seat assignments app

Seating Simplified: Effortlessly Organize Your Event

Streamline table arrangements, seat assignments, and guest management with our intuitive tool. Be the first to experience the future of event planning. Join the waitlist now!

Revolutionize Seating Arrangements with Visual Mastery

Easy drag & drop.

Effortlessly arrange tables, seats, and guests with a simple drag-and-drop interface. No technical skills required.

Customizable Layouts

Create your unique event layout by choosing from square, round, or half-round tables. Personalize colors and spacing to match your style.

Versatile Building Blocks

Add and arrange various elements such as dance floors, text, icons, images, and more. Flexibility at your fingertips.

Guest Management

Seamlessly arrange and notify your guests via email or SMS. Keep everyone in the loop.

Guest Attendance

Stay updated on who's coming and plan seating and catering accordingly. Ensure every guest is accommodated and make your event memorable for everyone.

Collaborative Event Planning

Easily invite collaborators to join your event, enabling seamless teamwork and efficient event coordination

Export Event

Effortlessly export your event layouts as high-quality PDFs or images, ensuring easy sharing, printing, and archiving.

Event-Specific Templates

Weddings, birthdays, corporate events, these templates offer a perfect foundation for your seating arrangements.

Unlock Your Event's Full Potential

Experience the future of event planning with our intuitive seating arrangement tool. Say goodbye to stress and hello to seamless event organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will it be available, how do i add tables and guests to my event plan, can i design the layout for my event space, what other elements can i include in my seating arrangement, can i collaborate with others on my event plan, is it possible to export the seating chart for printing or sharing, what types of events is this tool suitable for.

Online event seating chart software for building table and seating plans fast

Create accurate event seating plans plus manage guest lists and check-ins with our easy-to-use event seating planner tool, and if you need more than event seating charts and floor plans..., use our event seating plan software tool a la carte or included in the following products:, venue management software.

Perfect for event centers, hotels, restaurants, corporate facilities, non-profit venues and reception halls.

Event Management Software

Perfect for corporate events, meetings, weddings, galas, fundraisers, educational events and more.

4.89 out of 5 stars

See why 20,000+ event professionals rely on our event seating chart software to manage their guests!

"I personally LOVE the floorplan tool because it lets us create amazing, detailed layouts to scale and assign guests to seats." - Tal Orion, Tal Orion Event Management

Create detailed event seating plans in minutes with intuitive, drag-and-drop tools

Quickly lay out tables and chair rows

With tools like auto-format and snap-to grids, you can quickly add multiple rows of tables or chairs to start setting up your spaces. Choose from a variety of table types as well as hundreds of other elements, including furniture, walls/doors, dance floors, stages, trade show booths, audio/visual and lighting.

Manage guest lists and assigned seating

Upload or enter your attendee list into our guest list tool to manage contact details , event RSVPs and meal choices. Then quickly drop attendees onto seats in your layout or auto-seat all attendees at once. View counts for seated attendees/available seats and clearly display guest names plus meal choices and RSVP/VIP status.

Perfect for any kind of event or venue

Our seating chart software lets you set up seating arrangements for any kind of event, including wedding receptions and ceremonies , gala dinners fundraisers , banquets, meetings , corporate events and parties . It’s also a great tool for venues , restaurants , hotels and other event spaces.

Share layouts online + check in guests

Now you can give your staff, clients and vendors access to seating charts for easy online collaboration. Or download and print out full-color PDFs of your seating plans with table seating breakouts plus name badges and equipment lists. And easily process arriving guests with our multi-user guest check-in app .

Save time with templates and customizations

Create room outlines of your space boundaries and then build out reusable templates for your most used event seating setups. Build out your own custom element libraries to save time. Even upload your logo to brand your event floor plan designs.

FYI ... If you're interested in online seating chart apps, you may also like our: Attendee List Manager • Check-In Tool • Event Registration Tool • Event Website Builder • RSVP Manager

Used by 20,000+ event professionals, what's inside our event seating plan software tool, see why more event professionals use our event seating software to build assigned seat and table layouts for weddings, banquets, galas, corporate events, seminars, fundraising events and more., drag-&-drop functionality.

Use our event seating chart software to easily add one or mulitiple elements at a time, plus select and move, edit or delete single or multiple elements.

Alignment Tools

Make sure your floor plan items line up precisely with snap-to grids and vertical/horizontal spacing features to arrange multiple tables or elements at once.

Smart Menus

Need to make changes to multiple elements at once? No problem. Just select elements and then instantly duplicate, rotate, add/remove chairs and change colors or table numbers.

Auto-Layout Feature

When adding tables or chair rows, simply use the "Add Multiple Rows" option to create grids of elements that are precisely spaced to your specifications.

Guest List Manager

Track details for attendees like contact information, RSVP status and meal choices and assign the same list to multiple floor plans if you need multiple seating assignment layouts for the same event.

Assigned Seating Charts

Drop singles or groups of guests onto tables or chair rows and easily move them to different tables/seats. Seat or unseat all attendees with a single click and view attendee details like names and RSVP status in the layout design.

Guest Check-In App

Keep your at-the-door lines short by using our multi-user app to check in guests quickly and efficiently at multiple entrances.

Downloads & Reports

Download and print out PDF files of your event designs with table breakout pages and attendees' names on seats. Export spredsheets for guest lists, equipment lists and name badges.

Viewing / Measurement Options

Easily show and hide attendee information like names, RSVP/VIP status and meal choices. Use imperial or metric measurements based on your regional preferences.

Mobile Compatible

Want to view floorplans and seat assignments on-the-go and show them to vendors and clients? Simply log into your account via your mobile web browser to view your designs on tablets or smartphones.

Templates & Room Boundaries

Build seating chart templates for setups you use repeatedly. Upload room outline files to trace room walls with our boundary tool ... or create your event space walls/boundaries from scratch.

Favorite Element Library

Do you repeatedly use the same standard elements or use custom elements for many designs? Save them in your favorites library so you can easily access these items when building seating charts.

Table & Chair Library

Choose from round tables, half-rounds, rectangular tables, square tables or serpentine tables. Build custom chair configurations and seating capacities, clear spaces, more.

Chair Rows + Other Elements

Implement chair rows as well as furniture, trade show booths, architectural items, A/V, lighting, floors, stages and shapes into your seating plans.

Rulers & Notes

Know exact distances and measurements between items in your seating charts with adjustable rulers. Use custom notes to add clarity to your floor plans.

Permissions & Security

Create user groups to set permissions for different user types. Then invite new users into your account so they can login and collaborate on seating layouts.

Learn more about Planning Pod’s seating chart maker for event planners and venues

Recent post, jeff kear · owner, planning pod, how to select the best event seating chart software for you.

A critical and often underrated component of event planning and management that can have a huge effect on audience engagement is event design and, if you have an event that involves reserved seating, event table layouts and/or seating charts. And although you can sketch out your design ideas on a sheet of paper, to have a truly representational, to-scale rendering of your event layout and seating capacity for distributing to clients, staff, participants, volunteers and vendors, a digital seating chart planner gives you the tools you need to build professional designs that impress and leave no room for error.

With that said, when you are creating event table layouts and seating charts, there are four primary criteria that you should look for when starting to evaluate online seating chart generators.

• Accuracy - You want your seating charts and floor plans to represent what you will get in real-life so that you aren’t cramming too much equipment, tables or chairs into the allotted space. In addition, you want a tool that lets you include as many event details as possible regarding layout elements like different table shapes or architectural characteristics of your room or space, whether you are hosting your event in a banquet hall or concert hall.
• Aesthetics - Because we are usually showing seating chart arrangements and event designs to our team, peers and clients, we want to make a big impression and don’t want them to look slapdash. A full-featured event seating plan software platform lets you precisely and colorfully render everything from detailed wedding seating charts with guest table assignments to galas or corporate events that have designated seating for general admission and VIP audience members.
• Time - We are all pressed for time, and although we want our event seating charts to look professionally designed and be accurate, they shouldn’t take hours to build. The best seating chart makers give you the tools to create highly accurate and aesthetically pleasing designs in a short span of time (usually less than an hour).
• Ease-of-Use - Most popular event floor plan tools offer drag-and-drop functionality so you can simply place elements on the layout or drop attendees onto selected seats (or drag them off seats to remove them). But the best event seating chart software platforms contain features like auto-format for building table layout grids instantly, reusable seating plan templates, libraries of favorite elements and other features that simplify building seating charts. In addition, some table plan software apps are also mobile-friendly and can be used on both computers and mobile devices.

So what should you look for when evaluating such a tool for building the perfect seating plan? Consider these seven attributes.

1. Guest List Management

What comes before adding guests to seats in a layout? Managing contact information for those guests in an organized fashion so your seating plans are detail-rich with items like names, RSVP status and meal choices. Guest list managers can also come with features like at-the-door check-in apps and Excel file downloads. And for wedding planners, there are also handy features like table number labeling for easily identifying at what table each guest is seated; downloadable place cards and escort cards; and separate lists for rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and wedding reception.

2. Registrations and RSVPs

And what comes before a guest list full of rich information? Collecting that information via customizable event websites equipped with event registration / ticketing and RSVP forms that electronically feed that data into your guest list. An added bonus is the ability to collect registration payments and detailed responses to custom questions; the ability to set up multiple ticket types; and even allowing registrants to select their preferred seat.

3. Flexibility of Event Type

Top event seating planner tools allow you to build layouts for any type of event, including wedding seating charts, banquet table setups and seating plans for dinners, banquet style galas, parties, conferences, concerts, classrooms and corporate meetings and events.

4. Adaptable to Any Venue and Space

Do your event spaces typically have unique contours and dimensions? Solid event seating plan software will allow you to easily replicate those dimensions so you can build restaurant seating charts for patrons as well as seating plans for hotel meeting rooms and ballrooms, reception halls, conference centers, wineries and even arena-like layouts for concert halls and theaters.

5. Large Library of Elements

Any seating chart maker worth its weight should offer a variety of table and chair element options (including options for round tables, half-tables and head tables), but the more advanced ones will also offer architectural elements like walls, floors and doors; staging elements like podiums and lighting; A/V elements like amplification systems; and exposition elements like trade show booths and aisles.

6. Virtual Collaboration

This is where Web-based event seating planner apps excel because they have the flexibility to allow others to access to seating charts via the Internet to provide feedback and even create and edit shared designs. This allows an entire team of planners and vendors (like caterers and rental crews) to see designs ahead of time. An added bonus are features that offer 3D walkthroughs to enable users to fully visualize the setup from one or more focal points as well as other integrated event software tools for collaboratively managing budgets, timelines, etc.

7. Customization

If you are seeking to make an impression on vendors or internal / external clients, customizations will help you sell through your ideas. Such features can include customizable colors and fonts as well as background uploads. A timesaving feature to look out for is the ability to create seating chart templates for designs or setups you use repeatedly.

As you can see, the best event seating chart software programs offer a wide variety of features to simplify the process of building seating plans while providing maximum flexibility so you can add many details and integrate with other event management tools that you may need.

Learn more about Planning Pod’s event seating chart software for event planners and venues

Social Tables event seating software is...

Collaborative

Create the perfect visual event seating chart for seamless execution.

Cloud-Based

Seating chart access anywhere with Internet, so clients can access remotely.

Secure cloud storage for your attendees' information. Our event seating priority software even protects your VIPs.

Bring events to life with real data about your attendees to tackle seating with a purpose.

Easy-to-Use

Seating diagram software just got simple! Drag and drop seating lets you complete seating in minutes.

Customizable

Every element of your seating chart can be customized from table colors to chair sizes.

Make setup and communication a breeze with Cvent Event Diagramming

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Wedding Seating Chart

Easily create your floor plan. WeddingWire’s free Seating Chart makes table assignments easy.

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Find the perfect place for everyone on your guest list

It's easy to decide who's sitting where by mapping out your custom floor plan and assigning your guests seats with your WeddingWire Seating Chart.

Add your guests, group them together and visualize where guests will sit at each table.

Manage seating for different events

Manage the seating plan for all your wedding celebration events, not just the reception.

Chart view and list view

Choose which option works best for you!

Accomodate all of your guests

From parents, siblings and cousins to coworkers, college friends and more, easily seat them all with our Seating Chart tool.

Create your floor plan

Add tables, a dance floor, DJ booth and anything else to visually mimic your event layout!

START YOUR FLOOR PLAN

Seat your guests

Automatically sync with your Guest List all you have to do is drag and drop guests into their seats!

ADD YOUR GUEST LIST

Share your Seating Chart

Print, email or export your WeddingWire Seating Chart in a visual or list format to pass along to others.

START TO SHARE

Let's get started

We've got all you need to get it done, and enjoy the journey.

The ultimate wedding checklist to make sure everything gets done.

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Vendor manager

Quickly find, manage, and message your favorite vendors.

Manage Vendors

Your wedding website

Easily create a custom wedding website to share with your guests.

Create Wedding Website

Let us run the numbers and keep your spending on track.

Review Wedding Budget

Seamlessly manage your guest list and RSVPs for all of your wedding events.

Update Guest List

Get started

Deciding who’s going to sit where can be overwhelming, but our wedding Seating Chart tool makes it easy. We’ll help you set up a floor plan, seat your guests and share the chart with your VIPs.

Stage the venue

Foam boards and thumbtacks won’t be needed. With our wedding guest seating tool, you can drag and drop tables to mimic your reception layout. This will help you visualize where the tables will be, and where guests will sit at each table.

Create the seating plan

How do you make sure all your guests have seats? Our Seating Chart tool lets you sync your Guest List with the floor plan. Watch your seating arrangements take shape by placing everyone in the seat of your choice.

Spread the word

Lots of people will want to glance at your wedding guest seating plan. Easily print, export or email everything to your partner, planner, venue, or anyone else who may need it. They’ll have it in their hands in a few clicks.

Plan on the go with the WeddingWire app

From venue tours to cake testing, take the WeddingWire app with you wherever you go.

I have used WeddingWire for just about everything for our wedding. I made our website have start working on the seating plan, used the to do list, found vendors, and a lot more!

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Wedding Seating Chart questions, answered

Is your wedding seating chart tool free.

Yes, the WeddingWire Seating Chart tool is totally free! It also integrates with your Guest List so it's easy for you to pull in everyone who is planning to attend and place them into your custom floorplan. You can even export or print it to share with your vendors.

How do you create a Seating Chart for a wedding?

It's a good idea to group wedding guests based on what you think they'll enjoy the most during your reception! For some people, that's sitting by family or friend groups, while for others it's pairing people together who may not have met before but have a lot in common. Our Seating Chart tool is easy to use to create a custom floor plan based on your venue size and layout. You can import guests from your list or add them individually.

Is a Seating Chart necessary for a wedding?

A Seating Chart isn't required, however it is incredibly helpful in making sure you are able to provide clear direction to your wedding guests and ensure everyone has a seat at your wedding reception.

How do you make a Seating Chart?

Our Seating Chart tool makes it simple! You can create your layout digitally with circular or square tables, the right number of seats, and even custom areas for the bar(s), dance floor, and more. Then, drag/drop your guests to be placed at each table and customize until you are satisfied. Finally, easily export or print to share with your wedding planner and venue!

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The Delta Seat Selection Guide

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Table of Contents

How Delta seat selection works

Delta seat selection fee, ticket types and seat selection rules, delta air lines seats for elite members, delta plane seating chart, how to pick seats on delta, final thoughts on selecting a seat on delta air lines.

Booking a Delta Air Lines flight and wondering about Delta’s seat selection? It’s no wonder — with differing benefits for elite members and strict restrictions on basic economy tickets, figuring out how and when to choose your Delta seat can quickly become overwhelming.

Here's a look at Delta seat assignments, how Delta Air Lines’ seating system works and the costs of choosing a seat.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards

Delta operates a variety of cabin classes on its aircraft, including economy, Premium Select, first class and Delta One seats.

Like most airlines, Delta will allow you to select your seat when booking, though the cost to do so and any upcharges will vary depending on the flight you’re taking. Those flying with families and wondering “does Delta seat families together?” are in luck. Delta does its best to seat families together, even after check-in.

» Learn more: Delta vs. United, which is best for you?

According to an analysis of airline fees by NerdWallet, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines charge the least for seat selection, while budget airlines Frontier and Spirit charge the most.

Delta sits in the middle, charging an average of $15-plus for each flight that you'd like to select a seat for. The cost will vary depending on the type of ticket you book with the airline — which we'll discuss next.

» Learn more: How to navigate costly airline seat selection fees

How much is seat selection on Delta Air Lines? That will depend on the ticket type you’re purchasing, be it basic economy, main cabin, Premium Select (premium economy), first class or Delta One.

Basic economy

Basic economy tickets have the most restrictions of any Delta ticket, and this extends to seat selection. Those who book basic economy tickets won't be able to select seats; instead, a seat will be randomly assigned to each passenger after check-in. This includes families and groups who are traveling together — expect to be split up when booking a basic economy ticket.

If you reserve a basic economy ticket, it’s possible to purchase a specific seat starting seven days before departure. Pricing for this varies by trip and is priced by segment.

Main cabin seating, also known as regular economy, includes complimentary seat selection. As a main cabin customer, you also have the option to purchase an upgrade to preferred or Delta Comfort Plus seats while remaining an economy class passenger.

You can also book upgraded economy tickets with additional seat selection perks:

Main Cabin Preferred: Main Cabin Preferred seats are functionally the same as regular main cabin seats. The difference lies in the seat location; Main Cabin Preferred seats are typically window and aisle seats nearer to the front of the plane, plus exit rows. These are the least expensive upgrades from standard economy seating.

Comfort Plus: When available, a Delta Comfort Plus ticket can be purchased directly while booking and the price will include seat selection. The cost to upgrade is higher than for a preferred seat in main cabin. Comfort Plus features more legroom than main cabin and offers passengers dedicated overhead bins. In addition, Comfort Plus guests will receive complimentary beer and wine on all domestic and short-haul international flights.

Main cabin passengers can also choose to upgrade to a Comfort Plus seat either before or after purchasing their ticket.

Premium Select

Premium Select is Delta’s version of premium economy, with larger seats and better recline, two free checked bags, earlier boarding and premium extras. Those who book Premium Select can choose any seat within the cabin for no additional fee.

Delta One and first class

Both first class and Delta One ticket holders can choose any seat within their cabin for free. These spacious seats come with two free checked bags, premium snacks and meals, priority boarding, and a dedicated flight attendant.

GET MORE MILES, MORE BENEFITS WITH A DELTA CARD

Regardless of where you sit once you're on the plane, a Delta-branded credit card can make your trip go a little smoother. Most include free checked bags and priority boarding, and some really stack up the perks. Among options:

on American Express' website

$0 intro for the first year, then $150 .

• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.

• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.

Terms apply.

• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on hotel purchases.

• 2 miles per $1 at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).

• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.

• 1 mile per $1 on other eligible purchases.

• No foreign transaction fees.

• First checked bag free.

• Priority boarding.

• Companion certificate (main cabin).

• Airport lounge access.

• Companion certificate ((first class, Delta Comfort+ or main cabin).

• Credit for application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card , see this page .

Those who have joined the Delta SkyMiles program and earned Medallion elite status will receive seating benefits on their flights.

Main Cabin Preferred

When booking main cabin tickets, all four tiers of elite status members can select main cabin preferred seats for no additional charge.

» Learn more: The NerdWallet guide to earning Delta SkyMiles

Comfort Plus

Platinum and Diamond level elite members (the two highest tiers) can choose Comfort Plus seats shortly after ticketing for free. Mid-tier Gold members, meanwhile, will be able to select these seats starting 72 hours prior to departure, and low-level Silver members can pick from available Comfort Plus seats starting 24 hours before departure.

Delta elite members will also receive upgrades on select first class and Delta One flights depending on their elite status.

You can find Delta Air Lines seating without needing to book a flight. To do so, you’ll want to first search for your preferred route on Delta’s website. On the search results page, you’ll find a variety of flights from which to choose.

Each flight presents a seat map, which you can preview by selecting "Seats."

Once you’ve picked "Seats," you’ll be taken to a new page that shows a live preview of your aircraft’s seats.

You’ll also be able to view the seat map during the booking process. Once you’ve selected your flight, you’ll be taken to another page prompting you to pick a seat.

How do I choose my seat on Delta?

During booking

The process for reserving a Delta seat is fairly simple. As we mentioned above, you’ll be able to pick seats when booking your flights on the website; Delta will automatically prompt you to do so before checkout.

You may not be able to select seats on codeshare flights, which are operated by Delta’s partners . In this case, you’ll want to go directly to the other airlines’ webpage to manage your seat selection.

After booking

If you need to choose or alter your seat after you’ve booked your flight, go to "My Trips" on the Delta homepage.

If you’re logged in already, you’ll be able to view all the trips you have booked with Delta. You’ll find seat selection options by going down to the "Passenger Information" section.

» Learn more: 6 ways to save on Delta flights

Delta has a variety of ticketing options available for every type of passenger. This includes the highly restrictive basic economy class ticket as well as main cabin tickets for those who prefer certainty with their seats.

Upgrading to Main Cabin Preferred and Comfort Plus seats offers better benefits for those in economy. Loyal members of Delta’s SkyMiles program can also expect to receive complimentary access to these seats and upgrades to higher classes depending on their level of status.

Photo courtesy of Delta Air Lines.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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Other Seat Information

With Basic Economy please remember refunds and upgrades are not available at any time. Basic Economy is best for those traveling by themselves with firm travel plans. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the restrictions so you know if Basic Economy is right for you.

• No seat(s) assigned until after check-in, not together
• No changes allowed*
• Cancelable for partial eCredit in most cases (cancellation fee applies)**
• Last to board & not eligible for upgrades
• No miles earned; no credit toward SkyMiles Medallion Status***

*Ticket changes or refunds not allowed after the Risk-Free Cancellation period. **For tickets issued for travel originating in Korea, tickets will be refunded to the original form of payment after deducting the cancellation fee. Check your ticket along with the Baggage & Travel Fees page to view any fees that apply to Basic Economy tickets. Tickets issued for travel originating in Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa cannot be canceled.

***Not eligible for MQD earn, paid or complimentary access or upgrades to premium seats, including to Delta Comfort+® or Preferred Seats; and no paid access to Priority Boarding.

If you are unable to sit in your seat without encroaching into the seat next to you while the armrest is down, please ask the agent if they can reseat you next to an empty seat. You might also consider purchasing an upgrade to First Class/Delta One®.

If you would like to book an additional seat in order to ensure your comfort during your travel, please click the " Message Us " button on the Need Help page for assistance.

Preferred Seats include:

• Exit row seats
• Bulkhead window and aisle seats
• Window and aisle seats in the front of Main Cabin

These seats are available to eligible customers on Delta and Delta Connection aircraft. Preferred Seats are available for purchase up until the check-in window closes on most Delta operated flights. Keep in mind that Preferred seats are non-changeable, non-refundable and cannot be transferred to a new flight or itinerary. In the event of a cancellation, you may receive an eCredit for the value of your Preferred Seat if you cancel your flight before the 24-hour check-in window opens.*

Basic Economy: Customers who purchase Basic Economy tickets are not eligible to purchase Preferred Seats.

Medallion Members: Members are eligible for Complimentary Upgrades to Preferred Seats upon request and subject to availability.

SkyMiles Members: Earn miles, including Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) toward Medallion Status with the SkyMiles Program, for Preferred Seat purchases.

*Applies to Delta-operated flights canceled prior to the 24-hour check in window only.

Using the My Trips seat map or the offers presented on the Trip Details page, you can select a seat and pay to upgrade your trip to Delta One®, Delta Premium Select, First Class or Delta Comfort+® on eligible flights within the U.S. and Canada, from the U.S. to international destinations and on most exit-international flights to the U.S. after purchasing a ticket.*

Paid upgrade seats are: 

• Typically changeable and refundable, depending on the fare rules of the original booked ticket
• Not eligible to be transferred to a new flight or itinerary
• Unavailable for purchase once the check-in window for the flight has closed

If you need to cancel, you may receive an eCredit for the value of your paid upgrade if you cancel your flight before the 24-hour check-in window opens.**

In some cases, customers with Special Service Requests (SSR) on their reservation are not eligible for post-purchase upgrades such as exit row seating, to ensure they are assigned to a seat that meets the needs of their request.

*Excludes tickets booked in Basic Economy. **Applies to Delta-operated flights canceled prior to the 24-hour check in window only.

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Cool new United feature notifies you if your preferred seat becomes available

United Airlines' mobile app has long been one of the best in the industry, and it's getting even more useful with this new feature.

Beginning Friday, March 22, travelers will be able to sign up for seat notifications and get automatically moved if their preferred seat is not available at the time of booking, as confirmed by a United spokesperson.

When booking (or managing) a flight on the mobile app, you'll be able to request your desired seat while browsing the seat map.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter .

For instance, if you're booking just a few days before departure and only middle seats are left, you can set an alert to be automatically moved to a window or aisle seat if one becomes available.

The app will also allow you to opt into notifications for exit rows and bulkhead (first-row) seats. If your desired seat choice becomes available, the app will automatically reassign your seat and notify you that it processed the seat change.

For example, if you set a seat preference alert three days before your flight, United will start monitoring for your preference, and if it becomes available up to 12 hours before departure and you're next in line, the airline will automatically move you to a new seat and send you a notification about it.

United didn't share how frequently it will check the seat map on your behalf.

Related: Touring United's renovated Chicago headquarters in the Willis Tower

This new app feature will begin rolling out on Friday to a small group of customers, followed in the weeks ahead by a broader rollout to additional flyers. United didn't share which travelers would be in the first tranche of eligible users, but we'll update this story with some firsthand experiences when we get our hands on the feature.

For United travelers, this is a nifty new (and free) service that should incentivize more downloads and engagement with the app. United says that 3 million flyers use its app on a daily basis.

It's also the latest feature that United has debuted to simplify the digital travel experience, building on initiatives such as Live Activities on the latest iPhone devices and a new all-in-one rebooking center for delays and cancellations .

As part of the news, United has become the first and only U.S. airline to offer a seat preference feature.

For those booking tickets on other airlines, there are several third-party tools that can monitor your seat assignment and notify you if better seats become available. This includes ExpertFlyer , which allows you to set seat alerts on most major airlines and sends email and text notifications when seats open up. (ExpertFlyer is owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures.)

Related reading:

• Your ultimate guide to the United MileagePlus program
• Best United Airlines credit cards
• United Premier status: What it is and how to earn it
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• How to survive basic economy on United Airlines

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5 Free Digital Wedding Seating Chart Templates to Simplify Planning

Organize your reception with these free resources.

Photo by KT Merry

Between wrangling late RSVPs, finalizing your wedding-day timeline , and planning for any remaining wedding vendor payments, the final weeks counting down to your wedding date can feel like an obstacle course at times. One of the most important tasks to complete during this time is finalizing your guest list and composing your wedding reception seating chart . Trust us when we say this is one task you do not want to put off; after all, it usually takes a few tries to get the right mix of guests seated together. Following a wedding seating chart template is one of the best ways to simplify the process of getting your lists organized.

When working on your seating chart template, you'll be mixing friends from different social circles, immediate and extended family members from both of your families, and other guests that don't necessarily fit neatly into a category, such as close family friends and work colleagues. Some of your guests will be single, while others are coupled up or married. It's important to consider the potential for family tensions or drama, such as where to seat divorced parents , as well as where people are at the stages in their lives—seating newlyweds with a single friend who recently went through a major breakup might not be such a great match.

The bottom line is, of course , you want everyone to have an amazing time at your wedding day celebrations, and your reception layout is a big part of that equation. With so much riding on the outcome, we totally understand how working on your wedding seating chart template can be more than just a little nerve-racking.

Before you begin a wall full of color-coded Post-it Note chaos, know that there are some pretty fantastic and free digital seating chart tools out there that can help you streamline the process. These can allow you to move guests around from table to table with ease, and even design the space you're working with digitally based on specs from your venue. These digital wedding seating chart template options produce easily sharable results, ensuring everyone from your venue and vendors to key family members are on the same page.

Wedding planner Annie Lee advises couples to take into mind a few tips before working on their wedding seating chart templates. First, get a spreadsheet organized that you can work from. "When you put your guest list in a spreadsheet always put the first and last name in separate columns," she recommends. "When you have to alphabetize this list later and you have the entire extended Maguire family in attendance, you'll be so glad it's sortable."

Meet the Expert

Annie Lee is the principal planner of  Daughter of Design  and founder of  Plannie.com .

Lee also shares to remember the two most important guests on the list. "Don't forget to include yourselves," she says. "Couples always forget to add their names to the seating chart!" When you're finished, she advises to check your work. "Once your seating chart is complete, I always suggest making sure if you have 214 RSVPs that there are 214 seats assigned," Lee explains. "Can't tell you how many times two to three people were left off somehow!"

Ready to get started? Ahead, see five of our favorite digital wedding seating chart templates that won't require even a single cent of your wedding budget .

WeddingWire

By using the drag-and-drop seating chart tool offered by WeddingWire , you can customize a seating plan and choose table shapes, as well as keep track of your RSVPs, all in one place. Plus, the site allows you to easily share your fancy new digital wedding seating chart template once it's complete. You can print, export, or email your floor plan to your venue (as well as your parents) so everyone is looped in on the arrangement. You can also find this tool in an app version for download in both the App Store and Google Play .

Wedding Planning Assistant

Courtesy of Wedding Planning Assistant

Want to properly visualize your wedding? Wedding Planning Assistant has a free seating chart tool that can help you plot out your seating chart within your reception layout. We love how you can easily customize the chart and gage where guests are relative to other tables and the dance floor.

When professional event planners, caterers, and other vendors will pay to use an online resource to draft seating charts for their events, you know it's a good one. Fortunately, AllSeated offers couples complimentary access to its online suite of tools, which includes a library of venues around the country. It's possible your actual venue is already available in their catalog, scaled to size and ready to go. All you need to do is import your guest list from Excel and assign tables based on your to-scale floor plan.

This tool can seem a little bit overwhelming at first, with countless options to choose from for table sizes and other additions to the room, but once you sit down and dive in, you'll find that it's easy enough to navigate to build the perfect seating chart. Once you've completed the seating plan for your reception, you can also utilize this tool for other wedding-related events such as your rehearsal dinner and day-after brunch using the same master list.

While Zola's seating chart tool isn't as robust as those offering the ability to click and drag tables, it certainly will help set you up for success. You'll need a free Zola account to start setting up your seating chart, but once you're all logged in, planning will be a breeze. Add in the number of tables you're planning and assign guests to each table. The tool will visually display them based on RSVPs, allowing you to filter out certain groups. Once your list is complete, you can download the finished chart in an Excel spreadsheet for easy access.

Style Me Pretty

For those of you that prefer working with a spreadsheet, Style Me Pretty has shared an excellent, color-coded seating chart template that you can save to Google Drive. It doesn't have drag and drop functionality, but it's extremely simple to use—especially for those who love Excel and Google Sheets.

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Watch CBS News

How airline "drip pricing" can disguise the true cost of flying

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Alain Sherter

Updated on: April 24, 2024 / 2:47 PM EDT / CBS News

With many airlines now hawking "unbundled" fares, it's easy for travelers to mistake low advertised prices for cheap plane tickets . But for consumers eager to get the best deal on flights heading into the summer travel season, it pays to learn how "drip pricing" can make airfare more expensive.

Indeed, selecting the cheapest base fare is no longer the best way to get a good deal, according to travel experts. That's because airlines now routinely charge more money for "extras" such as seat assignments,  checked bags , snacks or wifi. 

"Nobody likes feeling nickel-and-dimed, like the price they saw for a flight was a bait and switch," Scott Keyes, founder and CEO of travel site Going.com, told CBS MoneyWatch.

Here's what to consider. At first glance, the initial pricing for a flight you find on an online travel site might seem temptingly low. But after factoring in the cost of selecting your seat, checking bags and other add-ons, the fare can end up being much higher — as much or more than an all-inclusive fare.

This model, commonly referred to as drip pricing, can certainly boost an airline's revenue, and proponents say it benefits consumers by allowing them to pay only for the perks they truly value. For their part, critics say it makes it harder to determine the true cost of flying and to compare prices among airlines.

Keyes traces drip pricing back to 2008, when airlines began charging passengers to check second bags. That allowed full-service carriers to offer a lower-cost, no-frills ticket in order to compete with budget carriers.

"That lower headline price brought people in — then they started adding seat-selection fees," Keyes said. "It's an innovation from the budget airlines that the entire industry has copied and that full-service airlines have adopted for themselves."

"It makes it very difficult"

For consumers, however, the problem with unbundling fares is it makes it trickier to compare what different airlines charge for tickets, experts told CBS MoneyWatch. 

"It makes it very difficult to find out what the all-in price will be," said Columbia Business School marketing professor Vicki Morwitz, who authored a  report on how consumers react to drip pricing.

Her research shows that consumers tend to book the ticket option that looks cheaper upfront, but costs more once add-ons are factored in.  "Consumers make a mistake and spend more money than they needed to spend," she explained. 

Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks, a consultancy that has advised U.S. airlines, agrees that drip pricing makes comparing airline ticket prices more complicated. But he still thinks it can benefit consumers by letting them pay for the extras they want, while leaving behind those that aren't important to them. 

"The outcome is of course that it's more difficult to compare between different products and airlines," he said. "While that's true, airlines, as profit-seeking companies, are under no obligation to make it easier to compare with their competitors."

Sorensen compared the experience of booking airfare today to shopping for groceries.

"You roll in with your shopping cart, and as you walk through the aisles you toss stuff in your cart," he said. "You buy a base fare, and as you go through the booking path you add things to the cart, like a checked bag, seat assignment, or pay to book a meal or other services," he said. "That's dramatically different from the way travel was once sold in U.S."

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Open seating no more? Southwest CEO says airline is weighing cabin changes

Southwest Airlines  is considering changes to its single-class, open-seating cabins to drive up revenue, CEO Bob Jordan told CNBC on Thursday, a shift that could be among the largest in the airline’s history.

“We’re looking into new initiatives, things like the way we seat and board our aircraft,” Jordan said in an interview after the carrier’s  disappointing first-quarter report.

Southwest’s all- Boeing  737 fleet has a single economy class cabin and no seating assignments, though it does offer earlier boarding for a fee so customers can snag their preferred seats. The airline has focused on keeping its product simple and user-friendly for years, aiming to keep its own costs and complexity to a minimum.

Meanwhile, rivals including  Delta  and  United  have touted high revenue growth for premium seating such as business class and  strong upsell rates .

Analysts have repeatedly asked Southwest about opportunities for premium seating or additional fees. (The airline doesn’t charge travelers for their first two checked bags.)

Most U.S. airlines charge travelers to choose many of its seats in advance, even those that don’t come with extra legroom. Eight U.S. carriers —  Alaska ,  Allegiant ,  American , Delta,  Frontier ,  JetBlue ,  Spirit  and United — together brought in $4.2 billion from seating fees in their domestic networks in 2022, according to Jay Sorensen, an airline ancillary revenue expert at IdeaWorksCompany.

Jordan said no decisions have been made on what kind of changes Southwest will ultimately make, but he said studies have yielded “interesting” results.

“Customer preferences do change over time,” Jordan said.

While details were scarce during Southwest’s earnings call, when asked whether Southwest would consider a separated cabin on its planes, Ryan Green, the carrier’s chief commercial officer said: “Curtains and things like that are a bit far afield from what Southwest Airlines is.”

Green added that the carrier is not considering charging for checked bags because “people choose Southwest Airlines because we don’t have bag fees.”

— CNBC’s  Phil LeBeau  contributed to this report.

More from CNBC:

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Is Southwest going to start assigning seats? CEO says the airline is weighing changes.

Southwest Airlines is considering doing away with open, single-class seating on its aircraft.

In an interview with CNBC , ahead of the airline’s first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, CEO Bob Jordan said the company is weighing options for cabin reconfiguration to address its recent revenue shortfall.

“We’re looking into new initiatives, things like the way we seat and board our aircraft,” Jordan told the network.

Southwest has long differentiated itself from other airlines with one class of seating and little variability – no extra legroom seats or first class on its 737 fleet. But now, Jordan said it may be time to change the strategy.

Cruising Altitude: Another Boeing plane issue? Don't fall for the headlines.

“Customer preferences do change over time,” he told CNBC. He acknowledged the airline hasn’t made any decisions on implementing a new strategy but said studies about what they could do have yielded “interesting” results. 

For now, the only reliable way for Southwest customers can get their seating preference is to pay extra for an earlier boarding position. Southwest Airlines does not currently assign seats and passengers claim their real estate as they board the plane in an assigned order. 

During Thursday's earnings call, Jordan confirmed the airline was exploring updates to its seating and boarding processes. He also announced Southwest would be ending service to Syracuse, New York; George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (the airline will still serve William P. Hobby Airport); Cozumel, Mexico and Bellingham, Washington. Jordan cited underperformance in those markets as the reason for their closure.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected].

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Kamala harris' secret service agent attacked supervisor, off assignment, kamala harris secret service agent off assignment ... attacked supervisor.

Kamala Harris ' Secret Service team faced a violent threat this week, having to defend one of their agents ... from one of their own!!!

Secret Service representative Anthony Guglielmi tells TMZ ... at around 9 AM Monday, a U.S. Secret Service special agent supporting the Vice President’s departure from Joint Base Andrews started to display signs his colleagues found distressing.

We're told they removed the agent from the assignment and summoned medical personnel. The Veep wasn't around when the incident occurred, and it did not affect her takeoff.

A federal source with direct knowledge tells us at least one of the distressing signs displayed by the agent was obvious ... as the agent attacked the detail's supervising agent.

Other outlets are reporting the agent who attacked the supervisor was reportedly handcuffed after the incident.

Harris was reportedly on her way from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to New York City ... where she was scheduled to appear on "The Drew Barrymore Show."

The Vice President was reportedly notified about the fight, though she hasn't made any public statement about the incident.

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Japan’s ruling party loses all 3 seats in special vote, seen as punishment for corruption scandal

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing party appears to have lost all three seats in Sunday’s parliamentary by-elections. The Liberal Democratic Party’s loss is considered a voter punishment for its links to a yearslong corruption scandal that erupted last year and has undermined Kishida’s leadership. His party’s loss of power is unlikely, however, because of the fractured opposition. Exit polls show the liberal-leaning main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan projected to win all three seats in Shimane, Nagasaki and Tokyo. The loss could undermine Kishida’s clout and LDP lawmakers may try to bring him down to put a new face ahead of the next general election.

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Sen. Nicole Mitchell removed from committees, caucus meetings

The Minnesota Senate seat of Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) sits empty on April 25, 2024. (KSTP-TV)

The DFL state senator who was arrested and charged last week with burglarizing her stepmother’s home has now been removed from her Senate committee assignments and caucus meetings.

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL- St. Paul) announced the decision Sunday morning, saying Sen. Nicole Mitchell “will be relieved of her committee assignments and removed from caucus meetings” amid her legal proceedings.

Murphy added that many questions surrounding Mitchell’s case still need to be answered but, while her case plays out in the courts and in a Senate ethics subcomittee, Mitchell won’t have her normal duties at the Capitol.

Mitchell has said she has no plans to resign and shared her own narrative of the incident that doesn’t match the police and charging documents’ accounts.

As mentioned, Senate Republicans have filed an ethics complaint against Mitchell , and while she remains part of the Senate, her colleagues could decide on punishments ranging up to expulsion.

Ken Martin, the chairman of the DFL Party, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the allegations against Mitchell are “disturbing” and would make him consider resigning if he were in Mitchell’s place, although he stopped short of calling for her to resign.

While Mitchell is out on conditional bail and isn’t scheduled to appear in court again until June 10, she hasn’t yet returned to the Capitol since her arrest on Monday.