6

I read WizzAir's seat allocation documentation ("Seating Policy", section "Seat Purchase"):

You have the option to choose and purchase a seat during the flight booking process, or you can add it before or after check-in, up to 3 hours before the scheduled departure time.

and understood it is possible to change your randomly allocated seat up to 3 hours before departure.

If I understood correctly, then I have these questions:

  1. is the price of buying a seat after random allocation the same as if bying a seat before random allocation?

  2. Does the price change over time, e.g. if I leave it too late?

  3. Is it possible to buy a seat (after random allocation) online and not queue at the airport check in?

  4. If I check in at the airport specifically for buying a seat will I have extra costs? e.g. "you did not do an online check in blahblah"

Community
  • 1
bliako
  • 221
  • 1
  • 7
  • 1
    In my opinion, the longer you wait the more it'll cost. Since it's a low-cost carrier, they'll likely increase prices whenever they can. Fewer seats = higher price, and if people are involved (like at airport check-in), expect extra fees. And so on... – Midavalo Apr 21 '25 at 14:29
  • 1
    The type of seats left when you decide to buy might affect the price you have to pay. In general, if you care about where you sit, I would reserve the seat when booking. – Traveller Apr 21 '25 at 14:46
  • 2
    Apart from the price, if you already consider paying for a seat, do not neglect availability: If you book early and choose to pay for a seat, you will with high probability be able to get a window seat / aisle seat / entire row for your family / whatever it is you prefer. The closer to departure, the more people will have booked a seat in the meantime, and the smaller the chance you will get your preferred seat, even if you are willing to pay for it. – Sabine Apr 22 '25 at 14:42
  • @Midavalo, Traveller, Sabine, thank you for the insights. – bliako Apr 26 '25 at 09:40

1 Answers1

6

Wizz Air's fee table show seat fee to be €4.00 – €60.00, i.e. it depends a lot on route, seat, and potentially timing of booking. I'm not entirely sure about Whizz Air but chances are they deploy "dynamic pricing" i.e. they adjust the price over time based on supply and demand.

Many budget carriers will assign you the worst available seat at check-in to incentivize you to pay for a better one. The cost of that seat will depend on what they perceive is the difference between what you have been assigned and what you can pay for and also how full the flight is and how much seats assignments they think they can still sell.

is the price of buying a seat after random allocation the same as if buying a seat before random allocation?

Quite likely. I've certainly seen examples where the fee after check-in was significantly higher that at booking time. You might get lucky, you might not.

Does the price change over time, e.g. if I leave it too late?

It often does.

Is it possible to buy a seat (after random allocation) online and not queue at the airport check-in?

Yes.

If I check-in at the airport specifically for buying a seat will I have extra costs? e.g. "you did not do an online checkin blahblah"

That's very likely. WhizzAir will charge extra for checking in at the airport even if you don't reserve a seat. That's probably the most expensive choice. You should check-in online if any possible.

There are different strategies to optimize around assigned seats. Ironically, if you are planning to NOT pay for a seat, it may be better to wait to the last minute, because by that time all middle seats may already have been assigned to non-paying passengers.

On the other hand: I once got assigned the middle seat in the back row that no one else wanted and so I ended up with the entire row to myself. YMMV.

Hilmar
  • 119,360
  • 8
  • 205
  • 414