If you are flying with certain budget airlines, this hack could come in handy, but it comes with risks attached. One traveller revealed the trick in a post online
A travel expert revealed their top flight secret for securing the best seats – and it appears that procrastination might just become your new travel companion. Her video comes as a Ryanair passenger was denied a seat despite having a ticket.
We’re all familiar with how a long-haul journey can transform from thrilling to torturous as the hours drag on, leaving us yearning for a stretch and quietly wishing for that precious extra legroom. Some travellers pay additional charges to avoid less favourable positions or to guarantee proximity to the loos or the anticipated refreshment trolley. However, budget travel content creator Chelsea, better known as @cheapholidayexpert, reckons you might not need to splash out extra for these prime locations if you adopt her ‘Check in Chicken’ method.
The tactic takes advantage of airlines’ tendency to charge more for those coveted seats, separating groups across the aircraft, and allocating the less attractive seats initially.
As check-in draws to a close, the remaining seats are typically the more desirable ones – such as those offering extra legroom, according to Travel Republic.
Getting over 5.5 million likes on TikTok, Chelsea suggests that arriving late to check in could work in your favour, potentially securing you premium front seating or much-needed additional legroom.
It’s about embracing the risk, she urges.
Chelsea also observed that Ryanair and Wizz Air both impose charges for seats, deliberately separate people travelling together, and frequently position passengers in “bad seats”, she alleges. Chelsea recently disclosed her encounter with Wizz Air, where she chose to check in merely five hours prior to her departure.
She revealed: “I have not checked in yet as essentially what they do is palm off middle seats or the back of the plane in the hope that you will then pay to change your seat.”
The traveller highlighted that by delaying check-in, travellers might secure superior seats, but cautioned against leaving it too late to avoid being left seatless entirely.
“Ultimately, you do not want to be left without a seat,” she noted.
After taking the gamble and checking in late, Chelsea was delighted to discover two remaining seats which provided additional legroom.
“It works but it definitely comes with a small risk,” she confessed.
She also clarified the wager involved: “If you leave check in too late and there’s no seats left. This is because airlines can overbook planes due to the chance that a small percentage of passengers won’t show up for the flight.”
Chelsea recommended others monitor the seating chart throughout the day and check in when only preferred seats remain available.
The tactic has sparked divided responses online, with one person remarking: “I’ve done this before a few times and it does work! Just a risk though.”
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Another urged her to remain silent about the method, saying: “Stop telling everyone.”
Meanwhile someone else penned: “No don’t wreck this hack – I got 29E on Sunday by checking in an hour before it shut.”
However, another commenter shared a contrasting experience, stating: “I had the exact opposite experience, checked in the minute the flight opened and they put me in the exit row for free.”
On the other hand, a different user warned: “Definitely not worth it. I know someone who tried this and was left with no seat and had to wait till the next flight the next day.”