The correct response is Guten Tag Lufthansa!
According to Airliners.de (Google Translation here) and SZ-Online (Google Translation here), the German carrier will be introducing advanced seating reservations for those on the lowest economy fares, charging an extra €5-15 on short haul segments to €40 per seat on long flights.
No date has been set for implementation yet.
A lot of people (myself included) love assigned seating in advance – the knowledge of a seat that you like is there (or at least – a window seat in my case).
A lot of airlines give them away, whilst some restrict their best seats for their elites, whilst a lot of the lot of the low cost carriers charge and be done with it.
Whilst some carriers have charged for advanced seat assignments before check in for some time (step forward British Airways), it seems Lufthansa wants to monetize those free assignments that they’re currently giving away.
Whilst it’s not surprising me in the least as airlines seem to want to make every penny they can, it does feel… rather cheap.
Not a word I’d use to describe Lufthansa.
Of course, you could wait to play Check-in Roulette to see what seats are avalible… but if you’re a family or a couple, are you willing to play that game… or will you pay for your seat in advanced?
No details were mentioned in the press. But as far as I understand you can still reserve your seat without any charges for longer flights. The new charges will be applicable for short haul flights within Europe, where right now no seat reservation are possible for passengers with Economy tickets.