Maddie Borge, a savvy travel-lover based in London, was able to try out the hack known as Neighbour Free on a long-haul flight to Australia – and the results were impressive
Have you ever been on a plane, secretly hoping that the rest of your row remains empty so you can stretch out and relax?
The disappointment when someone finally occupies the adjacent seat is all too real. However, there’s a simple hack that might ensure you get an entire row to yourself for the entire flight.
Maddie Borge, a London-based Norwegian social media influencer, recently tried this method, called Neighbour Free, on an overnight flight to Sydney, Australia. She hoped it would allow her to feel more at ease and get some rest.
Maddie shared on TikTok that she opted for the Neighbour Free option while flying with Etihad. She explained: “I bid on the seats next to me on the plane, and if the flight isn’t completely full when I board, I get the whole row to myself.
“It’s essentially like Business Class in Economy. I can lie down, sleep, all that.”
The content creator was thrilled to discover she had successfully secured the seats, meaning she had the entire row to herself. This allowed Maddie to sleep for eight out of the 13.5-hour flight.
When asked about the cost of this upgrade, Maddie revealed in the comments section that she paid an extra £200 for the three seats.
In response to a suggestion that upgrading to Business Class might have been cheaper, she countered: “Business Class upgrade would have cost £1,900++”. Another commenter thought it could cause confusion, with potential passengers mistaking the row for unoccupied seats.
Maddie revealed her clever flight trick, saying: “One guy walked past, and asked if the seat was ‘free’ like an hour into the flight, but I just told him ‘no, it’s taken’ and then he kept walking!”.
Companies such as Etihad, Sri Lankan Airlines, EgyptAir, and Qantas offer a unique Neighbour Free seats service.
For flyers seeking extra room, Qantas explains on their website: “Neighbour Free offers you the opportunity to reserve the seat next to you, so you can enjoy extra space and comfort when travelling in Economy.”
In the details, they mention: “If eligible, you’ll be sent an email invitation to reserve a Neighbour Free seat from 48 hours before your scheduled flight departure.”
The airline also points out: “Neighbour Free can be reserved up to 1 hour before departure for domestic flights and up to 2 hours before departure for international flights.”
However, there is a warning: “Neighbour Free seats are subject to availability and may need to be changed for operational, safety or security reasons, even after boarding the aircraft.”
Those keen on this option are advised to verify its availability on their airline’s official site.
