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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

787 replies

Peachpicklepie · 24/06/2023 17:41

I'll be flying with easyjet on a short flight (just over an hour) soon. It will be me, my toddler (2 years 4 months) and my baby (four months). Baby will be on my lap. According to the website they will sit children near an accompanying adult - surely in the case of a two year old this means next to?! I really don't want to spend another £20 on choosing seats if it's unnecessary.

OP posts:
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7
Fairymother · 29/06/2023 10:05

We never pay extra, kids are always sat next to us.
Surely if your child were not next to you, the person next to your child would swap!
No way they would wanna spend the entire flight entertaining someone elses 2 year old 🤣

WhenIWasAFieldMyself · 29/06/2023 09:51

Whitestuanton · 29/06/2023 09:44

Safe guarding is not just about sexual assault it is about keeping children safe generally and also about keeping adults safe from accusation.

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Yes, I know.
I'm currently preparing the safeguarding guidelines for our new members of staff. (DSL)

Whitestuanton · 29/06/2023 09:44

WhenIWasAFieldMyself · 28/06/2023 11:26

Nothing you say is either correct or in any way connected to safeguarding.

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Safe guarding is not just about sexual assault it is about keeping children safe generally and also about keeping adults safe from accusation.

Jem123456789 · 28/06/2023 21:05

They’re not going to separate you from a 2 year old !

notimagain · 28/06/2023 18:33

Puzzledandpissedoff · 28/06/2023 18:17

I wonder what happened in 1980

That was around the time of deregulation @SunnyEgg, so I'm wondering if, knowing more competition would force prices to fall, they jacked them up in advance

Deregulation in the States I think happened in around '78...

The 1980 fare spike might have been down to oil prices which I hazily recall may have hit a high point around then. If I recall it correctly it then started sliding downwards in a lull that lasted for a decade plus, which would help explain the RHS of that chart

Puzzledandpissedoff · 28/06/2023 18:17

I wonder what happened in 1980

That was around the time of deregulation @SunnyEgg, so I'm wondering if, knowing more competition would force prices to fall, they jacked them up in advance

pleasehelpwi3 · 28/06/2023 17:58

KM123456 · 26/06/2023 04:05

Another entitled parent who thinks everyone else should accommodate them--for free. And then wonders why people complain about other peoples' kids on airlines.
She probably won't bring any toys, food or drinks for the kids either, and complain about passengers who object to him kicking their chair.
Pay the damn money.

Are you an Easyjet shareholder, spouting such nonsense?
In 12 years of flying far too often than is good for the planet, I've never paid and never been split up from my child.
Nothing entitled about not paying to sit next to my own family.

jojo2202 · 28/06/2023 17:31

i travel probably 3 times a year with children/ babies. I have never paid and have always been sat together.

SunnyEgg · 28/06/2023 17:31

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/06/2023 22:10

Here you go, @SunnyEgg - you asked aboutt flight price changes over time, and though this one's in dollars it's the closest I can get: https://www.in2013dollars.com/Airline-fares/price-inflation

Note in particular what happened after the Covid shutdown Hmm

Thanks for this. I wonder what happened in 1980

yogasaurus · 28/06/2023 14:39

Natzyc · 28/06/2023 14:06

Well in that case .. they would have to move wouldn’t they or they would have someone’s toddler pestering them … duuuhhhh

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Or they could pop their headphones on and carry on living their life in the seat they’ve paid for

Natzyc · 28/06/2023 14:14

PuttingDownRoots · 28/06/2023 14:11

@Natzyc what if they can't switch as they have their own child sitting the other side of them? Like another thread running today?

It would never happen would it come on. They aren’t going to seperate a parent from a tot

PuttingDownRoots · 28/06/2023 14:11

@Natzyc what if they can't switch as they have their own child sitting the other side of them? Like another thread running today?

Natzyc · 28/06/2023 14:06

yogasaurus · 28/06/2023 13:53

Why would they have anything to do with a random child sitting next to them? No one would have to babysit. The parent parents, no one else

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Well in that case .. they would have to move wouldn’t they or they would have someone’s toddler pestering them … duuuhhhh

Sugarfree23 · 28/06/2023 14:01

Well maybe we've been lucky but in 12 years travelling with kids, usually twice a year bar covid, we have never been separated from the kids.

Usually DH as lead on the booking ends up in between kids and me across the asile, but occasionally I endup a couple of rows away.

mainsfed · 28/06/2023 13:56

Sugarfree23 · 28/06/2023 13:12

What hassle? Airlines don't want unaccompanied kids they won't separate kids from parents

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So you're ignoring all the cases up thread where kids have been sat behind or in front of their parents and been miserable?

yogasaurus · 28/06/2023 13:53

Natzyc · 28/06/2023 13:49

You could end up babysitting then hahaha

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Why would they have anything to do with a random child sitting next to them? No one would have to babysit. The parent parents, no one else

Natzyc · 28/06/2023 13:49

mainsfed · 24/06/2023 17:46

I wouldn’t move for you either.

You could end up babysitting then hahaha

Precipice · 28/06/2023 13:46

Sugarfree23 · 28/06/2023 13:12

What hassle? Airlines don't want unaccompanied kids they won't separate kids from parents

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Yet this thread contains various anecdotal examples of being separated from children by airlines.

Sugarfree23 · 28/06/2023 13:12

nidgey · 28/06/2023 12:39

Why would you not just pay the £20 instead of all this hassle?

What hassle? Airlines don't want unaccompanied kids they won't separate kids from parents

Sugarfree23 · 28/06/2023 12:44

LouDeLou · 28/06/2023 11:17

Also, I have a fun story - there is only 1 extra oxygen mask in a seat of 3.

When travelling with my husband and two babies, we were sat next to each other (in the old days before all this shite).

The air hostess notices and says "there is only 1 extra oxygen mask, you cannot have 2 babies next to each other".

OK? I say. Why seat us next to each other if we can't sit together? Never mind, one of us will just move.

"You can't move. The plane is full. Can someone else hold your baby?".

I kid you not. We were travelling with a 3month and 1 year old (yes they are very close in age).

The man in the aisle next to us laughingly said "your baby is beautiful, I'd happily hold him but it might just be better if we swap seats".

You couldn't make it up!

Ive heard of that before with a friend with twins, there is only an extra one in every other row.

nidgey · 28/06/2023 12:39

Why would you not just pay the £20 instead of all this hassle?

StaringAtTheWater · 28/06/2023 12:29

I've flown Easyjet many times, and have always got enough seats together without reserving (four of us travelling so we either get two twos, or three seats together and one elsewhere). Check in as early as you can and you'll be fine.

KarmenPQZ · 28/06/2023 12:19

Don’t risk it. I did earlier this year and by the time check in opened they were NO two seats left together as everyone else had paid to sit together. I figured we’d work it out on the plane but all 4 of us ended up sitting at opposite ends. I raised to the flight staff that it was a safe guarding issue that my 4 year old was not by us and they shrugged and said if I wanted we could get off the plane and staff at the airport would help us arrange another flight.

in the end my youngest was sat in front of me and ended up vomiting on the flight as he spent so much time looking back at me he must have got really travel sick. His row cleared out of their seats in record time to get away from him.

weirdly on the way home he checked in and got 4 seats together no bother.

RausageSoul · 28/06/2023 12:10

If you're concerned enough to ask mn then just pay and relax.

It's cost me almost £400 to select 3 seats on an economy fare of £4k as my daughter is over 12 so no guarantee of being near me

It's a 12hr flight and I baulked at the price but at least I can just forget about it now.

Lavellan · 28/06/2023 12:01

Couldn't disagree more with people on here who think those with young children should pay for an allocated seat. They must enjoy handing money over to airlines for naff all.

Paying to choose a seat should be for someone who is picky about window or aisle, or wants to be near the loos, or couples who want to sleep on each others shoulders. Not for 2 year olds who can't be left alone and who don't have a choice.

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