This is called a comfort seat. There are a number of threads on here regarding comfort seats.
Given the wealth of knowledge on this site, am hoping someone can clarify for me.
When I saw this post referred to via a recent AFF newsletter, I asked my travel agent to look into my companion and I buying 2 seats each for a long haul QF or EK. Here’s what the airline told her:
1. For the extra seat, you pay the same fare & most of the taxes, so almost the same price but x 2
2. You & the extra seat are on one ticket
3. Seating can be pre-allocated but may be subject to a charge, depending on the fare-type
4. Extra seat can only be booked on an Emirates operated flight not codeshare, so you couldn’t do this with the QF codeshare flight.
5. If for any reason on the day, the flight is full & they need to recall the extra seat, you would be offered the choice of waiting for the next flight when they can honour the extra seat or if you insist on travelling that flight & day, they would not give you a refund.
So pay double, no guarantees and no refunds. The last part I really don’t understand. If I’ve paid, why can’t I have my seat? It’s not as if I’m a “no show”. To me it sounds like greed by EK. They can effectively sell seats twice and yet carry max one passenger per seat