This is my warning to ANY Aussie travelling to Europe this year: ‘Don’t make my mistake, it’s been hellish’

A young Australian is urgently warning travellers heading to Europe to pay extra for their plane seat if they want to be sure of a spot.

Tiah Slattery, An Australian living in the UK has warned travellers visiting the continent to pay an additional airline fee to avoid “chaotic” disruptions to their trip.

The expat was stranded at Tirana airport after buying a $575 ticket on a budget airline and was kicked off an overbooked flight during the summer season.

“I have one piece of advice: if you’re traveling to Europe this summer, pay for a seat. I literally never do it, I’ve never done it unless I’m desperate,” Tiah said in a video.

“But it’s the only way to be sure of a spot on a flight if it’s overbooked. I’ve never had an overbooked flight, but this summer alone I’ve had two.”

When Tiah booked her trip, she refused to pay the optional £25 ($48) fee to reserve a seat, leaving her stranded in the sweltering airport.

The Australian was on a waiting list with 11 other people for a return flight and became “desperate” when he heard the next flight would not leave for another month.

Tiah was told that the airline’s terms and conditions have recently changed and that passengers can now lose their seats on an overbooked flight if they do not pay.

The Australian, who did not want to name the airline or deal with its “sleazy” social media team, said she was told by local airport staff that flights had been overbooked all summer.

Thousands of travellers shared Tiah’s outrage and said the same thing had happened to them, especially on flights within Europe.

“1000 percent. I went on a trip with a friend and I booked a seat and she didn’t, they downsized the plane and the only people on board had paid for a seat,” one person said.

Travelers insisted that while it was a “disgraceful” practice, it was perfectly legal for airlines to overbook flights as 10 percent of people often don’t show up.

Many accused budget airlines Ryan Air and Wizz Air of this ‘frustrating’ practice, which was unfair to customers who had bought a ticket. However, others said it was not just the budget airlines that were guilty of consistently overbooking flights.

“Unfortunately, this is common practice among many airlines,” one said.

People who had flown with Turkish Airlines and Air Canada said they had also had the “insane” habit of missing a flight due to overbooking.

“That’s why I report exactly 24 hours in advance,” said one woman.

But Tiah, who had also checked in early, said it made no difference: ‘Unless you buy a seat, it’s not guaranteed – if the flight is overbooked, the people who bought a seat get priority.’