American Airlines (AMR) is introducing a new fee for customers who fly coach.

If you want to get into the first few rows, it'll cost an extra $19 to $39 for a one-way flight. But here's a twist: You can buy these "Express Seats" only at airport self-service check-in machines.

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The idea is to upsell customers at the airport and persuade them to pay just a little more for a better seat. Gone are the days when you could just move into one of the open seats in front once you board.

The Express Seats are in the Group 1 section of general boarding, so you can walk onto the plane a few minutes before the rest of coach.

 

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American isn't the first airline to charge more for certain coach seats. Continental Airlines lets people reserve seats with more legroom -- for a fee, of course, NBC reports. And AirTran Airways passengers can pay  to reserve a seat in coach.

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Express Seats are part of American's "focus on offering customers what they value most," the airline says.

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