“Bandits” is a strong word, but it’s not uncommon to hear about passengers secretly sneaking their way into empty premium economy. Most times they make their move after takeoff when the flight attendants are busy, hoping not to get noticed. They do.
Unlike true Premium Economy cabins, many U.S. carriers offer the same economy class seats with extra legroom (and sometimes a few other perks) on its domestic rooms for an additional fee.
When it comes specifically to Hawaiian Airlines, a one-way trip from the U.S. mainland west coast to cities in the Hawaiian chain may cost as little as $125. However their ‘Extra Comfort’ seats can run as much as $90, which in this case almost doubles the cost of the overall ticket.
Regular customers sitting in Extra Comfort seats not assigned to them means lost revenue, and it seems the crew members are now checking to make sure no one takes advantage of this situation.
According to Beat of Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines has started implementing a number of measures including placing printed signs on empty Extra Comfort seats saying “The seat is reserved for Extra Comfort guests only.”
Cabin crew members also open the tray tables to “block” these seats, making it more obvious if someone tries to sit in somewhere not assigned to them.
However, Hawaiian is giving customers every opportunity to “upgrade” as they will allow you to purchase Extra Comfort seats on board. Unfortunately it’s hard to say what these prices are as they vary depending on availability and on the length of the flight.
My take
From a dollars and cents point of view, I see no wrong with this policy given that Hawaiian has not made a profit since the start of the pandemic. It is important that they cap as many revenue leakages as possible as they are running a business, not a charity.
From a customer perspective, it would be hypocritical if the airline charged some people (or allowed them an upgrade if they have status), only to let someone else from regular economy sit in Extra Comfort at no additional cost.
Hawaiian isn’t the first to do this either as United also actively cracks down on those trying to take advantage of open extra-legroom seats.
