Ryanair made 4yr old sit alone

You clearly didn't pay the extra to get seating together. It's worth the little bit extra with young DC. DH and I don't bother because it's just us but with a DC I would.

Well because this poster just wants an argument I guess.

Yeah this. You always get dicks on AIBU jumping on and saying it's your own fault you should have paid to select seats but why? I never pay to select seats because we don't care where we sit as long as a child is near an adult (and yes across the aisle or one row in front or behind is fine for us) so since it's in their bloody T & C's why should we pay an extra £120 or whatever it is for us to be in the same situation we should be anyway??

Noone is trying to move people who have paid for a chosen seat, the issue we have is that they are deliberately spitting up groups just to squeeze extra money out of people.

We all know that.

That's what they do so that they can make money and then they can offer flights to Barcelona for £19. That's their business model.

They do squeeze money out of people. If you don't mind sitting apart it's super cheap. The costs come when you make choices.

Noone is trying to move people who have paid for a chosen seat, the issue we have is that they are deliberately spitting up groups just to squeeze extra money out of people.

And if the parents were really that bothered one of them would have sat with the youngest kid

It's not the responsibility of people in booked and prepaid seats.

And their sibling, who they were sitting with.

If you dont pay for seats they always split you up.

Why should others that have pre paid for their seats have to move to accommodate you?

Disgusting to make a 4 year old sit with strangers.

I am epileptic and always booked to sit next to my husband and got very fed up of having to explain my disability to a whole plane while entitled parents who had not booked seats were trying to get me to move so they could sit next to their child. Then I more then likely had to explain again because they got the cabin crew involved.

Now we have a son we still book so we are all sat together.

I agree with this. And the cost of this should be passed on to the people needing the reservation, not passengers in general. And I agree if the seats together are not an option, then they should not be able to proceed with the booking

It feels so unfair for people to be forced to swap once on the plane (as is some people's experience on this thread) because some with children have chosen not to reserve seats together (or not realised they need to do this) and then realise they need to change seats once on the plane.

These are budget airlines, which keeps the cost down and single passengers/those who dont care where or who they sit with should still have the option of these cheap seats and those who need the extra should be the ones paying for that

Absolutely. As a lone traveller I already pay supplements that couples and families don't have to pay. I'm not keen to have their need to sit together incorporated into the base price. I'm also not going to be guilted into giving up a seat if I've paid extra for it.

Nope. The simplest answer is for it to be impossible, once you've entered a child-aged passenger, to not book a reserved seat for them which is next to the parent. If the plane is full then it should be impossible to book onto that flight.

Single passengers deserve to have the flexibility of travelling without this requirement if they choose. We already spend far too much on single subsidies as it is.

It's not a simple answer it's a crap answer that makes single travellers subsidise families.

The easiest and cheapest passengers to accommodate are those who don't care where they sit ir who they sit with. Why shouldn't they get a discount? The problems are caused by freeloaders trying to get the upgraded service at the discount price.

The simple answer is for the practice to be banned and all airlines required to offer seat selection at the time you book and pay for flights. Or they are charged double or triple air passenger duty.

Make Ryanair very expensive unless they stop all these rip-offs, they will comply.

Yep! The website is a total clusterfuck I can't even begin to navigate it....I feel bad that so many people are dismissive of an error like this just BeCAUse tHey haVE PAID!!!!

No I don't, and I never said that. I was taking about people in this thread who said why, because of health or disability they need a certain seat, in response to my intitial comments . I conceded on that point recognising why they couldn't move/swap.
Not sure why you're trying to push an argument on this and make me out as if I have something against people with disabilities? That has never been the point of my post other than I didn't explicitly mention that group of people as being reasonable not to move give they need that seats .
I still think a person who let's a 4 year old sit by themselves on a plane is not a good person and if they don't need that seat, other that they've paid some rip off addtional cost then I think that motivation in life sucks.

This happened to us once. The website was confusing to me and I thought I’d done everything right (neurodivergent). Got on plane and no, seats not together. Luckily the staff were lovely and I explained my daughter has anxiety disorder. People should be more forgiving in society. Seeing it play out in Big Brother right now. You’re not allowed to get things wrong anymore as this forum shows. So no, YANBU!

I think its a safety issue as well as a safeguarding issue.

I loathe Ryan air..
.

So you'll know just by looking at people on a plane who has additional needs and should therefore be exempt from your expectations of swapping, and who is fair game to pick on? You've a magic radar that can tell who has picked their seat for a valid reason and who just cares about the pound signs, right?

Ryanair are indeed awful, but so are people who fly with them knowing full well what CFs they are and try to cut corners and expect others to bail them out. Both things can be true.

No, I'm absolutely not one of those people, and indeed mentioned in another post on here that I'm not expecting those who need to be near toilets etc for health disabilities etc to move.
I'm just saddened that so many people (without any addtional needs) would just see pound signs over a child's welfare. But hey, money talks and to hell with everyone else who dared to not pay 20pounds or indeed as OP has updated been done over by Ryanair and their race to the bottom capitalist policies.....hence why I don't fly with them unless no other option.....they clearly bring out the worst in people too.

My bad then !

Yes but you have to actually select them during the booking, it's not clear if OP did that.

The seat numbers are on the confirmation email if you book them.