What Is ‘Check-In Chicken’? | HuffPost Life

The social media sphere abounds with travel hacks and trends, from “hush trips” to the “333 method.” One that made waves in 2024 was “check-in chicken.”

This risky travel strategy comes with potentially big benefits, but some in the industry have questioned whether it’s a good idea. To shed light on check-in chicken, we asked travel experts to break down the pros and cons.

“Playing chicken is waiting until the very last second before making a move that could pay off,” said Laura Lindsay, a global travel trends expert at the company Skyscanner.

Some travelers might do this when booking a flight in the hope that the price will drop closer to the time of departure. But check-in chicken is a little different.

This hack is about waiting until the last minute to check in on departure day for a flight you’ve already booked. It’s a move for budget-conscious travelers who don’t have a seat assignment because they booked a cheaper fare, or for those who otherwise want to take a gamble on the seating assigned by an airline.

“This strategy comes from the early days of online check-in when seat assignments were more flexible,” said travel blogger Esther Susag. “Travelers wait until the last possible moment to check in, banking on airlines assigning better seats or empty rows as they finalize the passenger manifest.”

The idea is that delaying check-in might result in a more desirable seat assignment ― perhaps one with extra legroom, whether in an exit row or near the bulkhead ― without having to pay extra.

“Airlines typically assign seats starting with the ‘less desirable,’ hoping someone still will pay for a last-minute better seat option,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert and spokesperson for the Going travel app.

Passengers who check in earlier and receive an undesirable assignment might shell out extra money to upgrade their seat, or they could just stick with the original bad option ― potentially allowing those who play check-in chicken to get those superior unassigned seats.

“This sort of hilarious term gamifies the check-in process for air travelers by trying to hit big on grabbing a better seat without the added cost,” Nastro added. “Checking in a few hours before take off, when a flight has mostly some better seats left, is a tactic cost-conscious travelers use to give themselves better odds at being assigned a better seat.”

Although this is by no means a new practice, the…