I get that airlines are trying to squeeze out any kind of revenue that they can. Facing pressure from some of the low-cost airlines out there, there is a lot of incentive to keep the “base fare” low so as to attract additional flyers that might otherwise go to the competition.
So things like bag fees, seat change fees, fees for food / drink are now pretty standard across just about every airline (though I do love me my 16 free checked bags on Southwest!!).
Checking in for my flight to go to the Family Travel For Real Life (FT4RL) conference, I am greeted by the following screen
So again, I’ve got no problem with airlines trying to get people to pay extra for seats if it’s important to them. Personally, I would (probably?) never pay for it because hey, I don’t spend money on anything!
BUT I’M CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO PAY $15 FOR THE SEAT RIGHT NEXT TO MINE!!!!!!
(Not to mention the seats 2 rows back)
Cmon US Airways get with the program! Maybe it’s because I’m a computer programmer / web developer by trade, but I find this super amusing.
Have you ever had this happen to you? Maybe it’s a US Airways thing – my sister mentioned the same thing on a recent US Air flight that she had….
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Actually, it’s even more amusing when you are already seated and the announcement is made at three different junctures while in boarding mode, that you may (still) purchase another seat by simply letting the flight attendant know.
Oh, you’re in the middle? Well, look to your immediate left or right. Those seats are unasigned but you may change your seat assignment to one of them for only $xx.xx. Oh, and we’ll be closing the front door soon so turn off those electronic devices while I run up and process your credit card. Be right back!