New ‘check-in chicken’ trend that gets you the best plane seats without paying but comes with a risk
A NEW travel hack called “check-in chicken” can get you the best seats on a plane for free – but it comes with a big risk.
The trend has taken the internet by storm, as social media users discuss the savvy trick.
“Check-in chicken” involves flyers waiting until check-in is almost closed until reserving a seat, in the hope of nabbing one with extra legroom or by an emergency exit.
The hack was highlighted by travel influencer and cheap holiday expert Chelsea Dickenson on her TikTok channel.
She claims airlines, which charge to pre-book seats, separate parties travelling together by putting them “in the bad seats” leaving the coveted spots up for grabs.
In a video she said: “Essentially, what they do is they palm off the middle seats or the back of the plane in the hope that you will then pay to change your seat.
“And if you sit tight and wait, you will see that the only ones left are extra legroom seats and the ones at the front of the plane.”
But the “chicken” tactic could leave you without a seat if the flight is overbooked, Chelsea warned.
It’s therefore best not to leave it until the very last minute and keep a close eye on the seats throughout the day, she added.
Leaving check-in until the last minute will also “add stress to your day,” travel expert Adam Duckworth told Fox News.
It’s also difficult to nail the technique and to do it properly requires “regularly monitoring seat maps”, which can be very time consuming.
Adam said: “For many of us, the time is better spent packing and getting everything in order around the house before our travels,
“This trend will suck up a lot of your time, and you should ask yourself, ‘What is my time worth?’ And be very careful, because if you do this wrong and wait too long, you could lose your seat all together.”
This follows the rise of “gate licing” another travel hack which grew in popularity at the end of last year.
The term is one used by air travel workers to describe passengers who crowd around boarding gates before their designated boarding time.
The objective is to be among the first to board the plane and secure bag space in the overhead lockers.
It’s believed the phenomenon became more popular after the pandemic when passengers had heightened travel anxiety.
Similarly, when people see other lining up, they tend to follow suit.
Shira Gabriel, a psychology professor at the University of Buffalo, told told The Washington Post: “People will do any weird thing if they think that’s the way to behave.
“When you see people lining up, getting ready, it makes you feel there’s a benefit for that”.