Half Empty Airliner
 

We're flying to Brussels in two weeks, and the current seating chart on a Boeing 777-200 indicates just over 50 seat assignments have been made--on the whole plane. I suspect this flight will be flying far from full.

Our seat assignments are in the Economy section. The Economy Plus section is essentially empty, as of today's seat assignments.

Can we move up to Economy Plus after the plane's in the air without any issues?

If you are on United, the answer is generally no. Maybe a nice FA will let you, but that's a rare occurrence since people pay for those seats.

Assuming United from the Economy/Economy Plus references...the seat map is not a good indicator of how full the flight or the E+ section will be, especially several weeks out. There may be a number of people booked now who don't have seat assignments and will get them at the gate (that often happens when the regular economy section is full or relatively full). Some passengers may be United Premier Silvers who are eligible for E+ seats but cannot claim them until 24 hours before the flight. And if there are available E+ seats, United undoubtedly will try to upsell people at check-in...and some will take it.

As far as moving up while in the air, you can always ask, but I agree with yestravel that it is doubtful. In the past, flight crews have been inconsistent in enforcing seating; but United is extremely focused on incremental revenue now, so I'd be surprised if they let people move without paying for it.

Every UA flight I've taken in recent months has had the announcement "if you didn't pay for E plus don't sit there"

Thanks, guys. We're 20 days away from leaving.

So, the trick is (I guess) is to board near last. If you see an E+ empty seat, take it. Not likely that seat belongs to the last pax boarding

regards - tom

No. The point is that the flight attendants are likely monitoring who sits in E+ and which seats are supposed to be empty. If it looks like a passenger doesn't belong there, they might be asked to show their boarding pass.

There might be empty business class seats empty too, why don't you sit in those instead?

Do you think the flight attendant's won't notice???

They have a list of each seat and who is in it.

Seat assignments are no indication of how many seats are booked on the flight - it is a seat map not a how many seats are available for sale indicator. Plus, 2 weeks is a long time in the reservations world and very much doubt that the flight will be as empty as you think it will be.

And no, you can't move up to the next class just because it is empty. But I hope that was not a serious question. FAs do know who is supposed to sit where and will ask you to move if you plonk yourself down in the wrong seat in the wrong class.

Here's a crazy idea: pay for the E+ seat.

They do a count by section. So you will be busted.

However if the plane is really empty you would be just as comfortable stretching out over an empty economy row.

The last time I flew United I paid for E+ and I would have been quite annoyed if they gave them away for free just because they were empty. If you want E+ I suggest you pony up and pay for it. IMO it was worth it but some will disagree.

I agree with CarolA if the flight has empty rows after the doors have been closed move to one of those and spread out.

I had a funny experience with empty seats and spreading out. I was on a Turkish Air flight, very empty. When the doors closed I grabbed a middle row and spread out. I was told repeatedly by the passengers in some tour group, that I was not allowed to take more than one extra seat. Not sure where they made up these rules. I laughed and continued lounging. They were not happy campers and kept whispering to each other and glaring at me. I slept.

I was on a transatlantic Delta flight recently and the flight attendants told everyone that the flight would not be full and that they were welcome to switch seats, but just to wait to do it until after the captain had turned off the seat belt sign (rather than before takeoff) because of load balancing. As it tuned out, I think the flight was at most 25% full—at least that's what it looked like to me.

I was already in a row of 4 by myself, so no problem stretching out and sleeping. Well, other than the fact that the seats were that newer style that scoots forward when you recline, so they were narrower to lie on than the older style unless I reclined all 4 seats in the row to make more room.

HOWEVER—the other three flights for that trip showed empty seats on the online cabin maps, but most of those seats were occupied on the actual flights.

When people are making a connection onto your flight, they don't always show up on the seat map.

By your analogy, just move up to first class if there is a seat free!!!

I'm not sure you can do that anymore MissGreen. Sure, it's common knowledge that you used to be able to show dressed nicely in a jacket and tie and they'd move you up to first class, but I don't think that's true any more in 2014...

I don't think that has been true in several years. It's an urban myth that won't die.