Choosing seats at checkout
On supported airlines, you can pick your seats during checkout, on a live map of the plane. Any seat costs are added to your trip total, so you pay for them over time, along with the rest of your trip.
Not every airline offers a seat map, and that's okay. You can also add seats after you book. And on airlines without a seat map, our team seats your party together for you.
What you'll see
The seat step is called "Select Your Seats", and it comes right after you choose your fare. It shows the airline's real cabin layout: a row-by-row view of the plane, with the seats that are still available.
- Exit rows and preferred seats appear on the map, along with standard seats.
- Prices for your exact fare. What a seat costs can depend on your fare, so the map shows the prices for the fare you picked.
- Seats included with your fare show as "Free".
How are seat costs paid?
When you pick a seat that has a price, its cost is added to your trip total. That means it becomes part of your payment plan and is paid over time, like the rest of your trip.
You can check this before you book. The Price Breakdown on the checkout page shows a "Seat selection" line with your seat costs. If your seats are included with your fare, that line shows "Free".
Should I choose now or after booking?
Either works. You can add seats any time after you book, whether you're still paying off your trip or it's paid in full. The main difference is how you pay:
| At checkout | After booking | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you choose | The "Select Your Seats" step | Purchase Seats, in your trip's Flight Options |
| How you pay | Seat costs join your trip total | Paid in full, in one card payment, with a small processing fee |
| Paid over time? | Yes, with the rest of your trip | No, it's separate from your payment plan |
So if you'd like seat costs spread across your payments, choose your seats at checkout. One more thing to know: after booking, the live seat map opens only while your trip has no seats assigned yet. Buying seats after you book walks through that option.
Will we sit together?
Sitting together is the default, not something you need to ask for.
- If your fare includes seat selection at no extra cost, you can pick seats together for free. By default on those fares, our team also selects seats for your party: window seats, everyone together, as close to the front of the plane as possible.
- If your airline has no seat map, our team arranges seats for everyone on your booking together, automatically.
Will we be seated together? covers this in more detail.
What if there's no seat step?
Whether you see a seat map depends on the airline, the route and your fare.
- Some airlines don't offer one. There's no live seat map for Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Frontier, Allegiant and Spirit flights. After you book, Purchase Seats on your trip opens a chat with the Defera Concierge, our AI concierge, so you can ask for the seats you'd like.
- Some fares don't include choosing seats. Basic or light fares, such as American's Basic Economy, often don't allow choosing seats in advance. When that's the case, the seat map tells you. It isn't an error: it's the airline's rule for that fare. The airline assigns seats at check-in, or you can ask us to arrange seats with the airline.
Why there's no seat map for my flight explains what to do next.
Something not working?
If the seat step isn't showing when you expected it, or it's doing something you don't understand, chat with the Defera Concierge. It can send a request to our team to look at your checkout, so you get a real answer rather than a guess.