Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Paying for seats together on a plane...would you pay?

127 replies

louisekkh · 12/04/2022 22:55

I'm flying on a 5 hour flight in the summer with my boyfriend.
It's my first time abroad in years and I get nervous on the plane.
We are flying with TUI and it will cost £44 to pre book seats together.
Would you pay this ? Or do you think we will get sat together anyway?
I don't know what to do

OP posts:
axolotlfloof · 13/04/2022 08:38

I have never paid but don't particularly mind sitting apart.
If you need to sit next to him I would pay.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 13/04/2022 08:41

If it’s important to you to sit together then pay. I work for an airline and when travelling myself I pay as we want to sit together. Planes are near capacity right now, if you don’t pay you may be separated.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 13/04/2022 08:42

@TolkiensFallow

I don’t book but this is because they legally have to sit children with parents so I know we’ll be together. I do think it’s unfair on people to be made to book for a seat they’ve already purchased!
Bearing in mind together includes across an aisle or in front and behind. And just one adult with the children. Not the whole party sitting together.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Flying Holidays
BeyondMyWits · 13/04/2022 08:43

@TolkiensFallow

I don’t book but this is because they legally have to sit children with parents so I know we’ll be together. I do think it’s unfair on people to be made to book for a seat they’ve already purchased!
"With" in airline speak is any seat immediately beside, in front, behind, across an aisle or diagonal so if you are in a central seat in a line of 3, your child could be in any of 8 other seats... legally...
CeeceeBloomingdale · 13/04/2022 08:46

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

Yes I'd pay for 5 hours.

I was led to believe that some airlines deliberately seat people apart to encourage people to pay but I don't know if that is true but it wouldn't surprise me.

It is annoying and I can see no reason why seats cannot be allocated / chosen at the time of booking. It's not as though they are working it all out on scraps of paper - or are they? 😮

Budget airlines might bseperate on purpose but most don’t.

There are legal requirements to sit young children with parents, passengers with disabilities or medical needs etc so they can’t just allocate at point of sale. If a wheelchair passenger booked the day before they wouldn’t be able to travel as there would be no suitable seats.

PandoraP · 13/04/2022 08:49

I don’t pay and we don’t sit together. I used to pay when my children were younger to sit with them and really resented having to do this. They don’t sit children with parents necessarily unless they are very small.

rookiemere · 13/04/2022 08:51

Ryanair deliberately separates you, Easyjet tends not to.

It's your choice. It's two adults so there's no compunction on the airline to seat you together. Only you know what flight it is and how popular it's likely to be.

If there is an option not to pay right now and the seat price doesn't go up, then you could keep an eye on it and pay nearer the time if it looks busy.

If I hadn't paid I would move for a family to sit together, but unless it was a better seat I definitely wouldn't move for two adults who hadn't paid for seats to sit together.

Tapsaffweather · 13/04/2022 08:54

Looking forward to the holiday is part of the joy so if this is going to worry you then I would pay so that you can relax in the run up. Better pay than ask yourself several times a day if you should book seats or not. Or that might be just how my brain works!

randomsabreuse · 13/04/2022 08:55

I'd not bother but I'd prefer to read in peace for the flight so the only reason for sitting next to DH is that he's skinny enough that I'd get a fair share of the armrest..

I'd even consider paying for DH to get a legroom seat and me not- as I'm short enough for it to make no difference.

I've done a fair amount of solo travelling for sport so most of my flights are next to strangers!

namechangeanonymous · 13/04/2022 08:56

Its only the last three times since travel opened back up that we've ever been separated I think they're doing it purposefully now. I wouldn't pay unless it was massively long haul/honeymoon etc but equally I won't move if people haven't paid and want me to work around them, sorry.

whenwillthemadnessend · 13/04/2022 08:57

I've just flown out to Greece. We booked and they had changed plane with out our knowledge to a smaller plane so now I have to claim our money back.

We were seated together in end but only because a family didn't turn up to the gate.

One couple were separated with a baby.

EasyJet.

Mummyoflittledragon · 13/04/2022 08:58

You definitely should pay. If you aren’t seated together, they won’t accommodate you on the day because you’re a bit nervous. The flight attendants will be more concerned with ensuring young children are with their parents and disabled people with a carer.

whenwillthemadnessend · 13/04/2022 08:58

The couple separated hadn't booked

notacooldad · 13/04/2022 08:59

No. I dont pay.
I'm not bothered if we sit together or not.

I've never been put next to the person I was flying with in recent years except for a flight to Australia when we all sat together.

Nellle · 13/04/2022 09:00

I would pay. Just did my first flight with baby sat between two strangers because husband assumed we'd probably get seats together and didn't sort it!

PrincessPaws · 13/04/2022 09:00

If you want to guarantee sitting together you pay, if you aren't bothered and are willing to take the risk then don't.

But please whatever you do, don't be one of those entitled couples that don't pay, and then find out they are halfway down the plane from each other and expect people who have paid to move around and accommodate you.

If your flight anxiety means you need to sit next to him, pay

purpledagger · 13/04/2022 09:00

I think you should pay, for your own piece of mind, or expect to be separated on the flight.

We are a family of four with an 11 and 9 year old and we've always paid, so me and OH are sitting next to a child each. The last time we flew, there was a woman with 3 boys, she was sitting next to us and the boys (primary school aged, so 7-10ish) were diagonally behind her. She spent the whole time with her head turned to watch turn. I would hate that.

I do begrudge paying though.

RubbishDay · 13/04/2022 09:03

I always have done because I want to be next to my DH so we can chat etc on the plane. Yes sometimes you can get away with not paying and be together but it just isn't worth the hassle so I pay.

BuanoKubiamVej · 13/04/2022 09:05

If it's important to you that you definitely sit together then pay. If you categorise sitting together as a "nice to have" but can cope without then save your money and take your chances. There's a good chance that you will be seated together anyway but it's not certain. Just don't do the awful thing of not paying and then disrupting everyone else by insisting on being given for free what others have paid for.

whoruntheworldgirls · 13/04/2022 09:05

Yes we always pay to ensure we're sat together

Itsbackagain · 13/04/2022 09:07

I always book seats and am happy to pay becauae I want to be guaranteed I sit next to my DP or whoever I am with.

RubbishDay · 13/04/2022 09:09

I wish they would change it (but know why they won't) so that instead of having to select 'sitting together' they had to give you a price which includes that and you have to select 'not guaranteed sitting together' to get a reduced price. This might stop the cheeky chancers that kick off and demand people move for them on the plane as they deliberately said they were fine wherever their seat was.

Chocoqueen · 13/04/2022 09:11

We don't pay because we're cheap and neither of us are nervous fliers (and more than happy to spend a few hours apart before being in each others pockets 24 hours a day 😆).

Some do intentionally separate though - I remember flying with Ryanair a few years ago. DH was sat behind me, and I had a guy next to me... who's wife was sat next to my DH. That had to be deliberate! We switched seats when we realised...

LadyMacduff · 13/04/2022 09:12

Picture yourself sitting alone on the plane. In that moment, do you regret not spending the £88?

Personally, sitting apart wouldn't bother me at all, but if it will cause a lot of worry, then it's worth it for you.

TheNoodlesIncident · 13/04/2022 09:13

I think for you it would be worth it as you can relax a little over the flight if you know you'll be sitting next to each other.

We always book our seats, it's one of the nice pre-holiday tasks. I wouldn't mind being separated that much as I always read during the flight anyway, but if we have gone to the bother and expense of booking there's no way I'd move for someone who hadn't. You're just conferring the time, effort and money involved to a total stranger who couldn't be bothered.

If it wasn't possible for anyone to book exact seats then I would consider moving to make things easier for a stranger, no problem with that. But you can, so if it's important to you where you sit then you should. And not try to browbeat someone who did bother.

Swipe left for the next trending thread