I am actually taking a British Airways flight next month and I paid for the seat assignment but only on the trans-atlantic portion of the flight. I will be on the flight for 10 hours and my husband and I wanted to sit in the few rows in the back that only have two seats. That way, it would just be us while we are trying to sleep, not some stranger falling over us. But for the short haul portion of our flight, we are just taking our chances and checking in the day before. For us to be comfortable for the really long flight, it was well worth the money.

I'm just waiting for the airlines to start monitoring your individual oxygen consumption and charging you accordingly.

i'm with Anonymous on this one...i like to choose my seats for longer, international flights...but domestic ones don't really matter for me...not enough to warrant a $16 minimum charge

^^^LOL, love it.

I've almost always flown Southwest, so I'm used to competing for a seat. I probably wouldn't pay that much for the option. I just flew Jet Blue for the first time (Houston to NYC) which I really liked. I got to choose my seat when I booked the flight. It was so much easier, but not sure it's worth $16 or more. Maybe $5.

yes - i would DEFINITELY pay to guarantee (sort of) my seat. i'm not one to enjoy leaving things like that up to chance. i don't want to end up in the middle if i don't have to and i like to be far forward. i think that especially if i'm traveling with someone else, i'd really really want to make sure that we're sitting together and 24 hours prior to the flight doesn't guarantee my comfort.

No way. I think Southwest idea may make all their passengers feel like cattle, but it's free-range *pun intended* seating. I hate that if you want an exit row, especially if lets say you are tall, you have to pay extra. I find it ridiculous that some airlines even charge for something as basic as water on a plane.

I truly miss the days when your family could walk and pick you up from the gate and you didn't have to lower the amount of baggage or liquids because of ridiculous airline rules.

I've never really cared too much about where I sit on a plane flight. If my husband and I happen to get separate seats, we usually ask the person next to one of us if they'd mind swapping and most people are fairly willing to do it, so it's never really been an issue.

I would definitely pay to pick my seat, but I don't think it's reasonable. My sister has two small children in a single income house and would not wan to pay the extra $50+ to ensure her husband and two children could all sit together. I know many people are more than willing to trade seats to ensure families can sit together, but would they still if they had paid extra for those seats?

Yes! It just depends on the length of the flight, who I'm traveling with etc. The one thing I don't get though, are the pay-to-go-through-security-faster passes. Everyone departs at the same time and I never think those lines are moving any faster than the standard line.

Maybe for a long-haul flight but the airlines are going crazy with all the fees.

only for international flights

Yes. I'd pay $16 to sit near an exit row any day.