To not pay to choose seats but expect to sit together?

It could be across the aisle or in the row in front/behind

You might be fine, you might not be fine. It's a risk, and depends on how many other people have paid to reserve particular seats.

Choosing to take that risk, and then assuming that other people who HAVE PAID to reserve their seats will "have to move" to accommodate your sprog and their tightfisted mother is an absolute dick move.

Ha, ha. I always find this hilarious. “They’d never not sit you together.”

I remember flying years ago, before you booked seats yourself. Got stuck in traffic on the way to the airport so didn’t check in as early as we’d like.

My husband, myself and our 2 year old were all seated in separate seats.

I sat closest to our child and could see him 2 rows in front on the next row over. He was seated between two older people. No one wanted to swap seats, so he spent the flight tossing his teddy around, as well as swinging a lolly the flight attendant thought would be a good idea to give him.

I’d pay nowadays.

If you want to be all sitting together then pay! Or are you planning to cause a problem if you're not. Why should other people pay and you not if you're choosing to travel with two children?

For the sake of £20 you should definitely pay to be sure they'll be sat right next to you.

If you check in as soon as it opens, you'd probably be fine and be allocated seats together. But, if a lot of people have pre-booked you could be across the aisle or in the seat behind. Unless someone who could be bothered to pay to book a seat would swap with you.

On a recent flight I was on there was a huge fuss about people having to be moved to accommodate two families who hadn't booked seats next to their children. The flight was full of families and it took ages to sort and delayed our flight. People weren't happy!

I agree with you in spirit, it's mean not to be able to ensure this without having to pay, but if you know this is a possibility then you need to prepare, either by paying to ensure the seats or prepping for whatever other eventuality you and your child might be facing.

Just pay the money. I have spent a lot of money getting four seats together for my family at the front of a plane with extra legroom because I wanted to sit with my family. I hope no one asks us to move. Actually I almost hope they do as I will no compunction in giving them short shrift.

Honestly, I'd just pay! Then you can be certain!

We fly in August and my son is 9. I am quite a nervous flyer so wanted us all together. I just paid for the seats and chose what we wanted.

If I didn't pay, I wouldn't 'expect' anything. I would accept that I may not get what I wanted.

Absolutely no guarantee. They could be seated across the aisle or behind you. It entirely depends on whether there are unbooked seats together and you check in early enough to get them.

I wouldn't take the risk with a 2 year old. You can afford flights, you can afford to pay for seats

This happened to a woman and her young daughter (around age 6-8) on a Ryanair flight that I was on recently and it delayed our departure because it took ages to get people to agree to swap 😤 Yes it's a pain, but just pay the money, it's not fair on the other passengers.

Check their policy; I checked Ryanair’s policy is to do that. DH wasn’t sat with us and me and him swapped with each other during the flight to take equal turns with them and by ourselves.

If you don't want to risk your 2yr old being seated not directly next to you, pay the £20. If you don't mind your 2yr old being seated behind, in front, across the idea, don't pay it. Easy. I'd pay it because I wouldn't want the stress.

Could be over the aisle, behind you, in front of you. If you’re fine with that, go for it. If you expect someone to swap, yabu

Suppose it depends how many people have paid for seats on your flight because obviously they are not going to be happy to move and rightly so. For the sake of £20 it's not worth the hassle of relying upon everyone else to accommodate you.

But Op are you expecting that they move the person sitting next to you who pad for the booking??and place toddler next to you?? what if the passenger refuse to move?

pay for the seats, flight with small children is stressful as it it, don't add extra stress to it, not worth it.

They can’t separate you however they can have you sat next to each other, across the aisle and even behind each other.

When we flew with Ryanair they say my children under 12 with me. No need to pay in my opinion.

Cheeky to expect it tbh. Other people pay for the luxury of sitting where they want. You want your kid right next to you, so you pay.

My last holiday flight was delayed because a family hadn’t got seats together. Don’t be that dickhead.

If I remember correctly then close to does not necessarily mean next to. You could be next to each other but across the aisle, or you could be one behind the other.

Just do what everyone else does who wants to sit together and pay to choose your seats.

Every summer there's threads on here along the lines of "we didn't want to pay to choose our seats but we were really annoyed the operator didn't put us next to each other / split our family into two groups"

YABU because what they will do is ask someone who has paid for their preferred seat to move/swap and that’s not fair on the person who has paid.

God not this again! Isn’t it worth £20 to save your thumb from multiple Facebook when in fact you aren’t sat together and you think this is very unfair/ appalling.

I’ve not travelled with easyJet recently but if you want the seats guaranteed pay the money. Or ask yourself if everyone else pays to reserve with their group, and there are only 2/3 seats in various differ areas of the plane left, who are you expecting to move when they’ve paid for it?

I've spent way too much money over the years paying for seats together, my last 5 flights I haven't bothered and have been put together, admittedly not EasyJet but Jet2, Ryan Air and Air France

I wouldn’t move for you either.