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Plane seats - refused to swap

590 replies

Annoyed321 · 25/08/2025 16:28

please bear with me, I really need to vent but I need advice too.

Holiday with DH, 8 year old DD and 5 year old DS. Our seats were allocated away from each other. Not even on same aisle literally scattered on different parts of the plane. DH books and sorts checking in and I don’t usually get involved. He tried to apparently check in 24 hours before the flight but there was an error (he didn’t tell me), he was unable to check in and was advised online chat to see a member of staff at airport when we were flying, we get to check in on day of flight and lady says she can’t sit us together. I pleaded with her to at least let there be one of us sat with each child, no problem about all 4 of us sitting together.

She said to ask people when we get to the seat if anyone will swap with us. When we got there everyone refused, which I don’t really blame them as they checked in and chose their seats we didn’t or couldn’t.

I got very emotional as my 5 year old was crying about not sitting next to me DH as usual was unbothered and was just standing around looking unfazed. I’m really embarrassed about my reaction but he said it’s fine and I said it’s not fine “I’m not having my kids sat in between strangers”. It wasn’t as dramatic as I’m making out as it was over very quickly as the cabin crew we spoke to on boarding were able to allocate 2 seats together. Myself and my 5 year old took it and DH sat 2 rows In front of DD who was sat inbetween 2 men, DH was also sat between 2 guys so made no difference where I put her.

I was upset the entire flight and kept asking DH to keep an eye on DD, DH kept rolling his eyes and ignoring me. I felt like a bad mother leaving my child sat there with strangers. I feel embarrassed incase anyone videoed me at the start asking/pleading with people to please swap seats to allow me to sit next to my 2 kids. I only asked about 2 people and they avoided eye contact and ignored me, again I get it.

advice: DH is old fashioned (or should say a complete knob) he won’t share the booking details of flight with me as he’s worried I will mess up the booking, like I’m a stupid child! So I need advice please how can I make sure I am sat next to my kids on flight back home? I will need a booking reference I know which I will have to keep asking him for but the holiday was booked via Expedia and I think that’s what messed up when was trying to check in online 24 hours before. How can I check in if flights were booked with Expedia? I will call them if he doesn’t share booking ref but I doubt they will speak to me due to data protection. Any advice please?

Please be kind and don’t make me feel worse than I feel. Can anyone at least relate with me about how upset I was about DD sat alone? I am a survivor of childhood SA so my feelings might be out of place but I also read a news article literally a few days before flight if a 15 year old girl getting assaulted by a fellow passenger during a flight do these things do happen.

OP posts:
MissScarletInTheBallroom · 26/08/2025 11:19

mylovedoesitgood · 26/08/2025 11:14

Why didn’t you pay for her to sit by you?

You didn’t move him, by the way. You know full well you would have been in serious trouble if you’d tried.

This is the wrong question. The right question is why was he sitting in her seat?

mylovedoesitgood · 26/08/2025 11:16

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

mylovedoesitgood · 26/08/2025 11:14

Meandmyguy · 26/08/2025 11:02

My daughter was flying on her own, 16 the chap sitting next to her wouldn't mover out of her window seat. I moved him.

I would have swapped with you op.

Why didn’t you pay for her to sit by you?

You didn’t move him, by the way. You know full well you would have been in serious trouble if you’d tried.

Meandmyguy · 26/08/2025 11:02

My daughter was flying on her own, 16 the chap sitting next to her wouldn't mover out of her window seat. I moved him.

I would have swapped with you op.

SabrinaThwaite · 26/08/2025 10:57

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 26/08/2025 10:30

No wonder. You should definitely ask for a refund.

we sat on a plane for 20 mins last year as a dad travelling with his two kids (looked about 8 and 10) hadn’t booked and were sitting separately. They just stood in the aisles saying someone has to swap. Eventually the cabin crew found a single traveller from the passenger list, and asked her to move. She said, well, doesn’t look like I have much choice does it?

I honestly don’t know how people have to cheek to expect others to move for them.

I was once held back at the aircraft door whilst my colleagues boarded and finally allowed to board with a new seat number - only discovered on landing it was so I could be sat next to an unaccompanied minor (female child).

ParmaVioletTea · 26/08/2025 10:43

VickyEadieofThigh · 26/08/2025 08:47

We flew home from holiday last Friday. We'd paid about £100 to get the seats we wanted together. At check-in we were moved so that a family could sit together. No refund. I'm still fucking furious.

Don't blame you. It's that sort of behaviour by airlines and cheapskate entitled families that makes people like me adamant that I won't swap when asked.

HisNibs · 26/08/2025 10:31

My next flight is long haul in January. To upgrade to premium - £333. To upgrade to an exit row seat - £74. To upgrade to extra legroom - £63. To prebook a standard economy seat - £22.50. To wing it and hope for the best - free. This is per person, each way. If I've paid extra money for my seat, I'm not giving it away. I may swap if I too have opted to trust to luck.

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 26/08/2025 10:30

VickyEadieofThigh · 26/08/2025 08:47

We flew home from holiday last Friday. We'd paid about £100 to get the seats we wanted together. At check-in we were moved so that a family could sit together. No refund. I'm still fucking furious.

No wonder. You should definitely ask for a refund.

we sat on a plane for 20 mins last year as a dad travelling with his two kids (looked about 8 and 10) hadn’t booked and were sitting separately. They just stood in the aisles saying someone has to swap. Eventually the cabin crew found a single traveller from the passenger list, and asked her to move. She said, well, doesn’t look like I have much choice does it?

I honestly don’t know how people have to cheek to expect others to move for them.

GCAcademic · 26/08/2025 10:27

VickyEadieofThigh · 26/08/2025 08:47

We flew home from holiday last Friday. We'd paid about £100 to get the seats we wanted together. At check-in we were moved so that a family could sit together. No refund. I'm still fucking furious.

Surely they're obliged to refund you? That's outrageous.

VickyEadieofThigh · 26/08/2025 08:47

We flew home from holiday last Friday. We'd paid about £100 to get the seats we wanted together. At check-in we were moved so that a family could sit together. No refund. I'm still fucking furious.

FourIsNewSix · 26/08/2025 08:38

sexproblems · 26/08/2025 08:07

This makes NO sense. If you are booking and paying for seats, you choose them at the time of booking, not when you check in. You'd be left with the shittest seats 24 hours before.

We are going away in November and March. Seats have been booked for MONTHS already.

Depending on the combination of the airline and agent this might not be possible and you don't know it won't be possible when you start your booking.

On some flights the choice 24 hours in advance is actually quite fine/you can still pay for places at that moment.

And once again with some combinations of airline and third party even the 24 hours check-in isn't available.

sexproblems · 26/08/2025 08:07

Annoyed321 · 25/08/2025 16:43

Sorry I don’t think I’m being clear. We would have been able to choose our seats when we checked in but he couldn’t complete it online. There was an error on the system as it’s booked via 3rd party. He’s done it before and I’ve seen him 24 hours before we check in and choose our seats but this time there was an error which he didn’t tell me about

This makes NO sense. If you are booking and paying for seats, you choose them at the time of booking, not when you check in. You'd be left with the shittest seats 24 hours before.

We are going away in November and March. Seats have been booked for MONTHS already.

KrisAkabusi · 26/08/2025 07:42

GCAcademic · 26/08/2025 07:26

Do Ryanair fly all over the world? The thought of flying long haul with them is horrifying!

No. Europe and the near parts of Asia and Africa only.

GCAcademic · 26/08/2025 07:26

RoseAlone · 25/08/2025 22:35

That's a shame I LOVE Ryanair!

We've had so many family holidays all over the world that there's no way we could have afforded on another airline. Also we've never had a delay or had lost luggage unlike BA who are the worst airline ever.

Long live Ryanair! 🏆

Do Ryanair fly all over the world? The thought of flying long haul with them is horrifying!

saltinesandcoffeecups · 26/08/2025 00:08

Lessons learned here I think:

  • Stop booking through 3rd party sites. They suck and when things go wrong they go very wrong
  • pay upfront if your seats mean that much to you
  • Don’t expect other people to care about your situation.
  • Don’t underestimate an 8 yo… I was flying unaccompanied at that age.
SabrinaThwaite · 26/08/2025 00:01

Cosyblankets · 25/08/2025 22:37

If the aircraft had been changed in this situation it would have been mentioned
That's not what happened here.
Other people paid
They didn't
That's what happened here

It’s more of a reminder to check the Ts and Cs of your booking, because you can book your seats well in advance in a specified cabin class and still get royally fucked over at check in for ‘operational reasons’.

Won’t be flying BA ever again.

TheM55 · 25/08/2025 23:57

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Florally · 25/08/2025 23:13

If we’re just reviewing airlines now I’d like to weigh in that of the ten flights I’ve had in the past 2 months (work)… the three easyJet’s were the ones that were cancelled. And terrible customer service. So annoying.

teksquad · 25/08/2025 23:02

RoseAlone · 25/08/2025 22:35

That's a shame I LOVE Ryanair!

We've had so many family holidays all over the world that there's no way we could have afforded on another airline. Also we've never had a delay or had lost luggage unlike BA who are the worst airline ever.

Long live Ryanair! 🏆

Is this the Ryanair Twitter/X feed? 😃

Cosyblankets · 25/08/2025 22:37

SabrinaThwaite · 25/08/2025 22:16

I guess it also depends on how reasonable the fee is for booking seats.

Plus you need to be aware that if the aircraft type is changed for operational reasons, your seat bookings and cabin class can be changed without notice.

WRT to EasyJet, I always check in as soon as possible and the family has always been sat together at no extra charge.

If the aircraft had been changed in this situation it would have been mentioned
That's not what happened here.
Other people paid
They didn't
That's what happened here

RoseAlone · 25/08/2025 22:35

Robin67 · 25/08/2025 17:17

Even if it wasn't them, I just came here to say

I HATE RYANAIR

That's a shame I LOVE Ryanair!

We've had so many family holidays all over the world that there's no way we could have afforded on another airline. Also we've never had a delay or had lost luggage unlike BA who are the worst airline ever.

Long live Ryanair! 🏆

ilovesooty · 25/08/2025 22:25

OhHellolittleone · 25/08/2025 18:09

I think it’s rude not to move, I really do. I always move, I find it baffling that there are so many threads and sooo many people who think it’s ’their Right’ to sit in their booked seat. Yes, you chose it, but now you need to swap. Although, once my husband had someone ask him to swap, to economy..ha… which really is cheeky fuckery.

If I've paid extra for the seat I've chosen I don't think I "need" to swap.

RoseAlone · 25/08/2025 22:24

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This reply has been hidden until the MNHQ team can have a look at it.

SabrinaThwaite · 25/08/2025 22:16

Cosyblankets · 25/08/2025 21:45

No one is being high and mighty and of course I'd have to move if the airline said so.

My point is they could have booked (well the controlling husband could have booked) the seats when they booked the trip. Just like it looks like the majority of the other passengers did.... hence the lack of seats together. I factor it in to the cost of my holiday. Just like the taxi from the airport or the airport parking or the checked in bag.

I guess it also depends on how reasonable the fee is for booking seats.

Plus you need to be aware that if the aircraft type is changed for operational reasons, your seat bookings and cabin class can be changed without notice.

WRT to EasyJet, I always check in as soon as possible and the family has always been sat together at no extra charge.

bumbaloo · 25/08/2025 22:15

Overnightoatsareyummy · 25/08/2025 19:08

Absolutely not true. I am
the first to jump seats for an elderly person or
aomeone with visual disabilities. It doesn’t seem you are aware that people with invisible disabilities wear lanyards now.
so spare the lecture please. I also can ask them kindly first if there was a particular reason for them to be seated there. 9 times out of 10, most individuals I have come across have been kind and courteous to the point they help us with our bags or try to entertain the kids.
Im guessing you are the other 1 in 10!!! Presuming you have never travelled woth young children and don’t understand the complexities of it.
But saying all that, I usually travel business or pick my seats wisely.

Edited

How arrogant of you to assume we all wear sunflower lanyards.
lesson to you. We don’t.