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Bargain hunters will stop at nothing to bag the cheapest possible flight.

It will therefore come as no surprise that airlines have introduced a new category – albeit an informal one – for their worst seats, known as "last class".

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Passengers who pay the absolute minimum for their plane ticket can expect to find the seats closer together, with extra fees for window seats or for changing flights.

"Last class" seats have been introduced by major airlines to compete with their budget counterparts such as Ryanair and EasyJet.

American Airlines recently said it will offer tickets with "less frills" but at a far cheaper price.

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has a 'basic' economy class ticket, with no refunds or upgrades.

While the term is not official, it is used by those in the aviation industry to refer to seats that are a grade below those in economy class.

Last class seats are likely to be found at the back of the plane, where it is noisier, or by a toilet.

Passengers with these tickets often cannot make changes, get a refund or choose their seats in advance.​


"Last class exists because the airlines are a business," Phil Derner Jr, from industry news site NYCAviation told the Daily Mail.

"The airlines that really need to meet their bottom line in a big way are going to push the limits of what they can get away with.

"Airlines are doing OK at the moment because of the low cost of oil but you have 15 years of downturn in the industry which made them look at their costs and find ways to pass on their costs."

Airlines would always appeal to the "lowest common denominator", Mr Derner said, adding that some seats were "not much more than a park bench".

US airline Frontier was even charging for window seats in last class. Mr Derner said other last-class seats might include those that do not recline.

Last class passengers may be given a number to call if there is a problem with their flight, rather than helped to re-book in person. They could be given completely separate helplines to those who have paid more.

Fees to change last-class tickets can be around £100 ($A209), with add-on fees for checked-in baggage and on-board food.

The Telegraph, London

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