This article explains how seat selection works when you book a flight in Perk, including loyalty benefits, fees, and common reasons a seat map may not appear. Use it to understand how seat selection works before you book and to troubleshoot name or loyalty details on the Extras page.

On many flights you choose a seat during checkout and it’s booked with your trip. On some flights, seat selection isn’t offered at booking or works differently. If something looks off, check your fare, timing, and loyalty details—or see Contact us.

Understanding seat selection in Perk

Perk shows a seat map during checkout when the airline and booking setup support choosing a seat at that moment. When you pick a seat in that flow, your seat is requested together with your flight booking (not only after your ticket is issued).

On some other bookings, the experience may look different, and seat choice can happen after ticketing or only at airline check-in. Which flow you get depends on the airline, the fare, codeshares, and technical coverage—not every combination supports seat maps in Perk.

Coverage and airline support change over time as more options are added.

Spotting how your seat is being booked

You can usually tell from the seat map shown while you book:

• If you see the interactive seat map used in the main Perk booking flow, your seat is being booked with your flight during checkout.

  

• If the layout looks different from the Perk booking flow, your seat may be handled in a follow-up step after ticketing, where that’s available.

If you’re unsure, complete booking and check your confirmation, or see Contact us.

When seat selection isn’t available

Seat selection isn’t available for every flight. Common reasons include:

Codeshare flights

If a flight is marketed by one airline but operated by another, seat maps are often missing—including on the marketing airline’s own site.

• When you can, book using the operating airline’s flight number. That usually improves the chance you can choose a seat during booking.

Close to departure / check-in open

If the flight is already open for check-in, many airlines stop offering seat selection at booking.

• Choose a seat during online check-in on the airline’s website or app.

Fare type

Some fares (Basic, Light, or similar names) don’t allow advance seat selection at all — even for an extra charge.

• Seats may be assigned automatically or only at check-in. Check the airline’s fare rules on their site.

Airline or technical limits

Some airline and booking combinations don’t support seat selection in Perk yet.

• If there’s no map, it doesn’t always mean something is broken—it may be unsupported for that trip.

Aircraft not finalized

Occasionally the airline hasn’t confirmed the aircraft type.

• Seat selection can appear later, closer to departure.

Using loyalty status for seat benefits

Loyalty status can unlock free or preferred seats on the seat map when the airline supports it in Perk.

Tip: Add your loyalty program to your profile or on the Extras page when you book so Perk can pass your details to the airline.

An increasing number of airlines recognize your loyalty status when displaying the seat map on Perk. However, there may be some occasions where status recognition isn’t supported:

• When loyalty status is supported for the trip, the seat selection section of the Extras page shows something like: Good news -seat prices and availability for this booking reflect your loyalty status.
• When loyalty status isn’t supported, you may see: Loyalty program status benefits aren’t available for this booking.

If you see the second message, you can still add your loyalty number in Perk. For seat benefits tied to status, open the booking on the airline’s website or app after you book.

If your status benefits don’t appear on the seat map

Two common causes:

• Loyalty isn’t supported for that airline or booking type: If status isn’t supported for that carrier and flow, the map won’t show status-based free or preferred seats. Use the messages on the Extras page as the guide for that trip.
• The airline doesn’t validate your loyalty details: Perk sends the traveler’s name and loyalty membership number from the Extras page to the airline. If the airline rejects those details, it ignores status and the map won’t show status benefits.

Typical validation issues

• Wrong loyalty number
• Name mismatch between Perk and the loyalty account (nickname vs legal name, middle name only in one place, or suffixes like Jr. stored differently)

What to do

• Make sure your first and last name in Perk match your loyalty account exactly.
• Middle names aren’t required in Perk for a valid booking; remove them if they cause a mismatch.
• Names should still match what appears on the travel document you’ll use for the trip.

Seat booking fees

Perk charges a seat booking fee for paid (chargeable) seats booked through the standard seat selection flow. There is no fee when the seat is free in the fare or free because of your loyalty status, where that applies.

The fee is shown during booking in Perk. Under the seat flow, it’s also reflected more clearly on your invoice for accounting and VAT. If a charge doesn’t look right, see Contact us.

If your seat selection shows as processing

Sometimes the flight is booked successfully, but the seat can’t be confirmed immediately (e.g. due to a short-lived availability change or an airline-side issue).

• Your seat may show as processing while we work on it.
• If we need to finish the seat manually, see Contact us.

Most seat selections complete without a problem; when they don’t, we’ll work with our providers to sort it out.