Use This Tool to Get Your Preferred Seat on Any Flight

There are several ways to get the best seat on your flight , but if you have a specific seat in mind that isn’t available when you book and you don’t want to keep checking, ExpertFlyer can alert you if and when it opens.

While websites like SeatGuru and aeroLOPA give you additional information (like amount of legroom and limited recline) about airline seats on specific planes, ExpertFlyer is a search tool that will notify you when seats are available . This can be especially handy if you’re currently stuck in a middle seat or separated from a travel companion, or if you simply want to move to a different seat on a flight that seems to have limited seats available.

Although you need to create an account to use ExpertFlyer, the service is free (sort of). The free tier allows you to set up an alert for one location—meaning any seat, window, or aisle becomes available—at a time, although you’ll have to pay $0.99 to receive location-specific notifications. (Note: When we tested this process with a free account, we were only allowed to select and pay for certain seats. According to Help Desk, other options are greyed out when those seat categories are still available for booking, meaning there is no need set an alert.)

The basic subscription ($4.99 per month) includes 250 searches per month and four simultaneous alerts, while the premium account ($9.99 per month or $99.99 per year) allows unlimited searches and also several other alerts regarding flight availability and schedules. With a paid account, you can also search for award tickets and upgrades.

If all you want is notification of your preferred seat on one holiday flight, you probably don’t need to pay for an ExpertFlyer subscription. However, if you travel frequently, care about where you sit, and/or want to be able to see the availability of rewards and upgrades, you probably won’t get much out of a free account.

How to use ExpertFlyer location alerts

To get started, create an account using your name and email address, follow the verification instructions, and sign in. From your dashboard, click the blue “Create Alert ” button (or click “Create New Location Alert” in the left navigation menu). You will be prompted to enter the following information:

• Departure and arrival airports
• Departure date
• Airline
• Flight number
• Cabin class (economy, premium, first, etc.)

On the next screen, you will see a seat map with information about seat availability and location (such as exit rows and wings). To create an alert, enter a title and select any additional search options, such as whether you have preferred status or are willing to pay to move seats, then click Create .

If you want to receive alerts for specific locations, you can do so in the free tier, but you’ll have to pay $0.99. With a paid subscription, you will also have the option to set notifications for exit row seats or two seats together.

If and when your preferred location becomes available, you will be notified by email. Please note that ExpertFlyer cannot actually move your seat for you – when you receive an alert, you will have to contact the airline or reservations service to request the change. You will also only be notified once, after which the service will no longer search for locations that match your alert.

Again, in the free tier, you can only run one alert at a time. To edit or delete current alerts, click View Saved Alerts in the navigation menu.