A seat with extra legroom could set you back Dhs500…

When flying economy, do you always try to wrangle a seat that has a little more legroom? Or do you like to sit near the front rows so you can disembark as quickly as possible?

Well, if you’re flying with Emirates, you’ll now pay a lot more for those privileges.

The Dubai-based airline has quietly introduced a swag of seat selection fees in economy that could see additional charges of up to $135 (Dhs496) per passenger, Gulf Business reports.

Emirates first started charging for advanced seat selection last year, but only for passengers travelling on special and saver fares.

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The latest fees apply to “extra value” seats, and vary in price depending on the seat, route and destination.

A “preferred seat” located near the front of the plane will cost between $25 and $80, while a “twin seat” consisting of a row of two seats rather than three (thereby avoiding the dreaded middle seat) will set you back anywhere between $35 and $110.

“Extra legroom” seats will be for sale up to six hours before departure and will cost $55 to $135. Regular seats will cost between $15 and $35 if selected in advance.

There are some exceptions – business and first class bookings and group bookings of 10 or more passengers won’t have to pay to select their seats.

Frequent flyer members in the silver tier will also receive free regular seat selection, while gold members will receive free regular and preferred seat selection, alongside any of their accompanying passengers.

Platinum members and their accompanying passengers will be able to select all seats except the “extra legroom” ones for free.

But unfortunately for most of us, it sounds like you won’t be able to just rock up to the check-in desk and ask nicely for that exit row seat anymore…

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