Item — HN Reader

True. Restricting which things an airline can charge for or not creates dead-weight loss.

Personally, I like when airlines charge a reasonable amount for seat selection. I get really claustrophobic being on the inside seat, so with airlines that charge for it, I always get an aisle seat which is worth more to me than the money. And then people who don't care at all get a slightly subsidized ticket and sit in the middle/window seat.

1 comments

I agree, right now there are a plethora of upgrades from a base ticket. Things like, checked-baggage, priority boarding, emergency row / extra leg-room, etc.

There were times when I sprung for priority boarding or emergency row seating, and times where I didn't - and in both cases, I appreciated the option. Let people decide if they care enough about extra leg room that they are willing to throw and that extra $30 for the better seat versus not (because if free, EVERYONE would want extra leg room).