Picking Your Seat Early vs Late — Does It Actually Matter?

When I fly low-cost carriers, I almost always try to grab a seat near the front. The reason is simple — I want to get off fast and beat the immigration line. Standing in a 30-minute immigration queue afterwards is way worse than spending a little energy upfront picking a good seat. But at some point, I started getting confused. I'm the kind of person who likes to wrap everything up at once — book the flight and pick the seat in the same sitting. But a few friends of mine wait until the day before to pick a seat.

When I asked why, they said they sometimes get lucky and snag a good seat that way.

Really? Curious, I looked into it, and opinions are genuinely split. One camp says, "Lock it in the moment you book." The other says, "The good seats are all paid anyway, so it doesn't matter when you pick." Since I was on the fence too, I dug in and put together a summary for anyone planning an overseas trip.

First, you need to understand how airlines release seats

From what I've found, airlines don't release all the seats at once. Most people probably know this already, but it happens in stages.

In the early phase, all regular seats become available. But the front rows, exit rows, and some good window seats are separated as paid seats. The ones you can grab for free are mostly the middle-to-rear seats.

24~48 hours before departure (the online check-in window), some unsold paid seats sometimes get released for free. It's a rare case, but airlines would rather fill seats for free than fly with them empty. Not every airline does this though.

On the day of departure, the airport counter just assigns you whatever's left. Pretty much no choice.

If you're flying low-cost — do this

For people who fly low-cost carriers a lot, like me, it's a different story. With LCCs, almost every seat selection is paid. There's no free selection — if you don't pay, you get auto-assigned at check-in. So the "lock it in early to get a good seat" advice doesn't really apply. Whether you pick early or late, you have to pay to choose, and if you don't pay, it's random.

Personally, depending on the flight length, I'll sometimes pay extra for a front-row seat to be comfortable. For shorter trips like Japan, I sometimes just don't bother and take whatever's assigned.

One more LCC trap. Some carriers release free seat selection 24 hours before check-in. Jin Air and Jeju Air do this. If you hit that window, you can pick a seat without paying — but the good ones go fast, so you need to set an alarm and log in exactly 24 hours out. (Success rate is pretty low, but I still use it when I fly to Japan.)

If you're flying a full-service airline — do this

Full-service carriers (FSCs) like Korean Air, Asiana, and JAL let you pick regular seats for free. But front rows, exit rows, and other premium seats cost extra (usually 30,000~70,000 KRW).

And if you're traveling with others — whether LCC or FSC — picking early is pretty much the right answer. Two or three people sitting together need consecutive seats, and as the flight fills up, those consecutive blocks disappear.

So to sum it up — it depends on your situation

• FSC + traveling with others → pick right after booking
• FSC + solo + care about seat position → pick right after booking
• FSC + solo + any seat is fine → late selection doesn't really matter
• LCC + care about your seat → pay early or hunt for the 24-hour free release
• LCC + any seat is fine → just let it auto-assign

So the conclusion

"Pick early, it's better" is only half true. It really comes down to three things — the type of airline, whether you're with someone, and how much the seat location matters to you. FSC + traveling with others + caring about location, early is the answer. LCC or doesn't matter, late is fine. For someone like me who flies LCC and wants the front row, the answer is one thing: a 24-hour-before-check-in alarm. Not picking early — picking at the right time.

If you've booked a flight and you're agonizing over the seat, I hope this post helps a little. I'll have my alarm set the next time I fly to Japan, going for that front-row seat.