Luxair: Questionable seat assignment practices

I’m booking a flight operated by Luxair for my wife and me. 30 hours before the scheduled departure time and as requested by them, I complete the online check-in. I’m then offered the option to choose our seats. Looking at the cabin layout, I see that two seats have already been assigned to us—one in the middle of the cabin on the left side, the other at the back of the cabin on the right side. I notice that both have an adjacent seat available, along with dozens of other seats.

I move one of the seats so we can sit together on the plane... and I’m charged 19 €! When I complain, Luxair (or rather, the platform) responds that there was no way to get adjacent seats.

This tactic to push passengers into pre-reserving seats for a fee is really bordering on a scam! And now I’m getting messages encouraging me to upgrade my seats!

Basically, airlines keep prices low but do everything to pressure us into paying for extras.

Actually, airlines push prices down but do everything to force us into paying for extras

There are more and more paid options, and they vary by airline, so you really need to check everything carefully before clicking.