Until recently, it was standard practice: once a flight was booked, passengers only had to wait until check-in to select their seat for free. However, this practice has increasingly become an exception.
Many airlines, such as United, Lufthansa, Eurowings, and Finnair, now only offer assigned seats. Passengers who prefer to sit elsewhere must pay a fee. Air France and KLM have now followed suit, according to a recent communication to sales partners:
As of 11 February and for travel as of 20 February 2025, Air France and KLM customers traveling on a Light fare ticket in Economy Class can no longer select or change a standard seat for free during check-in. If no seat is selected at a fee during check-in, Air France or KLM will assign a seat at no extra cost. Changing an assigned seat is possible at a fee. Customers traveling together will be seated together as much as possible.
Air France | KLM Business Solutions
The change applies to trips starting from February 20, 2025. It remains unclear what “as of February 11” refers to. Possibly, existing bookings are exempt, and the rule only applies to flights booked from February 11 onward.
Unlike Ryanair, Air France and KLM do not deliberately separate passengers on the same booking. Therefore, families still have a fairly good chance of sitting together. However, it is possible that not enough adjacent seats will be available.
According to the communication, the following groups are not affected by the change:
- Travellers in Economy Standard (with luggage), Standard Plus, or Flex fares
- Flying Blue and Delta SkyMiles status customers (unclear for other SkyTeam frequent flyers)
- Business clients with special contracts
- Travellers with group bookings (10 or more passengers)
Additionally, the change only affects the Economy Light fare. Passengers in premium economy or business class should still be able to select a seat for free at check-in.
Conclusion
Among Europe’s major airlines, Air France and KLM were among the last to still offer some comfort to economy passengers. Even on European flights, meals are provided, seat spacing is at least acceptable, and free seat selection at check-in was still available.
However, even the SkyTeam members aren’t holding back. Benefits are now being gradually phased out. KLM’s seat spacing in new aircraft has shrunk to as little as 71 cm, sandwiches may soon incur a charge, and now free seat selection is being cut. The airlines seem united in making budget flying as uncomfortable as possible—hoping to generate additional revenue.
Source: Air France KLM Business Solutions | via Insideflyer
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange