I take seat selection fees as a personal affront. If I’m traveling on an economy ticket on an airline for which I don’t have status, it bugs me to have to pay extra to choose my seat.

I take seat selection fees as a personal affront. If I’m traveling on an economy ticket on an airline where I don’t have status, it bugs me to have to pay extra to choose my seat. But that’s ...

She reluctantly forked over $30 for an aisle seat. Shelton said the seat assignment fees are usually not worth the extra money and feel like an airline money grab. Need a break?

Pay for it. If you can afford a seat in economy "comfort" or "plus" — which gives you about the same amount of seat pitch as economy class a few decades ago — then experts recommend that you do.