Virgin Australia has rolled out a scheme cheekily dubbed ‘Neighbour-Free Seating’. The deal? Economy passengers can bid for the seat next to them to stay blissfully empty.
There is a catch, however: it’s not guaranteed. You’ll find out just two hours before your flight takes off if you’ve won your battle against the dreaded middle-seat neighbour. If someone else swoops in, your money’s refunded.
The starting price? Around £14 (roughly R330) – which is less than a checked bag on some airlines, but more than the coffee you’ll need after a long-haul red-eye.
Would you pay for an empty seat?
Libby Minogue, Virgin Australia’s executive behind the move, says the airline just listened to what passengers were begging for.
“Our priority is to give Virgin Australia guests more value and choice when they choose to fly with us,” she explained, calling the flight add-on a game changer for anyone craving comfort without splashing out for Business Class.
Other airlines are already dabbling in similar schemes: Air France offers ‘Empty Seat – My Extra Space’, letting you lock down up to three empty seats beside you for maximum privacy.
Virgin added that 42% of international travellers and 35% of domestic fliers admitted in a survey that they’d happily pay to keep the middle seat empty.
And honestly, who wouldn’t? After all, an empty seat means legroom for days, a place to stash your jacket, and, most importantly, no stranger hogging the armrest.
So, the obvious question for us: do any South African airlines offer the same perk? Short answer: No. Not yet. Airlines like SAA, FlySafair, and Airlink let you pick your seat, but you can’t pay to “buy” the one next to you. The best we’ve got is booking multiple seats outright, which is usually way pricier than Virgin’s little side hustle.
