United Airlines reveals simple change that will delight middle-seat passengers

Almost all airplane travelers hate being stuck in the middle seat unless they want to be next to friends or family.

Now, United Airlines is offering a solution to help those who book a flight and find that only middle seats are left.

For those who use their app, the airline will now automatically swap them to a window or aisle seat as soon as they become available.

It works like this. On the app, travelers choose the middle seat they don’t want, but at the same time express a preference for an aisle or window berth.

Then, if and when it becomes available and they are next in line, the traveler is automatically assigned the preferred option.

Although most don’t like middle seats, some passengers may move to a middle seat to be next to travel with them or not show up.

For taller people, the new feature also allows travelers to opt for exit rows or bulkhead sets, which are the front row seats that also tend to have more legroom.

The new feature in the United Airlines app allows travelers to choose their preferred seat, such as aisle or window, once it becomes available.

United Airlines will swap passengers to their seat of choice – aisle, middle or window – as soon as it becomes available.

United is the first to offer this benefit. Most airlines charge extra for choosing seats

United does this up to 12 hours before departure.

Being able to choose your seat on a plane has become a luxury for passengers paying higher fares.

For most economy travelers, they can only do this 24 hours before the flight. Those in higher classes or with frequent flyer status can sometimes do better.

But United’s new move could backfire if it attracts customers and forces competitors to follow suit.

Airlines are increasingly charging passengers to pay for a specific seat on a plane.

The new automatic seat swap feature was rolled out to select passengers for testing on March 22.

This week, its deployment is becoming widespread.

United hopes the free service will encourage flyers to use the app more. Around 3 million people use it every day.

In 2021, United rolled out more basic functionality in the app to help people move from a middle seat to an aisle or window seat.

But rather than making the change automatically, the app sent travelers a notification to their smartphone.

Customers then had to go into the app and make the change. If they missed the notification or were unable to make the change at that time, the seat could have been occupied by another passenger.

Under the new system, the app will allow travelers to express their preference for exit rows and front row seats.

According to The Points Guy, the move makes United the first and only U.S. airline to offer a seat preference feature.

Frequent flyer programs remain popular despite complaints that the value of miles and points declines over time because airlines increase requirements to redeem them for flights.

In March, United announced it was now allowing people to pool and share their frequent flyer points with family and friends. This is a first for a major airline.

A “pool leader” can recruit up to four other people to create a joint account in their MileagePlus program.

The group leader must be over 18, but there is no minimum age for others, so parents can register their children.

However, all pool members must have their own United frequent flyer account.