Qantas Neighbour Free seating: Worth paying for?

[TheInsider]

A bit late vs your post, but I'm flying back from NRT to MEL tomorrow on QF80 and have been offered an NFS in Y.

50 spare seats. So small chance on a A330 of having a spare seat free, unless you're in the middle 4.

 

[Hvr]

Well I was offered and accepted a neighbour free seat for BKK-SYD on 31 Dec. $150. It's a window/aisle set so here's hoping it holds. No one beside me and room to stretch will be good on an overnight flight.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Well I was offered and accepted a neighbour free seat for BKK-SYD on 31 Dec. $150. It's a window/aisle set so here's hoping it holds. No one beside me and room to stretch will be good on an overnight flight.

Keen to hear your experience @Hvr

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Keen to hear your experience @Hvr

Friend of mine was offered $100 neighbour-free for MEL-HKG a couple months back.

They were a little hesitant because there were plenty of spare seats dotted about the cabin anyway… but in the end they were happy for peace of mind that barring any influx of new pax, they’d be ‘guaranteed’ that space. Made for a much less stressful journey!

 

[jase05]

Friend of mine was offered $100 neighbour-free for MEL-HKG a couple months back.

They were a little hesitant because there were plenty of spare seats dotted about the cabin anyway… but in the end they were happy for peace of mind that barring any influx of new pax, they’d be ‘guaranteed’ that space. Made for a much less stressful journey!

How late in the piece are you informed that someone is going to take that seat?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

How late in the piece are you informed that someone is going to take that seat?

The neighbour-free seat isnt guaranteed… so it could be anytime. But that’s going to be situations where something like a cancellation is putting multiple additional pax onto your flight.

Manage booking, the seat selection map and IIRC the boarding pass as well? all showed the additional seat.

 

[PineappleSkip]

The neighbour-free seat isnt guaranteed

That sounds like a shadow that you pay for

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That sounds like a shadow that you pay for

Correct… although it is refundable if they end up sitting someone there.

In my friend’s case there was a good chance the seat beside them would have remained free… but… given it was a 2-4-2 airbus, some bright spark could have specifically wanted a window or aisle seat and just happened to select the one beside them!

So this gave peace of mind that the seat would, bar any major problems, remain free.

It’s probably more relevant for folk without status? Although that’s an interesting question… if the flight is sort of getting close to full… do free seats go as shadows for plats, or to the people who pay?

 

[Invisible Monkey]

I was recently offered the option to reserve neighbour free seating on a recent flight from Mel to Syd. I declined and the seat next to me ended up being empty anyway.

 

[muppet]

Correct… although it is refundable if they end up sitting someone there.

In my friend’s case there was a good chance the seat beside them would have remained free… but… given it was a 2-4-2 airbus, some bright spark could have specifically wanted a window or aisle seat and just happened to select the one beside them!

So this gave peace of mind that the seat would, bar any major problems, remain free.

It’s probably more relevant for folk without status? Although that’s an interesting question… if the flight is sort of getting close to full… do free seats go as shadows for plats, or to the people who pay?

Yeah, I’ve personally never paid - but may consider it. On a recent Y flight to DPS that was very full except in the first few rows, I watched as the cabin crew dished out what were probably computer-allocated shadows, to other pax seated further back. Of course nothing was said as QF can giveth and taketh away, but looked kinda annoying. So maybe worth paying for in the future.