A canny travel expert has just unveiled her clever trick for nabbing the best airplane seats without coughing up extra cash, and its all about playing a little game known as ‘Check in Chicken’. For those bitten by the travel bug, the thrill of adventure may be soured by the prospect of elbow-to-elbow seating in economy.
It’s common to see travellers forking out more to avoid the least desirable spots or to ensure they’re near the conveniences, such as the loos or service trolley. Yet, Chelsea Dickenson, a savvy travel enthusiast who’s notched an impressive 5.5 million TikTok likes, champions her own tactic that bypasses shelling out for premium spots.
She’s convinced airlines purposefully split groups up and assign them the more unattractive seats. As check-in winds down, the nicer spots which often boast extra legroom open up, according to Travel Republic.
Chelsea suggests that those who chance a last-minute check-in might snag top-notch seating options, which include sought-after front-row or extra-legroom seats, reports the Express. She also pointed out that airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air tend to separate companions on purpose while charging for seat selection, resulting in passengers being relegated to bad seats, as per her claim.
On her recent trip with Wizz Air, Chelsea divulged that she waited until around five hours before departure to check in. “I have not checked in yet as essentially what they do is palm off middle seats or the back of the plane in the hope that you will then pay to change your seat,” she explained.
Chelsea suggested that by holding out and not rushing to check in, one might end up snagging a better seat. Nevertheless, Chelsea warned of the dangers of playing this game too close to flight time, as it’s possible to end up with nowhere to sit at all.
“Ultimately, you do not want to be left without a seat,” she emphasised. Taking the gamble, Chelsea delayed her check-in until just a few hours before her flight, only to find that a mere two seats were left unclaimed on the aircraft. Despite the gamble, she managed to score two seats with extra legroom.
“It works but it definitely comes with a small risk,” Chelsea conceded.
She further recommended: “Don’t leave Check in Chicken until the last moment – you need to be checking the seating plan throughout the day and check in when only good seats are left!”
Her strategy quickly became a hot topic among commenters. One replied: “I’ve done this before a few times and it does work! Just a risk though.”
Another jokingly begged “Stop telling everyone,” while a third chimed in, “No don’t wreck this hack I got 29E on Sunday by checking in an hour before it shut.”
Conversely, another passenger shared a contrary experience: “I had the exact opposite experience, checked in the minute the flight opened and they put me in the exit row for free.”
Meanwhile, another traveller joined the conversation, remarking: “Definitely not worth it. I know someone who tried this and was left with no seat and had to wait till the next flight the next day.”