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Original poster

Plane seat drama

387 replies

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 12:29

Just returned from a European break, booked 4 plane tickets for DH and 2 DS (19 &16) and I, eldest DS decided too old to go away with mum and dad so stayed at home. I contacted the airline as cheap non refundable ticket but said I can use it as a spare seat between DH and I so all good.

On return flight, only 2 hours long and we have seats A (me) B (spare) C (DH) and D (DS) then a couple with a baby in E & F

Couple with baby realised we were together and pretty much demanded DS moved to seat B - I politely pointed out it wasn't a random spare seat but a booked and paid for one, now I have 2 kids so appreciate it's hard to travel with a little one and would have offered the seat but they were so bloody rude and entitled. I pointed out we had paid for 4 seats and they had only paid for 2 - so asked for a contribution towards cost £30 (by this point they are just demanding the seat because they have a child)

They got pretty rude and offensive (called me a fat b**ch) so I said no, stewardess said was up to me

Should I have given them the seat?

OP posts:
Original poster
itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 14:51

WallaceinAnderland · 02/08/2024 14:38

Which airline is this? I didn't realise that you could book extra seats. I might do that next time we need to fly.

EasyJet - just live chat them as even if you don't have a spare passenger line I did they will talk you through what you do to book the spare seat as it's quite common now.

Lots of forums with instructions too so I'm surprised at all the airport staff on here who are not familiar with this

OP posts:
Twinklefloss · 02/08/2024 14:50

So astonishing that someone thinks it’s a good idea to call someone a “fat bitch” when they are going to be sitting in very close proximity to them for several hours. How awkward. What is this woman like when she’s at home on her own turf? What a horrible woman.

OP ; no you didn’t have to give up your seating arrangements. Technically your son’s no show seat might have gone back into the pool of seats but that was just the one seat. If the flight attendant said it was up to you, it’s up to you, and of course you’re not going to move for someone who’s abusive to you.

Original poster
itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 14:48

lolly792 · 02/08/2024 12:51

Absolutely would not have given up my seat, so you're totally in the right there.

BUT ... 'a spare seat between DH and I' ?????!!!

It's 'between DH and me'

Im honestly not normally pedantic about grammar but this just sounds so awful that I can't let it go!

Grammatically either can be used but it depends on the situation.

The easiest way to decide is to put in into a sentence without DH or DS as follows,

Me had seat A
I had seat A

Obviously you would say I had seat A so using I would be grammatically correct

OP posts:
Violettateal · 02/08/2024 14:48

Asking for money tho🤔

fitzwilliamdarcy · 02/08/2024 14:46

No, if only to dissuade them of what will inevitably be years of thinking they can just take other people’s stuff and be rude to them, because they have a child.

notimagain · 02/08/2024 14:45

WallaceinAnderland · 02/08/2024 14:38

Which airline is this? I didn't realise that you could book extra seats. I might do that next time we need to fly.

I think in the OPs case they got the spare seat by accident, so to speak.

BA certainly allow you to book an extra seat that if you want or need more space, I’m sure a lot of other airlines allow similar..you can usually find details on the websites.

WallaceinAnderland · 02/08/2024 14:38

Which airline is this? I didn't realise that you could book extra seats. I might do that next time we need to fly.

Clueless2024 · 02/08/2024 14:38

JMSA · 02/08/2024 12:34

Asking for money for the seat is really embarrassing.
But there's no way they should have been so rude:

No it isn't. They paid for it, offered to sell it. It's a transaction. Not sure how that is embarrassing.

ImCamembertTheBigCheese · 02/08/2024 14:36

No, rude fuckers can fuck off

HaveSomeIntrospect · 02/08/2024 14:33

I paid for myself and my two children to go away. One of them couldn’t come but it was too late to change the name on the booking without a massive fee.
i had paid for seating together and was worried about the seat being reallocated so I checked us all in online and when we got to the airport to check in our bags, I told the airline that me child wasn’t coming.
the flight was packed there and back but my child and I had a row of 3 seats to ourselves. I paid for them and I wanted to use them.

HollyKnight · 02/08/2024 14:33

I would have sat on her. Cheeky cow.

Original poster
itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 14:32

Peony15 · 02/08/2024 14:02

Former airline staff here.
If you book a ticket and no show / don't check
in within the airline's deadline you are not entitled to your " seat " as you are no longer flying.
The seat gets released when the flight closes between 60-40 mins before departure generally.
Every airline also overbooks flights to cover for no shows / people missing flights due to traffic, illness, late connecting flights.
Nor do you get guaranteed a specific seat even if you paid for it in case of equipment change/ defect seats / accomodating people who
by law have to sit together or close by ( kids under 12 have to be within reach of parents in adjacent seats/behind/across aisle ) to put on oxgygen masks in emergency.
When DS no
showed you lost the seat and the airline could have reallocated it after check in deadline. You ticket was non refundable, maybe travel insurance covers it depending on circumstance. You were not entitled to the empty seat, any passenger could have been allocated it but sometimes if flights are empty no show seats stay unfilled.
I can see why you think you " owned "
DS seat but you didn't.
Just info, not commenting on scenario of the other passenger.

Edited

So, as per airlines instructions we had checked in online for all 4 passengers online prior to the flight and told staff at gate that we were only 3 with 4 seats and that us this particular airline procedure, we also mentioned it at bag checkin

You cannot bring any carry on baggage for the additional seat

OP posts:
GCAcademic · 02/08/2024 14:31

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 02/08/2024 14:28

I feel a bit insulted that you even ask.
Dh and I was brung up proper so we do know how to behave.

Show quote history

😂Sorry about that!

pinkyredrose · 02/08/2024 14:31

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 02/08/2024 14:28

I feel a bit insulted that you even ask.
Dh and I was brung up proper so we do know how to behave.

Show quote history

😂

Hoosemover · 02/08/2024 14:30

No….this is why society is going down the tubes. No-one is taking NO for an answer.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 02/08/2024 14:28

GCAcademic · 02/08/2024 13:36

Fair enough, but I hope you don’t spend the whole flight talking to each other across the poor person in the middle. I’ve seen people do this, and it’s really bloody rude.

Show quote history

I feel a bit insulted that you even ask.
Dh and I was brung up proper so we do know how to behave.

thenightsky · 02/08/2024 14:27

their “way”’would have ended with one of your party squished in the middle (presumably your DS) having paid for four seats, whilst they got to spread out. And take the prime aisle seat.

The seat that was empty (middle seat) would be the seat that I'd offer (if they'd been polite). Maybe. Certainly would not squish DS in the middle.

Debtfreegoals · 02/08/2024 14:24

im probably with a minority but you probably were being petty

Heliotropolis · 02/08/2024 14:24

No, you shouldn’t, and especially after the words “fat b” were uttered.

BettyBardMacDonald · 02/08/2024 14:21

JC89 · 02/08/2024 14:02

No, it wouldn't have been unreasonable for them to ask (once, politely) but once you said no that should have been the end of it. I wonder if they assumed you had only paid for 3 seats and chosen to leave a gap in the hope that you would get a free middle seat?

It's totally unreasonable for them to ask. It's always rude to bother strangers to benefit oneself.

LlynTegid · 02/08/2024 14:19

I'm glad you said no and feel better for doing so now.

I would support the airline refusing to carry someone like that again, not that it will happen.

notimagain · 02/08/2024 14:17

@Peony15

If you book a ticket and no show / don't check
in within the airlines deadline you are not entitled to your " seat " as you are no longer flying.
The seat gets released when the flight closes between 60-40 mins before departure generally.

Interesting but that’s one company’s policy.

Where I worked we used to close flights at most airports at STD -45.

Anybody who had not checked in on-line would have their seat reassigned at that stage but those who had checked in on-line kept their seats, since at most airports you didn’t have a scooby do whether those passengers were in the airport on the way to the gate or not.

As a result their seats did not go back into the pot be reassigned to, for example standby passengers.

We only knew the genuine numbers no-shows/none flyers on a flight at STD -3 minutes, when doors were closed….

pinkyredrose · 02/08/2024 14:14

CalmaLlamaDown · 02/08/2024 13:11

Going against the grain here, but I would have offered the spare seat once I saw they had a baby. It’s only a two hour flight, so personally the extra space wouldn’t have made that much difference to me.

But your seat, your decision.

If you want to give away something for free that you paid for that's up to you but most people wouldn't

pinacollateral · 02/08/2024 14:13

AnnieMcFanny · 02/08/2024 13:09

I wasn’t aware you could claim the seat if one of the passengers decided not to fly. It would surely be a ‘no show’ and the seat would then go back into the system to be allocated to another passenger.

Edited

They'd bought and paid for the seat though. If the airline won't refund it, they can't take it back.

AllThePotatoesAreSinging · 02/08/2024 14:12

itstoohotnow · 02/08/2024 12:29

Just returned from a European break, booked 4 plane tickets for DH and 2 DS (19 &16) and I, eldest DS decided too old to go away with mum and dad so stayed at home. I contacted the airline as cheap non refundable ticket but said I can use it as a spare seat between DH and I so all good.

On return flight, only 2 hours long and we have seats A (me) B (spare) C (DH) and D (DS) then a couple with a baby in E & F

Couple with baby realised we were together and pretty much demanded DS moved to seat B - I politely pointed out it wasn't a random spare seat but a booked and paid for one, now I have 2 kids so appreciate it's hard to travel with a little one and would have offered the seat but they were so bloody rude and entitled. I pointed out we had paid for 4 seats and they had only paid for 2 - so asked for a contribution towards cost £30 (by this point they are just demanding the seat because they have a child)

They got pretty rude and offensive (called me a fat b**ch) so I said no, stewardess said was up to me

Should I have given them the seat?

Once they called me a fat bitch I would have wanted 5x what I paid for it