Air France and KLM Scrap Free Seat Selection, Go Full Ryanair

Air France and KLM will no longer offer free seat selection for passengers travelling on a Light fare and will instead automatically assign seats at check-in, just like Ryanair.

Change in seat selection

Air France and KLM announced the change to their seat selection policy in a news brief to trade partners.

Until now, passengers who bought a Light fare in economy class could pre-assign a seat for a fee, but could choose any available standard seat for free once online check-in opened.

This will soon change, as Air France and KLM passengers with an economy class Light fare will have a seat automatically assigned free of charge during check-in, unless they preselect one for a fee.

An algorithm will determine the exact seat assigned to the passenger on the plane.

If the passenger is unhappy with the seat automatically assigned at check-in, for example if it turns out to be a middle seat, it can still be changed, although this will incur an additional fee.

The French-Dutch airline group announced that the seat selection changes will take effect on 11th February for travel from 20th February 2025.

The seat selection changes apply only to passengers who buy a Light fare ticket in economy class, as those who purchase a more expensive fare will still be able to select their exact seat on the plane for free, either when online check-in opens or even at the time of booking.

klm boeing 737 seat selection free
Passenger boarding a KLM Boeing 737. ©Paliparan

Exceptions

Passengers with status in Air France-KLM’s frequent flyer programme, Flying Blue, are exempt from the changes to seat allocation on economy Light fares and will still be able to select seats for free, as they could before.

This means that Flying Blue Platinum members will still be able to select any seat on the plane — including preferred seating options like up-front seats and those in emergency exit rows — free of charge at the time of booking, regardless whether they buy a Light fare or more expensive ticket.

Flying Blue Gold members will still be able to automatically select any standard seat free of charge at the time of booking, while preferred seats will be available to them free of charge 72 hours before departure regardless of the fare type.

Silver members will also still be able to pre-assign standard seats free of charge, regardless of the fare type, with complimentary preferred seating options becoming available to them 24 hours before departure.

The changes to seat selection on economy Light tickets do not apply to corporate customers (except bluebiz members), passengers travelling in a group booking, or passengers with disabilities.

Although Air France and KLM strive to seat passengers travelling together as much as possible under the new system of automatic seat assignment, this cannot be guaranteed.

air france klm status match flying blue british airways
Air France and KLM planes at Terminal 2F of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport ©Paliparan

Seat selection with other European airlines

Even though the changes to the seat selection procedure are, of course, bad news for customers, they come as no surprise, given that almost all major competitors of Air France and KLM have long since introduced automatic seat assignment on their lowest fares.

This includes British Airways, where a passenger who buys a basic economy ticket can either preselect seats for a fee or have one automatically assigned at check-in free of charge.

Lufthansa, the other big competitor of Air France-KLM within Europe, also has a similar system in place for their economy class Light fares.

When you travel on a Light fare in Lufthansa economy class, you can either preselect a seat for a fee or have one automatically assigned free of charge during online check-in.

lufthansa airbus a320 neo cabin economy class light
The cabin of the Lufthansa Airbus A320-neo. The German flag carrier has already introduced automatic seat assignment on its cheapest economy Light fares. ©Paliparan

Low-cost airlines

The idea of automatic seat assignment at check-in was first pioneered by low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air.

As many passengers fear being assigned the dreaded middle seat or being split from their travel partner during automatic seat assignment at check-in, this has led to a huge increase in income from fees for preselected seats.

European full-service carriers have long lagged behind low-cost airlines in terms of ancillary revenues, so it’s no surprise they are increasingly copying the low-cost airline seat selection process, even though it currently applies only to the cheapest Light fares.

It really means that the line between low-cost and full-service carriers in Europe is becoming increasingly blurred, given that many full-service carriers have also switched to a buy-on-board service or are contemplating doing so.

This includes Air France-KLM, which will begin buy-on-board trials this year on a select number of flights and will then decide whether to roll it out across its entire short- and mid-haul route network.

air france klm free seat assignment selection free airbus a220
Economy class seats on an Air France Airbus A220. ©Paliparan

Conclusion

Air France and KLM will no longer offer free seat selection on their cheapest Light fare in economy class but will instead automatically assign seats at online check-in, similar to low-cost airlines like Ryanair.

If you don’t want to risk being assigned a middle seat or being split from your travel partner, you now essentially have to preselect a seat for a fee.

Frequent flyers in Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue programme will still enjoy free seat selection on economy Light fares, as will corporate customers (except bluebiz members), passengers travelling in a group booking, and passengers with disabilities.

Although the removal of free seat selection on economy class Light fares will undoubtedly disappoint many Air France and KLM passengers, the move comes as no surprise, given that most competitors, such as British Airways and Lufthansa, have already introduced similar measures.

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Koen

Koen works as a freelance journalist covering south-eastern Europe and is the founding father and editor-in-chief of Paliparan. As a contributor to some major Fleet Street newspapers and some lesser known publications in the Balkans, he travels thousands of miles each year for work as well as on his personal holidays. Whether it is horse riding in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, exploring the backstreets of Bogotá, or sipping a glass of moschofilero in a Greek beachside taverna, Koen loves to immerse himself into the local culture, explore new places and eat and drink himself around the world. You can follow Koen on his travels on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. If you enjoyed this travel article and found the information provided useful, please consider supporting us. Although we gladly share all information for free at Paliparan.com, a one-time donation is a great way to help out an independent publisher! You can support Paliparan by buying us a coffee for €5, or by making a donation through PayPal. Thank you for your support!

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