I have heard a number of international travelers kick around the idea of buying three coach seats next to each other instead of buying one business class seat. The thought behind this is that they will have plenty of room to stretch out, and they will still save a substantial amount of money (the cost of one business class ticket can easily be double that of three coach tickets). OK, at first sight, this might sound like a great idea, and people have pulled it off successfully (check out this NY Times article to get the lowdown on a success story).

However, there are too many variables to make this a sound practice.

Most importantly, seat assignments aren’t guaranteed. Even if you take all of the right steps to reserve three seats next to each other, there can be a switch at the last minute, and then you’re stuck with three seats spread out all over the plane.

With overbooking as popular as it is today, you also run the risk of losing one of your “empty” seats to another passenger. Jaunted takes a look at these issues, as well as the “jerk” factor involved with taking up three seats as others are packed together like sardines.

As I said, there are passengers who swear by this method of international travel, but as with so many things related to the airlines, there are no guarantees it will work out in your favor, and if something does go wrong with your seating assignment (or a broken armrest blocking you), you won’t have much of a leg to stand on.

A side note to this story, is the two-seat policy that airlines have in place for passengers they believe are too large for one seat. This rule made the news recently when Southwest required a man to purchase two seats. Southwest’s spokesperson had this to say on the matter:

“We sell seats, and if you consume more than one seat, you have to buy more than one seat.” (From the South Florida Business Journal)

It’s probably not a good idea to “consume” any seats, but that’s a topic for another time. So, you might be forced to buy two seats next to each other, but the chance of being forced to buy three is slim. In most cases, you should just stick with one.

While the dream of having thee-in-a-row is a great dream to have, I can’t, in good conscience, suggest trying to make that dream come true.