When paying for a seat is worth it on a low-cost carrier, and how the published fees actually break down.
The seat-fee economics
Every major LCC sells seat selection separately from the base fare. The fee depends on (1) the seat itself, extra-legroom seats cost more, and (2) how badly the airline wants to encourage paid selection on this route. On a 2-hour daytime hop with a single travelling adult, paid seat selection rarely matters. On a 4-hour overnight flight with a child, it always does.
Typical seat-selection prices
- Ryanair standard seat: EUR 4.50–13
- Ryanair extra-legroom (rows 1, 16, 17): EUR 11–25
- easyJet standard seat: GBP 4–25
- easyJet up-front or extra-legroom: GBP 10–35
- Wizz Air standard seat: EUR 5–18
- Spirit standard seat: USD 5–35
- Spirit Big Front Seat: USD 35–80
- Frontier standard: USD 7–35
- Frontier Stretch (extra legroom): USD 25–80
- Allegiant standard seat: USD 5–35
Routes with high paid-seat penetration (long-haul, peak Friday/Sunday) consistently price higher; quiet mid-week dayflights are cheapest.
When paying is worth it
- Flights over 3 hours, especially overnight, sleep is worth USD 15.
- Travelling with a child under 12, most LCCs deliberately split family bookings if you do not pay.
- Long-legged passengers (over 188 cm) on full-legroom-restricted aircraft (Wizz, Spirit, Frontier).
- Tight onward connections, pay for a seat near the front to deplane faster.
- Booking close to departure on a full flight, your free seat assignment may be a middle.
When skipping is fine
- Solo daytime flights under 2 hours, a free middle is bearable.
- Off-peak mid-week flights with low loads, you may end up with a free row.
- If you are willing to take a middle in exchange for cabin-bag savings on the same fare bundle.
The Big Front Seat trick
On Spirit and Frontier, the front-row Big Front Seat is dramatically wider with much more legroom, equivalent to domestic first class on a US legacy. Walk-up pricing at booking is typically USD 35–80; Spirit's reaches USD 100+ on full peak departures. On a 4-hour flight at USD 50, this is genuinely a great deal.
Loyalty hacks
easyJet Plus, Wizz Discount Club, and Saver$ Club do not include free seat selection on most carriers, but they discount it. Free Spirit elite levels (Silver, Gold) include free standard seat selection. Frontier Discount Den does not include seats. Plan accordingly.
Sources & further reading
The fees, allowances and procedures cited in this guide are cross-checked against carrier and regulator publications. For primary sources and official rulings, see:
- IATA, international airline trade body; canonical source for IATA codes, baggage tracking standards and industry statistics.
- ICAO, UN civil aviation agency; the authoritative reference for ICAO codes, safety standards and global aviation policy.
- OpenFlights public dataset, the open airport, airline and route dataset that powers the directory side of FlightHaven.