last 2 times I flew I didn’t check in online and when they printed my boarding pass at the airport they put me on the seats next to the wing exits. Does every airline do this?
These seats are more expensive due to the extra legroom. They tend to be the last ones available to people who didn’t bother to buy a specific seat on cheap airlines, so if you check-in at the last moment you may get some unsold “high value” seat assigned on your boarding pass.
Fuck airlines that make you pay to get a standard seat, quiet at the back of the plane.
Hell, seats in the back used to be the cheapest - takes you longer to get off, and generally noisier since it’s behind the wings/engines. It’s also a rougher ride.
I liked flying there because no one else wanted those seats, so I could often get an empty row (way back when)
What airline did you fly? Most have assigned seating you can pick when you buy the ticket. Last few time I’ve flown on southwest, though that’s not assigned seating.
