Airlines Find New Way to Increase Ticket Prices
Lufthansa Group has eliminated free seat changes during online check-in for intercontinental flights. Passengers in economy and premium economy classes will now have to pay between 25 and 45 euros to choose their seat. The company cites tariff transparency as the reason, but travelers criticize the decision.
Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Discover Airlines, has stopped offering free seat selection during online check-in for intercontinental flights. The change affects passengers in economy and premium economy classes. Previously, passengers who had not booked a seat in advance could change their automatically assigned seat to any available one for free. Now, changing seats at the check-in stage will incur a fee. The surcharge depends on the route and departure airport: on most long-haul flights of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Lufthansa, the service will cost between 25 and 45 euros. The company stated that families will still be accommodated together without extra charge. The removal of free seat changes is explained by a desire to make fares more transparent: passengers will only pay for the additional services they actually use. This practice was already applied on short- and medium-haul flights, and was extended to intercontinental routes starting July 1. The new rules have drawn negative reactions from travelers, including on Reddit, who see it as another way to increase costs.