Ryanair passengers given random seating warning to avoid the worst seats

Ryanair passengers have been given a tip to help them try to avoid the worst seats on the plane. The advice is to use a trick that increases the chances of getting an aisle or window seat, rather than the middle ones, which are typically 'B' and 'E'.

Travel expert and ITV This Morning star, Simon Calder, shared his insight by saying: "Ryanair: if you choose "random seating" with online check-in between 24 and 2 hours before departure, your chances of avoiding a middle seat are increased the later you check in.

"But I have just tested checking in 23h 59m ahead, and I won window seat 14F," he added. Ryanair's website warns customers about the potential downsides of random allocation: "Before continuing with random allocation please be advised: high chance you'll be sitting in the middle seat, you might sit apart from your travel companions and are unlikely to be in the front or back of the aircraft."

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One passenger responded to Mr Calder's advice on Twitter /X, saying: "We're due to fly with them next week. With two children ages 12, and 13, we've always prebooked seats. Taking a risk this time, and going to check in 24hrs before the flight. Just hoping we get to seat the children with us!"

Another frequent flyer, Gary Fowler, shared his experience: "I fly regularly between Prague and Luton with Wizz Air. I book the cheapest fare, under seat bag only, and leave check in until the latest possible moment. 3hrs 5min before flight. I often get the extra legroom seats, or an aisle seat," reports Birmingham Live.

"And then, when you want to buy a seat to avoid 14F, payment fails... You have to go through customer service chat to be able to pay. And even then, last time, I've been unable to do so... I suppose that's to encourage me to buy a seat directly next time and skip the random seating?" another queried.

Another cautioned: "Just don't fly Ryanair. Most times they aren't cheaper anyway, it's a false economy and customer service is non-existent."

Mr Calder chimed in: "The best seat I have ever had on Ryanair was in July 2019, flying from Stansted to Dortmund. I was 186th to check in.

"The boarding pass said: "Assigned at gate". I was given 1A: a free ticket to lots of legroom and, on arrival at the German city, the fastest possible getaway. Yes: it appears you can "game'" checking in with Ryanair to get a better seat. But don't cut it too fine."

Ryanair has recently trumpeted what it says are high customer satisfaction figures. The firm said on its website: "Ryanair reported a strong CSAT [customer satisfaction] of 88%, as we flew 17.3M guests in April. Our friendly crew and easy booking experience continue to rate highly with our customers, with satisfaction scores of 95% and 94% respectively."

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