Singapore/Hamburg  - Singapore Airlines has implemented a new charge for economy class passengers who want to book a seat beside an emergency exit.

Passengers will now have to pay a minimum of 50 dollars for an advance, online seat-booking on each stretch of the route.

The decision means a flight on the airline's Frankfurt-Singapore-Sydney route can cost an additional 100 dollars.

So far, passengers could check-in online and book an emergency exit seat free of charge.

Singapore joins a long list of airlines demanding that passengers pay up, if they wish to sit in emergency exit seats.

Germany's Tuifly charges 25 euros (31 dollars) each way. Condor charges between 20 and 60 euros for their "XL Seats".

German carrier Lufthansa does not allow its passengers to book seats beside exits in advance, said airline spokesperson in Frankfurt.

Those seats are allotted to passengers at the check-in desk by airline staff who they believe can be of assistance during an emergency.

This reasoning also explains why Condor does not allot emergency exit seats to children, pregnant women or passengers who are suffering from an illness. (dpa)