The colloquial saying "no risk, no reward" is resonating with many travelers hoping to reap the benefits of a belated flight check-in to potentially score a better seat assignment at the last minute.
Travel expert Chelsea Dickenson writes about ways to save on various legs of vacations, from how to get hotel upgrades and tips to track luggage. The self-titled "cheap holiday expert" recently shared her airline "check-in chicken" strategy on TikTok -- a strategy that has at times helped to secure extra legroom and since exploded in popularity online.
Less than six hours before a recent flight, Dickenson showed herself checking in to see what seats were still available, and to avoid possibly getting bumped if the airline had overbooked the flight.
@cheapholidayexpert Was this too last minute?! 😰 🛫 Send this to someone who loves to leave checking in a little too late… 🙈 🐔 WHAT IS CHECK IN CHICKEN? 🐔 Check in Chicken is when you leave your online check in for Wizz Air and Ryanair late in the hope that you get allocated a better seat. 💺 WHY DO YOU GET A BETTER SEAT IF YOU L EAVE CHECK IN LATE? 💺 Wizz Air and Ryanair both do three things: 1. They charge for seats 2. They actively split up people travelling together 3. They often place people in 'bad seats' - i.e. middle seats and those away from the exits All of this means that as time ticks on, often the seats that are left available are the 'good seats' - i.e. upfront and extra legroom 🤔 DOES IT ACTUALLY WORK? 🤔 Yep! I actually can't remember the last time I didn't get an extra legroom seat because of doing this!! ⚠️ BUT WHAT'S THE RISK? ⚠️ The small risk - as you have seen in this video - is that you leave check in too late and there's no seats left. This is because airlines can overbook planes due to the chance that a small percentage of passengers won't show up for the flight. Now, technically the airline shouldn't automatically boot off those that were last to check in - they're supposed to ask if anyone is willing to give up their seat first (they get another flight plus compensation so some may well go for it) but often they just stick it on those who have left check in chicken a little too late… 😭 HOW BIG IS THE RISK?! 😭 Wizz Air and Ryanair both have a fairly high average load factor - around 94% - and so planes are often close to full. However, it is true that some passengers don't show up and there are still plenty of flights that aren't completely full. Overall, they wouldn't overbook if they were losing money on the situation - which they would be if it happened often since they'd need to rebook your flight, put you up in accommodation if needed and give you compensation. 💁♀️ MY TOP TIP 💁♀️ 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! 📣 LET ME KNOW… Would you do this?! And has anyone ever been on an overbooked plane?! #wizzair #checkin #overbookedflight ♬ original sound - Cheap Holiday Expert
She told "Good Morning America" that her now-viral strategy has worked 9 out of 10 times on foreign carriers.
"My top tip is that I do not wait until the last possible moment, because I am scared of the flight being overbooked," she said. "Instead, I am checking on it throughout the day and I'll wait until there are just the good seats left and that's my chance to check-in."
As travel expert Katy Nastro explained to "GMA," "The minute you hit purchase on a flight, you are entitled to a seat. However, if you aren't lucky enough to be able to choose for free or are willing to pay for good-seat security, you could end up with the dreaded middle seat."
Check-in chicken "is not a new strategy -- especially for frequent flyers," the Going Travel App spokesperson added. "It's often a tip we impart to travelers who don't want to shell out extra money for a better spot on the plane."
While Dickenson's delayed check-in strategy on a mostly full flight resulted in a coveted exit-row seat, Nastro said "this is certainly not always the case."
"Sometimes, waiting for the final hour results in not better seats but worse seats when all the more premium options get scooped up by those who fall for a last-minute upsell," she said. "Also, as more and more people try to employ this trick, it may become harder to out-chicken the seat map."
Scott Keyes, the founder of Going, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights, explained to "GMA" that in general, "the technology that U.S. airlines use is going to be better than those used by European airlines. And so you probably have a little bit less success at being able to get one of those coveted window or aisle seats by playing check-in chicken" with domestic airlines.
This mostly works for budget airlines, as Dickenson has experienced, and if you're traveling solo. If you're with a group, it can be much harder to try to secure multiple seats together.
"If you are leaving it until the last minute there is a small chance that you will not get assigned a seat," she told "GMA." "If there is overbooking and there are too many passengers there, somebody is going to get bumped to the next flight. It could be you."
As the holiday season travel surge ramps up, Keyes said a version of this strategy could be helpful for savvy travelers to score some last-minute savings.
"I would recommend not just employing check in chicken, but also making sure that you're looking at the seat map in the days leading up to your flight, because you might find a much better deal," he said.
The Points Guy managing editor Clint Henderson recently noted that getting price adjustments on airfare after you've booked is also easier than ever.
"After the pandemic, the airlines have gotten much more liberal about giving you trip credits or refunds," Henderson said. "If you see that price drop, go back to the airline. They'll either give you a trip credit and if they won't, cancel the ticket and rebook."
