Continental Airlines on March 17 will begin charging at the time of checkin a premium to reserve seats in its economy cabin that offer more legroom than standard coach seats, the carrier announced today.
Though Continental said it would give seating priority to OnePass Elite frequent flyers free of charge, unassigned coach seats that offer more legroom, such as those in the exit row, would be made available for a fee at the time of checkin to rank and file passengers. The price, Continental said, would depend on such factors as length of haul and route. The carrier said applicable economy seats would provide at least seven additional inches of leg space than regular coach seats.
Continental is not the first to introduce such a program. That honor goes to Northwest Airlines, which in 2006 adopted the Coach Choice offering
(BTNonline, April 3, 2006). Delta Air Lines, however, discontinued Coach Choice following its merger, according to its Web site.
US Airways continues its Choice Seat program, which offers some window and aisle seats for a fee, depending on length of haul, availability and destination, while United Airlines charges more for Economy Plus seating, which includes exit row seats.