A's season-ticket plans offer fans option to switch seats during season

The Oakland Athletics have become the first MLB team to sell season tickets that won't be attached to a particular seat.

The team announced Monday a program called A's Access, which allows fans to buy tickets for a package of game that don't include the same view for each game.

"There's a lot of fans that think that sitting in the same seat over and over again is unattractive," said A's chief operating officer Chris Giles. "As we look to designing a new ballpark for our team, we look to doing it with this type of optionality in mind."

As soon as tickets go on sale on Friday for the 2019 season, fans will have a chance to buy a 10-game, 24-game, half-season or full-season plan. They can then pick which games they want to go to and where they want to sit for those games in the sections they paid for. Depending on the price point, fans will have a certain amount of upgrades they will be able to use four hours before the game.Fans can pick a reserved seat and have access to general admission areas to every game.

Anyone who buys -- or even splits -- a plan is an access member who is eligible for discounts including half off concessions and 25 percent off merchandise. A 20-ounce beer will cost $4 and a $5 soda will cost $2.50.

"We basically are saying, 'We are tired of nickel and diming you,'" Giles said. "'Thanks for supporting the A's.'"

The cheapest plan is a 24-game package in the upper deck for $240. The cheapest full-season 81-game plan is $871.

The team also is hoping to get younger people in the park by reducing the financial burden and offering a 12-month payout plan.

The flexibility of A's Access is achieved by the fact that the A's have one of the emptiest buildings in Major League Baseball. The team is on pace to have its fourth straight year of being in the bottom five in league attendance.