some of you guys seem to get off on being contradictory without even reading what I posted in the first place. If you would read the detail then perhaps your observation on it might be more appropriate:
- Arsenal - the reason I find your point about air travel being cheaper than in 1989 to be irrelevant is that my complaint is not about the cost of an air ticket, it's specifically about a service on a particular airline which was FREE 2 months ago which is now costing me £80. Incidentally, there were far fewer carriers in 1989 so with increased competition I fully expect prices to be cheaper than 1989. Further if you are going to quote a price at us ( for an outward trip on 16/01/17), at least give the return date so we can see for ourselves?
- Frequent - I stated clearly I did not book on the Emirates website but (like millions of people who book on comparison sites, I booked via Skyscanner in this case) so why are you trying to contradict me by pointing to Emirates website and telling me to hover my mouse over a fucking price?
- Andaman - yes the surcharge may be "only" £80 but that £80 represents a 20% surcharge on the "original" ticket price of £400. I'm glad you clearly don't mind being surcharged 20% on purchases you make, but I reserve my right to be annoyed by it, okay?
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