In the caption of an October TikTok video that has garnered more than 54,000 views at the time of writing, Chelsea writes, “Check-in chicken is when you leave your online check-in for Wizz Air and Ryanair late in the hope that you get allocated a better seat.”
The methodology? Budget airlines randomly allocate travellers’ seats starting with the least desirable options, splitting groups and couples up to separate ends of the aircraft, and often in middle seats – even if there seem to be…

