How to swap plane seats: New app Seateroo allows passengers to bid for other people's seats

Spending hours squeezed into an economy class cabin is nobody's idea of a good time. It's even worse when you've drawn the short straw and find yourself in the middle seat, too close to a malodourous lavatory or sat beside a chatterbox.

But help is at hand. A new app – Seateroo – launching in January, promises an escape route. Travellers will be able to use the app to track down someone else on board willing to give up their superior seat for financial compensation.

The two parties will be able to discuss the swap using the free app, even before they board the plane, and reach an agreement over the fee. The minimum price is set at $5 ($A7), with the company, based in California, taking a 15 per cent cut.

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It's a novel idea that could benefit many. Families who are late to check in can ensure they sit next to one another. Those in a hurry to make a connecting flight could target a seat at the front of the plane, so they can disembark more quickly.

But there will inevitably be drawbacks. The chances of two people on board both possessing the app is likely to be slim, particularly as it will not launch globally - just in the US. Airline staff, meanwhile, reserve the right to prevent two travellers from trading seats, and Seateroo discourages unauthorised swaps if one of the passengers is sat in an emergency row.

According to the company's research, 27 per cent of Americans have expressed interest in the app - and would be willing to pay up $24 ($A34) for a better seat on a short-haul flight and $34 ($A48) on longer journeys.

The Telegraph, London

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