Virgin ‘neighbour-free’ seating from $30
Would you pay for the seat next to you to remain vacant?
By David Flynn, September 24 2025
Virgin Australia will now let passengers pay to have an empty seat next to them with the launch of a ‘neighbour free’ booking option.
Virgin says Neighbour-Free Seating “will be progressively rolled out from September 2025 on Virgin Australia domestic and short haul international services.”
Economy passengers can effectively reserve the seat next to them when booking a flight to unock more elbow room and personal space.
They can nominate a cash bid for the spare seat after making their initial booking, or on selected flights, choosing to instantly purchase a Neighbour-Free seat within 48 hours of departure.
Prices for those cash bids will start at $30 on short hops such as Sydney-Melbourne or Sydney-Brisbane.
Expect a bid range of $50-$70 for Sydney-Perth, and $70-$90 for Melbourne-Bali, with successful bids confirmed no later than two hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.
Qantas already offers a similar choice on selected flights, with prices ranging from $30 to $65 depending on the length of their domestic journey.
Virgin's Neighbour-Free Seating offers more personal space, at a price...
However, that spare seat is not be guaranteed – Virgin can still sell it if the flight is at capacity, in which case the neighbour-free charge will be refunded.
The option will be available only in standard economy seats, not Economy X or business class, and at launch, only on a handful of routes (in both directions)::
- Sydney-Melbourne
- Sydney-Brisbane
- Sydney-Perth
- Melbourne-Adelaide
- Melbourne-Perth
- Melbourne-Bali
- Brisbane-Cairns
- Brisbane-Samoa
The airline promises that Velocity Gold, Platinum, Platinum Plus and Forever Gold frequent flyers who have pre-selected their seats and do not bid for Neighbour-Free Seating “will not be impacted” by Neighbour-Free Seating requests.
Virgin says that a 2023 survey conducted by Velocity Frequent Flyer revealed that 35% of its passengers would consider paying to have the middle seat empty on a domestic flight more than three hours.
“Our priority is to give Virgin Australia guests even more value and choice when they choose to fly with us,” says Virgin Australia executive, Libby Minogue.
“Neighbour-Free Seating is a clever add-on for Economy travellers who want the certainty of extra space without the price tag.”
Virgin already allows plus-sized passengers to buy the seat next to them “for personal comfort”, or for people to travel with large musical instruments such as a cello or guitar – however, this costs around the same price as a regular seat (less taxes).
Permitting passengers to travel with pets in the cabin is another way Virgin is looking to increase non-ticket revenue, with a trial of pet-friendly flights due to take off by December.
As previously reported, the airline is also installing additional rows of economy onto its Boeing 737s by removing the floor-mounted cabin dividers between business and economy, replacing it with a combination of overhead-mounted panels and what’s been described as a “shower curtain” in the aisle.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
21 Jul 2019
Total posts 229
Was a bit skeptical of the concept until I tried it on Air New Zealand back when they flew 767s between Auckland and Honolulu. It was great being 'neighbour-free' on those 9+ hour flight. And whenever I flew economy on that route, that was the option I chose subsequently. The extra 'space' made an appreciable difference when flying economy. Having experienced the benefits, this is an option I would definitely consider if flying economy on Virgin.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 474
I’d prefer to see VA tackle the “plus size” passenger issue and do more than encourage them to book a second seat. I would be happy to pay the neighbour-free price to avoid my seat being partially occupied by someone else, but if the flight is full it can happen anyway. Perhaps there is a clue there VA!
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1279
Plus-size is a vexed issue. Airlines need to tread a very fine line in how they handle this or risk breaching anti-discrimination laws.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1092
On an Air New Zealand flight, I once witnessed a heated argument over a front-row seat. One passenger thought it was available and better to sit in, but it had already been purchased by another passenger.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2014
Total posts 336
Anytime I have been offered one on QF the seat next to me was empty anyway, glad I have never paid for one, seems these airlines are looking for any $$ they can.
18 Sep 2015
Total posts 154
Any chance the airlines will double dip on this - by selling the "neighbour-free" seat to both the window and aisle passengers?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
22 Nov 2019
Total posts 96
as always virgin makes a good decision, great concept and will surely be easier to book than via Hudsons Manila call centre
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