Seat selection and advance seat reservation
Regardless of whether it is a window or aisle seat or a seat with more legroom: Lufthansa offers you the opportunity of reserving seats for yourself and your travelling companions in advance or of selecting them at check-in.

How do I reserve a seat?
Book your preferred seat directly while booking your flight, or at a later time.
Advance seat reservation in Economy and Premium Economy Class
You can find all the information on chargeable advance seat reservation in Premium Economy Class and Economy Class here:
Further information and details about advance seat reservation
- The flight is operated by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional (Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa CityLine), Lufthansa Express Rail (DB), Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Edelweiss or Discover Airlines.
- The flight booking is confirmed (no waiting list bookings).
- The advance seat reservation is made no later than 52 hours before departure.
If you have not reserved your seat during the booking process, you can still do this even after your booking has been completed. Retrieve your trip under ‘My bookings’ and book or change* your seat there afterwards.
Please note that a confirmed advance seat reservation does not constitute a legal right to a specific seat on board the aircraft (e.g. seat 3A). It relates solely to the selected category (e.g. standard seat, seat in the preferred seating zone, seat with more legroom). An advance seat reservation only applies per flight segment.
As soon as check-in for the relevant flight begins (usually from 23 hours before departure), you can, of course, still select any of the remaining seats free of charge, if the fare conditions permit this. Please note that, in this case, the choice can in some circumstances be limited.
* Changes are only possible to seats at the same or a lower price, and charges already paid will not be reimbursed.
On intercontinental flights as well as on continental feeder flights, advance seat reservation is free of charge for passengers in Business and First Class.
If booked in the same PNR, companions of Lufthansa HON Circle Members and Senators enjoy the same benefits regarding advance seat reservation on flights of the Lufthansa Group airlines, Lufthansa Regional and Lufthansa Cityline. They can reserve seats free of charge in all booking classes (apart from the ‘Economy Light’ fare on short-haul flights).
The preferred seating zone is located in front of Economy Class, directly behind Business or Premium Economy Class. These seats enable you to leave the aircraft quickly after landing, making your journey even easier and more flexible.
In Economy Class, Lufthansa offers the opportunity to reserve seats with more legroom on almost all aircraft types. Some of these seats are located in the emergency exit rows. You can find their exact location on the seat map.
Seats in the emergency exit rows can only be booked for passengers who meet the following requirements:
- You are at least 16 years old.
- You are fluent in the German or English language.
- You are willing to provide assistance in the unlikely event of an emergency.
- You are capable of reading and understanding instructions and of complying with the orders of the crew in the event of an emergency.
- You are able to carry out the instructed tasks without the help of a companion, parent or other relative.
- You are not travelling with a person who would be dependent on your help in the event of an emergency.
- You have no condition or position of responsibility that would restrict you from carrying out these tasks or would lead to bodily harm in their execution.
- You are not travelling with a small animal in the flight cabin.
In order to ensure safety on board, Lufthansa may allocate a different seat to passengers who do not meet these requirements.
Please also note that any carry-on baggage must be stowed in overhead bins as no items may be put in the seating area or under the seats during take-off and landing.
The Economy Light fare on European routes does not include any free advance seat reservations. You will be allocated a seat automatically when checking in. If you would like to change this seat, an alteration fee starting from EUR 29/CHF 35/USD 35 will be charged.
If Lufthansa has to change your advance seat reservation, e.g. because of a late change in the aircraft type used, Lufthansa will do its best to reserve an equivalent new seat for you. In such cases, priority is first given to seating passengers who are travelling together, e.g. families, next to each other again. After this, seats with more legroom in the emergency exit rows, and the aisle, window and middle seats are allocated.
If a new seat allocation is not possible in the same category (e.g. aisle, window, seat with more legroom), you can arrange a reimbursement of the fee you have paid via the Lufthansa Service Center.
In accordance with the Italian ENAC regulation, on flights to and from Italy you are entitled to an seat reservation free of charge if you fulfil one of the following conditions:
- You are travelling with a child between the ages of 2 and 12 and/or
- You are physically or mentally impaired or are travelling as an accompanying escort.
In these cases, at check-in, the Lufthansa Group will seat you together free of charge.
Please note that advance seat reservations on flights not operated by the Lufthansa Group airlines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss or Discover Airlines, in particular in Economy Class, are possible only to a limited extent or not at all. Please contact the airline operating the flight.
You can also make advance seat reservations on intercontinental flights if the flights are booked with another airline but operated by Lufthansa as so-called code-share flights.
Please note that this will lead to a separate contract being concluded between you as the passenger and Lufthansa as the operating airline. This contract is legally independent of your existing flight booking with another airline.
You can rebook or cancel your flight ticket with an existing advance seat reservation easily and conveniently yourself under My bookings.
If you have paid for an advance seat reservation on the flight you wish to change, Lufthansa will automatically try to book you an equivalent seat on the new flight. Please note that this is only possible when your flight route and airline remain the same. Failing this, fees already paid for advance seat reservations cannot be reimbursed, even if there are no equivalent seats available on the new flight.
The fee for already paid advance seat reservations can be reimbursed in the following cases:
- if a flight itinerary is changed by Lufthansa, for example a change in the type of aircraft deployed, which results in no equivalent seat being available to you on the new flight.
- if a disruption to your flight results in you having to be rebooked onto another flight on which no equivalent seat is available.
Please note that it is not possible to refund an advance seat reservation at airports or on board.
Fees paid for advance seat reservations cannot be reimbursed if the following apply:
- You cancel your trip.
- You have received an upgrade from Lufthansa as a goodwill gesture or for operational reasons.
- You change your seat and the new seat is cheaper or free of charge.
- You make changes to your booking and purchase a seat in a lower or equivalent category. A credit is possible for a rebooking in a more expensive seat category.
- You do not meet the conditions listed above for sitting in an emergency exit row.
- You make changes to your journey, but on your new flights equivalent seats are no longer available, advance seat reservations on your new flights are free of charge, or these flights are not operated by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional, Austrian Airlines, SWISS or Brussels Airlines.
- You make changes to your journey and thus alter your route.