aibu to assume monarch flight won't be full in november?

[bedraggledmumoftwo]

Flying Luton to sharm in November. Two year old and lap infant. Ive read all the threads about paying to allocate seating etc and have taken on board comments re not wanting to force someone else to give up their seats so that we can sit together, and possibility that together can be in front or behind etc. However, my question is, especially in light of monarch's recent financial difficulties, and it being off peak, non school holiday time, and midweek, aibu to think the chances of the plane filling up are slim at best- at the moment there are only a handful of prebooked seats showing, and online check in is open, so there would have to be a LOT of people waiting to check in at the airport for the plane to fill up. Anyone have any experience of flying to Egypt in November, or any insight or hints and tips on how i could find out how full it is? Because we are travelling with an infant we have to check in at the airport even if we pay for seating. I just have visions of us paying £60 to cram us all together, and then find that the flight is empty and there are millions of empty seats!

[ArabellaTarantella]

You will get loads on here that say don't worry. If there are 2 adults it's not a problem, surely, as you can have one child each? If there's just one adult I'd suck it up and pay. It's only about 4 hours, not like flying to Australia!

[bedraggledmumoftwo]

True, but five hours in a short haul plane with a one and two year old is already four and a half too long!

[Alm1986]

I flew Gatwick to Sharm on 30.11 last year, the flight was full on the way out. There were around 5 spare seats on the return a week later. It's busy as there are few flights going out.

[tigermoll]

You can pay the money or take your chances. Thems the choices. Even if we all say 'don't worry everything will be fine ' that's no guarantee that the flight won't be full. I guess it depends how much of a hassle it will be for you all to NOT sit together?

[Sizzlesthedog]

I won't ever fly with monarch ever again. Horrid airline.

[Summerisle1]

I flew with Monarch once. Quite the vilest experience and actually, they seemed to do their utmost to separate families. My dcs were in their teens but half the flight seemed to consist of randomly separated families. I ended up "in charge" of two much smaller children I was unrelated to. When some of us suggested it would be perfectly easy to re-organise ourselves into family groups we were told this was impossible and illegal.

As for flights being empty in November, I wouldn't bet on it. I'd pay the money then there's one less awful part of a Monarch flight sorted ahead of time.

[SistersOfHearsey]

I've flown East Midlands to Sharm twice, both in November, both out of term time. Both outward flights were full, the first year return flight had limited space, the second year return was manic with nobody guaranteed sat together.

[WD41]

Yabu to assume the flight won't be full. It might be. I couldn't take that chance personally and would pay the charge.

[bedraggledmumoftwo]

Ok, think i might bite the bullet and just pay to prebook extra legroom too!

[Celticlass2]

November and December are hugely popular times to visit Sharm for some winter sun. I personally know four people (without children) who are going to Sharm in a couple of weeks.
I really wouldn't assume on lots of empty seats, no matter what the airline.

[Celticlass2]

I've flown Monarch twice to Egypt and the canaries. Maybe, I've just been lucky but I had good experiences with them both times.

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Always had great experiences with Monarch! However they have always been full when I've flown with them and Egypt is a popular winter sun destination so I wouldn't risk it.

[WooWooOwl]

I've always had good experiences with monarch as well.

I've flown to Sharm in November quite a few times, it's always busy. Not necessarily full, but always not far from it. Your flight will be full of divers getting a last trip in before Christmas.

[busyboysmum]

I've always had brilliant experience with monarch. In fact we've just flown to Menorca and back with them. On the way out my mum got to the airport before us and checked herself in. When we checked in they had already allocated us seats with her as I bought the tickets together. So we ended up sitting together although we didn't request it.

[SistersOfPercy]

Yep, Egypt is very popular this time of year as the temperatures are perfect at around 28 degrees. I usually end up with someone I know off there this time of year, it's much more bearable as their summer temps are uncomfortably high (for me anyway)

Enjoy yourself whatever you decide, it's a lovely place.

[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle]

We flew monarch to Sharm in March. Wednesday flights, non-school-holiday. Flights were packed both ways.

[ilovesooty]

I've had a great experience flying with Monarch to Turkey this month. It was fairly empty on the way out but full on the way back. I wouldn't risk not pre booking.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

It is one of the peak times for the active retired to trip off to the sun. My parents fall into this category after years of a week in a UK holiday cottage when we were kids they trip off to the sun for at least a week in November (often two) and definitely two in February.
They mostly fly Monarch.

[lastnightIwenttoManderley]

Def get the extra legroom - their seats are tiny. I'm 5' and size 4 and even I felt claustrophobic!

[ProudAS]

I'm confused OP. You say online check in is open. Would it cost more to check in online or can you not do it with an infant?

[Misssss]

Monarch are terrible, don't count on the plane being empty. They sell their seats to package holiday companies so the people who have bought their holiday through there won't have the chance to reserve seating iyswim. Plus there is nothing more irritating than people who haven't bought seats then expect you to move. Errrr
No!

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

I would prebook seats, if sitting together is important yo you. I'm not sure you can prebooking extra legroom seats with infants though as they're usually the seats by the emergency exits and you need to be over 18 and able to operate the emergency doors.

[wowfudge]

Can you not just pay to allocate seats for you and your DH and choose them with a free seat to one side? They won't put your two year old with anyone other than a parent and the baby will be on someone's lap. I bet the computer will say no to that though.

[hamptoncourt]

Yes they will fudge I travelled with a one year old and four year old and paid for allocated seating. The airline messed it up and told us we had to sit in four completely separate seats dotted about the aircraft. Seriously - they expected my one year old to sit alone, next to stranger!!!

It took 45 minutes of holding up the aircraft, me with tears running down my face, before two very kind passengers offered to move so DH could sit at one end of plane with one child and me at other end with other child.

And bear in mind I had paid for four seats and paid extra for the allocated seating for us all together.