As attractive as cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages are, travelers often dream about having more room on planes. Later this month Continental Airlines is allowing passengers flying from Newark to Houston to purchase an extra seven to ten inches of legroom for about $59.
Coach customers will be able to pay the additional charge when checking in starting March 17th. The additional legroom will vary by aircraft as will the fee charged, depending on the flights length, market, aircraft and season. Seats with additional space will be limited and sold on a first come first serve basis.
The decision to offer extra legroom was made based on customer feedback which suggested that some economy fliers were willing to pay more to get seats with more space.
Continental OnePass Elite frequent fliers (those who fly at least 25,000 miles per year) and their traveling companions will still be able to request exit row seating at no charge.
Some airlines charge for exit row seats. United sells economy plus seats in coach that offer up to five extra inches of legroom. Upgraded United economy seats cost $49 on Denver to Seattle flights and $109 on flights from LA to Tokyo. JetBlue also charges for seats with more space. Select airlines are charging more for aisle, exit row, and/or bulkhead seats. US Airways window or aisle seats can cost between $5 to $30 more.