Tricks of the Trade: The Last Minute Seat Change Request

Ramsey Qubein is Travelin' Light's on-the-road correspondent.

Hardly one of my signature moves, but one of my smartest decisions when I travel is to never give up on perfecting my seat assignment. Yes, I said it, "perfecting" my seat assignment.

Okay, so I snagged an excellent window seat near the front or a popular aisle exit row in advance. But, these days with new fees in place for premium seats and tools like seatguru.com giving travelers more informative choices on where to sit, you can hardly risk it.

Say for example, you're on a long-haul Tokyo-New York flight like I was recently. You scour the seat map for days and weeks ahead of time plotting your move like a football coach before the big game. As the players move around on the map and the seat choices fill up, a disheartening feeling can quickly settle in that you will be squeezed between Big Bertha and Pa Kettle for a 13-hour flight.

Or, you can pull this trick of the trade move. As they call for boarding (and with your most polite and gentle demeanor), ask if there is anyone sitting next to you or if there are any seats with open seats next to them. By this time, most people have received their assigned seats. You stand a really good chance of scoring some of the best seats in the house. The agent will remember your friendly smile and do their best not to assign those seats at the last minute to anyone else.

Sure, this doesn't work on a full flight or a busy gate with lots of agents. But, it worked on my Tokyo-New York flight where I scored three seats by a window on which I proceeded to create my own First Class bed for the 13-hour flight.

You would be surprised at how often blocked seats go unassigned or entire rows remain empty until right before the door closes and then only those passengers seating nearby notice them or have a chance to make a run for them. Do your homework in advance and with the agent at the gate to benefit without paying a fortune.