Would you pay for an empty seat? This airline will let you bid for elbow room in economy

Published on 28/09/2025 - 7:00 GMT+2

Having a free spot beside you connected a formation feels for illustration winning nan jackpot, but would you salary for nan luxury?

Virgin Australia has begun offering a ‘neighbour-free seating’ action connected immoderate home and short-haul routes.

The hose has chosen to usage a bidding strategy for nan service. This differs from different carriers, which let passengers to bargain adjacent seats outright.

Here’s really it useful pinch different companies.

Virgin Australia will let you to bid for neighbour-free seats

Passengers who person booked an system summons connected definite Virgin Australia home and short-haul world flights tin bid to support nan spot beside them empty.

After paying their airfare, customers tin taxable their connection connected nan Virgin Australia app.

Bids commencement astatine AU$30 (€17). Those who are successful are notified nary later than 2 hours earlier nan flight’s scheduled departure time.

There is simply a catch, however. A free neighbouring spot is not guaranteed, arsenic each besides stay disposable to acquisition pinch an system summons during nan bidding window. But don’t worry, your bid will beryllium refunded if this happens.

What’s more, customers are only eligible to participate nan auction if they person a maximum of 2 passengers connected their booking, and tin only bid connected 1 seat.

A successful bid besides only grants you nan seating space, and not nan other baggage allowance.

Passengers successful Economy X and business people are not eligible for nan strategy either.

Virgin Australia introduced nan action disconnected nan backmost of a 2023 user study that recovered 42 per cent of its customers would see paying a interest to person nan mediate spot quiet connected world flights.

More than a 3rd of respondents besides said they would do nan aforesaid connected a home flight lasting longer than 3 hours.

The strategy is presently disposable connected selected routes, including Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane to Sydney and Sydney to Perth, and will later beryllium rolled retired much widely.

European airlines let passengers to book retired full rows

Some European carriers connection akin schemes. Air France’s ‘Empty Seat - My Extra Space’ action allows passengers to privatise up to 3 adjacent seats.

This action is offered to customers astatine check-in successful existent clip and is taxable to availability.

Rates dangle connected nan formation destination and nan number of seats passengers take to support free.

Lufthansa offers a ‘Free Neighbour Seat’ scheme, pinch which it is imaginable to book nan adjacent spot connected continental and intercontinental routes.

Passengers request to book by calling nan airline’s Service Centre.

Lufthansa besides advertises a ‘Sleepers Row’ option, which gives passengers a afloat statement of 3 aliases 4 seats successful Economy Class connected long-haul flights.

If you book this, you are besides fixed a Sleeper’s Row group connected board, which includes a bladed mattress positive a Business Class-quality broad and pillow.

On long-haul flights pinch a long of astir eleven hours aliases more, customers tin book a Sleeper’s Row straight astatine check-in aliases soon earlier departure astatine nan gate, taxable to availability.

There is an other complaint of betwixt €159 and €229 per leg. Advance preservation is not possible.