EasyJet is to charge passengers up to £12 to reserve seats. 
If a trial of the system is successful, it could be used on all the airline's flights.

The budget carrier does not currently let passengers choose seats in advance, leading to free-for-alls once they have boarded. 

However, those on five easyJet routes will soon have three options: £12 for seats with extra leg room in the front row and exit rows, £8 for those in the front few rows, and £3 for any others.

The fee is the latest stealth charge to push up the price of air travel. EasyJet will continue to offer its 'speedy boarding' option, for between £4.50 and £14 per flight.

Rival airlines such as British Airways and Ryanair also have similar charges.

Ryanair passengers must pay £10 to reserve a seat, and the airline also has a 'priority boarding fee' of £5 per person per flight.

BA says its reservation option is only for passengers who choose a seat 25 hours or longer before the flight.

Prices range from £10 on domestic and short-haul economy tickets to £60 for long-haul business class passengers.

EasyJet said its new seating system will be tested on flights between Luton and Sharm el Sheikh, Malaga and Alicante, Istanbul and Glasgow from next month.

A spokesman said: 'Passenger research shows that the current boarding process can be a source of stress for many passengers, and in some cases puts people off flying with easyJet altogether.'

He said the trial was an example of the airline 'trying to do all it can to make travel easy and affordable'. 

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