Qantas Will Let You Pay To Not Have To Sit Next To Someone
There are very few feelings better in this world than the moment you see the plane doors close and realise that nobody is coming to occupy the seat next to you in the cramped economy cabin. It’s a truly glorious experience, but as we know all too well, it’s extremely rare.
But what if I told you that you could pay to lock in this perk, rather than anxiously waiting on the edge of your seat, desperately hoping nobody plants themselves next to you?
Well, Qantas’ new Neighbour Free program offers just that.
The program is currently being trialled on a handful of domestic flights, with no word yet on whether it will be rolled out to international routes.
Prices start from $30 per seat for short flights, with Executive Traveller reporting that a Perth-Brisbane Neighbour Free seat sets you back $60.
The concept isn’t exactly new, with Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyer members enjoying the perk — formerly known as a “shadow” — for free. But now you can pay for the privilege, even if you don’t have the airline status.
Neighbour Free will only be offered on selected flights that have enough remaining seats unsold, with customers receiving an email invitation for the perk up to 48 hours before the flight. You then have up until an hour before boarding to take up the offer, which is handy if you’ve just finished a busy day of meetings or are feeling a little hungover and can’t fathom the idea of being squished in next to someone for your Sydney-Melbourne flight.
It’s unclear how the new program will impact your chances of lucking out and scoring a neighbour-free seat without paying for it.
Qantas does, however, reserve the right to cancel your Neighbour Free booking for “operational, safety or security reasons, even after boarding the aircraft”, but will refund you if this happens.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay for Neighbour Free with your credit card, with travel credits and the recently announced $50 vouchers not being eligible for the offer.
The Neighbour Free perk obviously isn’t for everyone, and will drastically reduce your chance of having a romantic in-flight meet cute with the future love of your life, but the option is a welcome inclusion for anyone who doesn’t want to fight for the arm rest, or just wants a bit of peace and quiet after a busy day.
