Arriving at the airport only to find yourself seated miles away from your loved ones is a dreaded scenario familiar to budget airline passengers, though hardly an welcome one.

Recent reports have surfaced of travellers'seat squatting' - when a passenger occupies an unassigned seat that doesn't belong to them. Fliers will engage in seat squatting to secure a superior spot, such as by a window or in first class, or to dodge extra fees for sitting near family or mates.

One individual recently revealed how cabin crew caught an economy passenger masquerading as a first-class traveller on aDelta Air Lines flight from Providence, Rhode Island to Atlanta, Georgia. They observed two women "come [aboard] haphazardly" and plonk themselves in the aircraft's front row, trying their luck for complimentary beverages.

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With the looming menace of seat pinchers on the rise, we reckoned it would be useful to revisit variousairlines' policiesregarding seating arrangements.

Ryanair provides two choices regarding seats. Travellers can either buy reserved seats or opt for a complimentary seat, which gets allocated randomly during check-in.

Passengers selecting 'random seat allocation' may check in anywhere from 24 hours to two hours prior to their flight's departure. Travellers who buy a seat when booking their ticket, whilst checking in, or at any stage before departure, can select their preferred location and that spot will be held for them.

The cost of a reserved seat varies depending on your chosen position within the aircraft.

Should a traveller opt against reserving a seat, then a random place will be assigned to you at no extra charge during check-in, though it's improbable that the seat will be next to your fellow passengers, according to Ryanair's website.

Travellers can also purchase an additional seat for themselves by booking two complete-fare flight tickets. Ryanair's website explains: "Book the first ticket in your name. Then for your second ticket, enter 'EXTRA' as the first name and 'COMFORT SEAT' as the last name. 'EXTRA COMFORT SEAT' will then be added to your reservation. When checking in online, the same travel document details will be added for you and your extra seat."

Additionally, reserved seats cannot be cancelled from your booking, and refunds aren't available once they've been bought.

The ticket type you select and the cabin you opt to fly in determines whether a traveller's seat choice will be complimentary or incur an additional charge. Travellers can select their seat without charge from 24 hours prior to their departure time, when check-in begins, unless they've purchased a Basic ticket, which is typically economy with hand-luggage only, as seats will be assigned for these fares.

Should a passenger hold a basic ticket, they remain able to pay for seat selection from the moment of booking right up until check-in begins.

For those travelling with youngsters, the carrier suggests reserving seats beforehand.

British Airways additionally permits travellers to purchase an additional ticket to guarantee the adjacent seat stays vacant.

On easyJet services, travellers may select their preferred seating position for a charge.

Seats may be chosen during the booking process, or at any point prior to check-in, through Manage bookings on easyJet's website or mobile application.

"On bookings with more than one passenger, allocated seats must be selected for all passengers on the booking otherwise we cannot allow any allocated seats to be purchased," easyJet's website states.

EasyJet provides three categories of seating: standard seats which are complimentary for easyJet Plus cardholders and customers who have bought a FLEXI fare, up front seats which are complimentary for easyJet Plus cardholders and customers who have bought a FLEXI fare and are positioned in rows two to six and extra legroom seats, which are likewise complimentary for easyJet Plus cardholders and reduced for customers who have bought a FLEXI fare.

For Jet2 services, passengers may reserve their desired seats and they can accomplish this through pre-booking the seats online during their booking.

Passengers may also pre-book them later by accessing Manage My Booking, though seat charges differ based on the location and route. If a traveller doesn't pre-book a seat, they will be assigned one when they check in online or at the airport on a first come, first served basis.

Jet2 aircraft also offer a selection of extra legroom seats. These seats are marked on the seat maps during the booking process and are generally located towards the front and middle of the aircraft.

The airline also aims to seat children and infants under the age of 12 next to their accompanying adults.

If you're flying with TUI or any of its chartered airlines, passengers can pay extra to choose where they sit on the aircraft. And like other airlines, if they do not select a seat they will be automatically allocated a seat when they check in online.

The airline makes sure that children under the age of 12 are sat with at least one adult in their party.

If an individual has paid for a seating product, such as 'Select Your Seat', 'Seats with Extra Legroom', 'Seats with Extra Space' or 'Premium' - but have not chosen their seats at least 14 days before their holiday, TUI will automatically allocate seats to them. On long-haul flights passengers are also given the option to upgrade to a 'Premium' seat.