Everyone dreams of a free upgrade while waiting to board their plane at the airport.
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Even if the bump is only to economy plus, that can make a world of difference in terms of comfort—especially when it comes to long-haul flights.
Unfortunately, landing that upgrade is usually a matter of loyalty. Passengers who are part of a membership program, and especially those with an elite status, are the first to receive upgrades.
But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Where there’s a will, there’s a way—and it turns out there are plenty of ways to get upgrades, free seats, and empty rows on flights.
Looking for a few air travel hacks on how to get more space? Here’s how to get legroom and more on your next flight for free.
The basics: get to know airlines and airplanes
Before I get into the good stuff on how to get more space on flights, I want to point out one thing that plane-savvy travelers regularly do:
They look into what airplanes that airlines fly on specific routes.
This information lets passengers gain an immediate understanding of how many seats are in each row of the plane they’ll be flying on.
For example, two airlines that fly the same Airbus 320 might have a different number of seats. Spirit Airlines stuffs 178 seats into its Airbus 320s, while United Airlines has only 138.
That means that paying for extra legroom on Spirit might be the equivalent of a regular economy seat on United.
If that sort of comparison interests you, I suggest you look into SeatGuru. It’s a platform that lets passengers research flights according to features, amenities, and more.
Now let’s move on to how to get more space for free on planes, including making sure that middle seat next to you is empty, how to get a whole row to yourself, and how to get extra legroom.
How to sit beside an empty middle seat
- Select an aisle or window seat in a row that’s partly occupied. Book an aisle or window seat in a row that already has one of those places occupied. Few travelers would actually select or pay for a middle seat, meaning it’s more likely to stay empty. This is a popular hack for couples who want to guarantee they have the whole row to themselves without forking over for the extra seat.
- Board last. You’ll be able to get a lay of the land and nab any aisle or window seats that have an empty middle seat. This might not work 100% of the time depending on the airline’s policy—but it’s worked for me in the past.
- Ask about upgrades before boarding. While landing a first-class or business-class upgrade probably isn’t in the cards, you can always ask to move to a window or aisle seat in a row without a middle-seat passenger. This is how to get more space on flights without the extra effort.
- Go for the last row—and the middle row. The middle seat in the last row is more likely to be empty. That’s doubly true for the middle seat in a middle row at the back of a plane.
Tips to get the whole row to yourself
- Select a seat in an undesirable spot. That’s right—you need to be willing to make a little sacrifice if you want to nab a whole row. Travelers recommend booking the aisle or window seat near the bathrooms, the service area of the plane, and the back of the plane. With the added foot traffic and light, others might not be interested in booking those seats.
- Check the airline’s policy. Some airlines make it easy for passengers to purchase the entire row for certain flights, especially when flights aren’t fully booked. Keep in mind that this hack on how to get more space isn’t free.
- Book the aisle seat. Similar to guaranteeing an empty middle seat, one of the best ways to get a whole row to yourself is to book a seat in the aisle at the back of the plane. The aisle seat in the back of the plane, according to data, is more preferred than the window seat, giving you a slightly higher chance of getting that whole row solo.
- Focus on economy plus over economy. When selecting a seat, focus your efforts on the economy plus section of the flight over the regular economy section—especially when it comes to long-haul, international flights. You might need to pay a bit extra, but you’re more likely to land a whole row for a small fee in economy plus because other passengers are more focused on savings.
Hacks for extra legroom
- Look for bulkhead seats. On some airlines, these rows offer more legroom—even if they aren’t officially billed as emergency rows or extra legroom seats.
- Use websites like SeatGuru to compare seat sizes. The best way to get extra legroom for free is to pay attention to which airlines are slashing their seat sizes.
- Use websites like ExpertFlyer to get notifications about seat upgrades. This handy platform lets you set alerts for flights based on when seat upgrades and availability change.
- Book a seat in the first row of your section. The first row of economy and economy plus, for example, usually have more legroom at no extra charge.
