In the spring of 2023, we saw Air France-KLM add business class seat assignment fees for flights in many markets, which was of course a controversial move. There’s now an update, as these fees have recently been expanded to more flights, including award tickets in all markets, and most routes to North America. I’ve received some questions about this, so let me explain what’s going on.
Air France & KLM expand advance seat reservation fees
In April 2023, we saw Air France and KLM start charging for advance seat assignments in business class, in what’s referred to as the Advance Seat Reservation (ASR) scheme. We’ve long seen airlines try to monetize the cost of assigning seats in economy, but we’ve increasingly seen this also spread to premium cabins.
Recently we’ve seen the airline group expand this scheme to more routes, so here’s the current state of things:
- Seat assignment fees now apply to all long haul flights globally when redeeming miles, and also all Business Light and Business Standard long haul tickets, except those originating in the United States (so they apply on tickets to the United States, but not tickets from the United States)
- Flying Blue Silver, Gold, and Platinum members, Business Flex passengers, and corporate customers (excluding bluebiz), are exempt from these fees
- Business class passengers continue to be able to select seats of their choice at no fee at the check-in window
- The cost to assign seats varies significantly, and it can cost $200+, in some situations; the front row business class suites on select aircraft are also more expensive than the standard seat assign fees
As you can see, the one exception in long haul markets right now is for revenue tickets originating in the United States. I imagine that’s simply due to the joint venture with Delta and how pricing there works, and I’d be willing to bet the fees will be added there soon as well, especially as Delta also introduces its basic business class product.
How exactly do these seat fees work? For long haul routes, you’ll see that during the booking process, “Free standard seat selection at check-in” is listed with Business Standard fares.
Then when you go through the booking process, you’ll be given the option to pay to assign a seat. Just as an example, for an award flight between San Francisco and Paris without elite status, the cost is $171.99, and that shows as being a discount over the “standard” cost of $228.60.
You can also redeem Flying Blue miles toward seat assignment fees, though at a horrible rate, typically getting around half a cent of value per mile.
My take on business class seat assignment fees
“I love paying extra for seat assignments in business class”… said no one ever. In fairness, this might divide people more than you’d think:
- Those who can continue to select seats in business class for free might like these changes, as they’ll have access to more seat choices closer to departure
- Those who now have to pay for seat assignments in business class will uniformly not be in favor of this
Air France and KLM are following in British Airways’ footsteps here, as the airline has been charging for business class seat assignments for years. Air France and KLM have been nicely investing in their premium experience and have been going upmarket, and of course charging for seat assignment feels decidedly “unpremium.”
Presumably the logic here is as follows (I’m not saying I agree with it):
- One of the biggest competitors of Air France-KLM is doing this
- This is an opportunity to generate additional revenue
- People aren’t not going to book with Air France-KLM because of seat assignment fees, if the airline otherwise has the most compelling flight (price, schedule, product)
The reality is that a vast majority of airlines invest in their premium products in some areas, and then try to cut costs and increase revenue in other areas. This is a pretty clear example of that.
Does it leave a bad taste in a customer’s mouth to be asked to shell out for a seat assignment on a $5K ticket? Of course. But among the major European airlines, who else are you going to fly with? British Airways has been doing this forever. In Lufthansa Group, as we see the rollout of Lufthansa Allegris business class and SWISS Senses business class, we’re also seeing seat assignment fees for a majority of seats.
At least in the case of Air France-KLM, they have reverse herringbone seats on a vast majority of planes, where there’s not actually that much quality difference between seats, so paying for a seat isn’t really needed to ensure you have a good flight. That’s different than something like British Airways’ A380 business class, where you could end up in a middle seat.
It also has to be acknowledged that while premium leisure demand is strong, business travel just isn’t as robust as it used to be. Leisure travelers are often willing to pay a lot for business class, but they’re typically not willing to pay $10K+, as some corporate customers previously may have. So it’s not surprising to see airlines using whatever strategies they can to get people to part with more of their money when flying business class.
Bottom line
In 2023, Air France and KLM started charging for seat assignments in business class in long haul markets, and that has now been expanded to more routes. You’ll now pay fees for award tickets in all long haul markets globally, and for Business Standard tickets in all markets, except when originating in the United States.
The fees to assign seats vary, and in some cases, can be over $200 per flight. Flying Blue elite members, as well as Business Flex passengers, are excluded from paying these fees. It goes without saying that this is a policy that many people won’t like, but it is increasingly becoming the norm in the industry, sadly, at least in Europe.
What do you make of Air France and KLM business class seat assignment fees?