These are mine. Thanks to lower airfares and a booming economy, even red-eye flights are packed to the gills. No wonder airlines are reporting record profits. Business travelers who need to take last-minute flights pay full fare. Join a frequent flyer program and stick to one airline when possible.
Most airlines do try to reward their best passengers with better seat selection.
Alaska and United, for example, reserve the first few rows in coach for their preferred flyers. If you are a Premier Flyer with United, they even try to leave an open seat between passengers if the plane is not full. Working a single frequent flyer program can really pay off. Airlines send you regular first-class upgrades after you've flown 10,000 miles. The higher your mileage, the greater your priority in receiving these special services.