An app that monetizes the aisle or window seat?

Aisle Seat Musings...

I’m not in a middle seat as I write this (which should be obvious because I wouldn’t be able to type) but the 6'2" guy beside me is. He looks decidedly miserable and uncomfortable in the sort of way that a grizzly bear might look if he showed up on the beaches of Cancun. This man doesn't belong here in this narrow, shoulder-crunching middle seat. It's not hard to be sympathetic....I've flown in the middle enough times to know that it hurts - physically and emotionally. I feel for the guy and I'd consider switching except that I really can't stand the lack of room, eroded personal space and general discomfort that comes with the middle seat. Plus I am also 6'2" and it's been a long week on the road.

As I (briefly) thought about switching with this poor bloke, I pondered what it might take to get me to move. And then that got me thinking about what I might be willing to pay if I somehow landed in a middle seat, on the way home after a long business trip. So I came upon this idea, hidden behind a simple question...is there an economy for airline seats? What if you could create a market where aisle and window seats were auctioned off to the highest bidder, all within a seamless experience delivered through an app?

For example….

Business guy gets to airport. He’s flying home on a Friday night and, because he was out entertaining clients the night before, he neglected to check himself in 24 hours prior. He now discovers that he is destined for 18B and scans the crowd of passengers getting fidgety at the gate (Zone 5 already has people lined up like it's a 100m dash at the Olympics). It’s a full flight….surely he won't be able to avoid being wedged between two people for the 5-hour journey home. It’s been a long day and, frankly a long trip. He logs onto this fictitious app (let’s call it “SeatSwap”) and enters his travel date, airline and flight number. He notices that there are two people on the flight that have put their aisle seats up for grabs. They will gladly exchange their aisle seat to the highest bidder. One is starting the bidding at $30 and the other wants $50. With a few quick taps, he pays the $30 and instantly the seats (and boarding passes) for both travellers are updated. Presto! Now he has an aisle seat.

To dissuade people from controlling the aisle and window seats to generate an income, the $30 exchanged is not actually cash; it’s charity money. Our traveller’s $30 is not going into the pocket of the acquiescing person now seated in 18B. No, instead the money is going into a charity of that person’s choice. They have chosen to take the 5-hour flight in the middle seat in exchange for $30 to be added to a benevolent project or cause that means something to them. The business traveller wins, the generous person who swaps wins, the charity wins. It's a win-win-win. Perhaps this is just a whimsical idea for now, but I wonder which airline would have the capacity/enthusiasm to get this idea off the ground?

Middle seats are rubbish. They are certainly NOT designed for the business traveller. I hate the middle seat which is why I love working at Corporate Traveller. We have a policy where we do everything possible to keep people out of the middle seat. Check it out here.

#aisleseatlife

Anyway, back to the app….what are the pros and cons of this idea? And of course, if the app existed, what would you pay to dodge the middle seat on a 5-hour flight home?