I effed up our holiday

[poppysgalore]

Flying out tomorrow on easyJet - family of five - first time on easyJet- had no idea we had to book our seats in advance. Just logged in and seen there's only random single seats left. Except for two rows that are near the fire exits so can't be allocated to under 16s. I'm gutted ! What do we do now , my youngest is 7 and the flight is 6 hours long. How could I be so stupid and not know this.

Op when it said you can pay to choose your seats did you think it just meant where you would ALL end up sitting. As in you assumed you would be together but wasn't bothered where.

I can see me being confused by this.

You can't surely write an airline off, before you've travelled, just because you messed up the process?!

You thought that was rude?

<backs away quickly>

Won't most people be sat with families / friends / partners / children? I don't suppose many people travel to Egypt alone?

Unless you are flying business or paying eh extra for flexible economy or a frequent flyer then all the mentioned airlines - emirates BA etc operate on the same principle. Pay for your seats or take a chance at online check in. This is absolutely not unique to easy jet… this is one of the ways all airlines make money.

The wisest move would probably be to book return seats asap. The chances of catching a tummy virus in Egypt are pretty high. There's no chance in hell I'd want to sit next to a small unaccompanied child on an Easyjet flight after a week's hols in Egypt 😷

I can’t imagine anyone saying no so young children can sit with their parent. Do people refuse requests? I guess they might if they have paid for their seat.

@Julianne65 Read the full thread !

I can think of plenty of reasons to say no 🤷‍♀️

Disability
Wanting to be close to a toilet
Being scared to fly alone
Being a carer for another passenger
Needing an aisle seat for some reason

FWIW I have never paid for seats on easyjet, we fly with them often, and we’ve always been together or nearly together (eg in 2 & 2 a row apart).

However I do check in 30 days ahead. Appreciate this doesn’t help the OP but in case others are reading for future.

I would never tell anyone that I think they might molest my child. I would simply remind my child of what to do if they are made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. If that triggers anyone sitting nearby, that's their issue not mine.

Yep, I’ve flown long haul economy on BA and Emirates and have had my parents check in for the return leg for me during holidays where I’m unlikely to be connected when check in opens, because I want to avoid paying for seats, and want the best selection of what’s available when I can choose for free.

I’ve just had a quick look at the Easyjet site and gone through it as though I’m booking a flight and I genuinely cannot understand how OP could have missed that part. They aren’t exactly subtle about it.

Have you not read all the comments on social media sites about people like you who haven't bothered to read the terms and then expect those who have paid for reserved seats to give them up for people like you.

Definitely learnt for next time although I suspect this will be the first and last time we fly easyJet !

Why? This was user error, OP. They’re perfectly fine for travelling if you read what you have to do and are competitively priced.

A few people on here have mentioned being forced to move seats to accommodate families or for other reasons. If like me you are a nervous flyer this can be quite stress making. I always book a window seat in front of the wing as I find that the least stressful place to be. I now always tell the cabin crew that I am a nervous flyer and they are usually really great. On a recent flight they said they were glad I'd mentioned it as they needed to redistribute people for load bearing reasons and said they'd otherwise have asked me to move as I was traveling alone. I also got some extra bottles of water.... Now I know about Easyjet and Ryanair issuing new boarding cards I think I'll consider telling check in staff as well. A discreet word on embarkation is probably better than trying to argue the toss later when everyone is listening avidly as they want you to be the one who has to move.

Just relax, don't get so wound up. I used to frequently fly unaccompanied as a child back in the 70's, didn't hurt me. Your children won't suffer if they have to sit next to a stranger for few hours. They are going to have to do a lot of that when they grow-up.

Hmmm. I thought this was a special making memories trip with op heavily implying op and family don’t fly very often but actually op does, it is just on fancier airlines and her husband sorts it for her. Ah well lesson learned I guess?

Indeed. Ditto Ryanair. As long as you click through carefully to avoid the extras and read the requirements carefully it's always been fine for me.

To be fair if I was flying with a partner on a 7 hour flight I wouldn't want to move . I like having someone to chat to during the flight but if I was solo anyway I wouldn't care less.

Same here, Dappledthings, though the one which really drrives me mad on all of them is when the "add hold luggage" goes on popping up even when you've already booked it - and without mentioning what you've booked on that page

Doubtless the excuse would be "it's for folk who want to add more", but I often wonder just how much they make out of those who think "Oh god, they they didn't note my orginal one, or maybe I forgot to do it"

Definitely take cash with you so that you are ready to ensure that anyone kind enough to swap seats is not out of pocket. Also take nice chocolates for the ones who refuse the cash but still swap!!

Separately, we pay for allocated seats on both BA and Emirates so it seems likely that your husband would be aware of this fairly standard policy if he usually does the holiday bookings?

Or just not wanting to change the seat that you selected & paid for.

Even if I'm travelling alone or for business I select my preferred seat & pay for it. I'm not moving for someone who wasn't bothered to do the same.

I would never tell anyone that I think they might molest my child. I would simply remind my child of what to do if they are made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. If that triggers anyone sitting nearby, that's their issue not mine.

You specifically said you tell your child, in the hearing of those sitting next to them, that no one should be touching them and if they felt uncomfortable etc etc. What other meaning did you intend to convey?

Airlines, can, and do, force people to move seats. If they have paid for a specific seat, this is usually refunded. That’s it. Some give complimentary drinks. I’ve never heard of them forcing a swap but not refunding.

OP I hope it goes ok for you, lesson learned, as you’ve stated.