I’m not really sure what the deal is, but I’ve been extremely lucky this year – at least when it comes to air travel. You’ve probably noticed that I’m flying economy class a lot more this year (which is pretty much the opposite of luck, I know) but I’m happy to say that it hasn’t been all that bad. As a matter fact, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to maximize the economy experience – enough so that I’m feeling an irresistible urge to teach you how to get an empty seat next to you on a flight (exactly the way I do it).
Notice that I didn’t say “any” flight. There is definitely an art to picking flights that have the greatest chance of having open seats. But with a little bit of determination (and a sprinkle of blind luck), it’s not all that difficult to fly around the world without rubbing elbows with creepy strangers who just can’t get the hint that you really don’t wanna know how gassy and bloated they feel after eating airline food.
The six ways of getting an empty seat next to you on a flight:
I’ll do a deeper dive into each one of these points in a moment, but first – here are the 6 things that have helped me to score empty seats next to me on many of my flights so far this year:
- Flying mid week as opposed to Mondays, Fridays, and weekends
- Choosing an aisle seat in the center section on widebody flights
- Traveling solo
- Using ExpertFlyer to gauge how full a flight is before even booking it
- Purchasing an extra seat
- Getting lucky
I should also mention that sometimes things don’t work out at all and I end up sitting next to some really annoying people. For example, just like on that United LAX-EWR segment where the guy next to me spent the majority of the flight eating a bucket of home-cooked garlic asparagus he brought onboard with him…
The truth is that there’s not a guaranteed way of ending up with an empty seat next to you on any given flight. However, as I explain all of these points in greater detail (below), it may spark some ideas of your own. It’ll also behoove you to do some personal experimentation to increase the odds of it happening on the flights that you regularly take.
Method number 1: avoid flying on the weekends
If your schedule is flexible in any way, I highly recommend avoiding travel on the weekends. Fridays and Mondays are probably the busiest days due to all the business travelers going to work and then returning home. Sundays are pretty bad as well due to the super hard-core business travelers who leave home a day early in order to make an 8 AM Monday morning meeting somewhere far away.
In my personal opinion, Saturdays are a mixed bag. There are far fewer business travelers on Saturday, but on the flipside, it’s prime time for families with small children to fill up the planes to go see grandma.
If you have to fly on Saturday, I’d recommend flying in the late afternoon and evening – everyone is pretty much where they need to go by that point, and the chances of getting an empty seat next to you on your flight will be much higher. At least that’s my experience anyway.
FYI, I’ve had the best luck flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this year. Out of all the flights where I’ve had an empty seat next to me, most have occurred on these days.
As you might imagine, this is an especially important tip for any first time flyer who tends to feel claustrophobic.
The 2nd method for getting an empty seat next to you on a flight: choose aisle seats
More specifically, aisle seats in the center section on widebody flights. Now, before you inform me that widebody flights are becoming increasingly rare these days, I just want to say that I know and that this tip is primarily intended for long-haul flights. The kind where you really want an empty seat next to you.
The strategy for this method is this: the center section on most widebody flights has either three seats or four. If you’re on a flight that has three seats and you take one of them, that only leaves two. Yeah, a couple traveling together may scoop those up – but the trick is to be proactive pick a seat in a row which already has a solo traveler seated in the other aisle seat.
When you choose your aisle seat, that only leaves the center seat open. The chances of anyone voluntarily choosing that center seat over an aisle or a window somewhere else is extremely slim unless the flight is completely full.
This method works especially well for couples traveling together. If you’re on an aircraft with a 3-3 seating configuration (as most are these days), select both the aisle and window seat and leave the middle open.
It’s a win-win situation no matter the outcome. If the seat remains empty, then… yay! If that middle seat ends up being occupied, chances are extremely high that the middle seat guy or gal would be thrilled to death to switch it for an aisle or a window so that you and your traveling partner can still sit together.
Method number 3: travel solo
This is actually just an extension of the aisle seat method I described above. However, it’s worth noting that there is a major advantage to traveling by yourself that will greatly increase the chances of having an open seat next to you: flexibility.
If you’re traveling by yourself, you are free to pick and choose the best seat based on how full the flight is (right up until departure time). I personally watch the seat map like a hawk for as long as I can, and make as many adjustments as possible to increase my chances of sitting next to an open seat.
Speaking of looking at seat maps…
Method number 4: spy on all those empty seats using ExpertFlyer
Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while have probably already seen my full review of ExpertFlyer. It’s a powerful suite of tools for frequent flyers that I just can’t live without.
For example, the seat map tool on Expert Flyer is really good, as it allows me to view seat maps for most major airlines long before I book a flight. I can very quickly and easily see how full (or open) a flight is before booking it, which is a huge timesaver for me. Nothing ticks me off more than going through the booking process for a flight only to realize at the very last moment that it’s completely full and I can’t get the seat that I want.
- Be instantly notified when the seat you want becomes available.
- No more missed upgrades or award tickets! ExpertFlyer will keep checking for availability and notify when availability is found.
- See occupied and available seats for a particular flight on a particular day for 120+ airlines.
- See complete timetables, monitor schedule and aircraft changes, and more!
With ExpertFlyer, my chances on being on a flight with an open seat next to me are much higher. It’s not the perfect tool, as the seat map feature only or works for the major airlines – but it’s definitely one of the handiest airline and travel tools I have at my disposal at the moment.
Empty seat method number 5: purchasing an extra seat
If figuring out how to get an empty seat on your next flight is your main purpose in life (or at least the primary objective of your next trip), purchasing an extra seat is the only sure-fire way of making it happen. As a matter of fact, it isn’t all that unrealistic and spendy as it might seem.
Using the US as an example, it’s not all that uncommon to find round-trip economy fares for transcon flights in the $250-$350 range. If you end up finding a really good deal, it may behoove you buy two of those seats and feel good knowing that you will have extra space for your entire journey. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather sit in economy with an open seat next to me rather than feeling cramped in a completely full domestic first class cabin.
The only downside to doing this is that it isn’t possible to book an extra seat for yourself though most airline websites or apps. You’ll have to call the airline directly and make the reservation over the phone (which may incur additional booking costs).
Method number 6: get lucky
As I’ve already mentioned, there’s no exact science to getting an empty seat next to you on a flight. You could do all the steps I’ve outlined above (exactly as I described them), and it still might not work. Sometimes it’s just a matter of dumb luck.
The fact of the matter is that you’ll never really know if that seat next to you is going to remain empty until the boarding door closes. Even if you purchase an extra seat to proactively prevent someone else from sitting there. If the flight is overbooked, the airline has every right to take it from you and issue a refund for the amount you paid for it.
The best plan of attack is to plan for the worst and hope for the best. It’s never wise to step onto a flight feeling overly confident that you’ll have an empty seat next to you, because that’s a sure-fire way to end up feeling ticked off and frustrated when things don’t go your way. Just plan as best as you can, and go with the flow. You’ll win some, and you’ll lose some (but the goal is to win more often than not).
Does anyone else have any other tips for scoring an empty seat next to you on flights? Let me know in the comment section below!
Albert
What was the most emptiest flight ever?
SANspotter
The emptiest had to be an Alaska Airlines MD-82 from PDX to SAN a loooong time ago (before I started writing trip reports). I was one of only 4 passengers on that flight!
Most recently, it was probably my Icelandair flight from SFO to KEF last October. I had nearly the entire rear section of that 767 all to myself.
Albert
WOW, the emptiest was the WOW Air flight, get it WOW. JK, I’ve never taken WOW Air anyway. The emptiest I’ve ever experienced was Japan Airlines B787-8 TPE-KIX where there was only like 30 people in economy.
SANspotter
Haha! Well, not technically WOW, but close enough. 🙂 Anyway, even though you don’t like 787s, being just one of 30 people on one must have been fun!
AVLspotter
Very informative and useful article. Thanks!
SANspotter
You’re very welcome! This is probably the question people ask me the most so I figured it was time to do a post about it.
Randy Preising
Great article. I’d love to see more of these “behind the scenes” reviews.
My emptiest flight was a BA 747 from YYZ to LHR in April 1990. We were flying on the Saturday of the Easter holiday. Most travellers had already done their flights. My sister worked for the BA office in Toronto at the time, so scored us seats in business class. There were 4 of us, plus maybe 3 others in that whole cabin. The FAs had so much time on their hands, they were coming around every 20 minutes with snacks. Plus, it was a smooth as glass flight, with the moon over the Atlantic ocean. It was the last time I got to visit the flight deck (somewhat common pre-911). One of my most memorable flights.
SANspotter
Thanks Randy! Yes, there will be a lot more of the “behind the scenes” and “how to” posts coming soon, as I’m going to try and diversify my content a bit (rather than just posting the same airline reviews over and over again).
Anyway, flying in an empty business class cabin on such a long flight would have been amazing! I’ve never been that lucky. I’ve also never got to check out the flight deck while in flight, so you definitely had a unique experience. I’m jealous!
Randy Preising
Something to consider writing about is the gear you like to use … clothing, bags, travel hacks, etc … I’m a minimal packer and never check a bag.
The 747 flight deck is surprisingly small. The only other time I got to visit the flight deck (in flight) was an Air Canada stretch DC-8 in the 70s. Back then they handed out the pilots wings pins to the kids.
SANspotter
Yes! As a matter of fact, I have several articles in the pipeline regarding exactly that. My travel / photo gear is always changing so I figure it’ll be an ongoing topic.