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.

Take some cash with you and offer it to the people either side of one of the seats you have been allocated, as a thank you for swapping. And offer a 'better' seat, eg aisle, for a 'worse' middle seat. If one parent can sit next to your youngest and get two seats together for the older two children, you'll be doing OK, and the reality may be much better than that. But don't expect five seats together because that is unlikely to be possible.

No, but not booking and then calling people who won't swap selfish is cheap and entitled

Agreed, I'd ask for the child to be moved. If people want seats together they need to pay.

You need to check in on line not at airport, and print boarding passes for going and coming back, I've just flown to and from sharm el sheik with easy jet, came home last Friday. I never book seats as u have to pay extra, but then a fly alone so doesn't matter

Just Be clearly aware other people have paid to prebook seats for their own reasons.

I am sure staff maybe able to help, ask passengers nicely but don’t as per someone further up get your kids to create noise and mayhem to get your own way, how is that even fair on other passengers? Shocking behaviour, just ruining other people’s holiday for their selfish attitude.

I am sure as out of season there will be plenty of people happy to help, if not (try) to make fun somehow, maybe occasional peek a boo down the aisle etc, by these sweet games I am sure someone will offer anyway.

offering to reimburse people’s pre booking fee may help, I believe ranges from £8 a seat to around £30 depending on what row you have.

I only knew as read so many news stories on seat bookings and been on an EasyJet flight before they took bookings and I was shocked! Accidents happen though, totally understand it’s easily done.

good luck and have a lovely holiday.

No point worrying about it now. Just be apologetic and patient not demanding. it IS your fault and you are at the mercy of others.

lesson learned but have you just landed from Mars? This has been the case for eternity or at least since the rise of cheapo airlines.

i am just off on my first ever beach package holiday with TUI and we paid extra for seats when we booked 7 MONTHS AGO.

so needed for TOs as well. Do you always fly business class?

Hopefully people will be willing to move for you, and it sounds from PP's quoting the airline policy like they will try to help facilitate that though it can cause delays so not ideal.

For what it's worth, I always move for families. I'm actually a really nervous flyer and once regretted agreeing to do so once I saw the mum's seat was right at the back, but I ended up next to the most kind and lovely family with secondary school age kids.
Their mum realised I was anxious and they all talked to me lots and even shared their food - I remember it fondly as one of the most cheerful flights I've ever had!

If people have paid for their seats then you may need to discuss reimbursing them.

I didn't read the whole thread so apologies if someone already said this, but the airlines have to seat you together if you've small children.. I've done this on numerous occasions as I'm not willing to pay loads extra on a flight to choose seats. My kids are 4 and 6 and everytime the cabin crew have sorted it out for us on the plane. Apparently no one else can sort it, I've waited to check in at the airport and they could only assign the same separate seats. And even gone to customer service on occasion. I suspect the only difference in airlines is how much of a ballache they make it. The ones I've been on British Airlines etc have always made it seem no hassle. Also they normally save a row or two for this reason. However this mighy differ by airline and how budget they are.

@notatinydancer your comment is a useless waste of paper!

Where does EasyJet fly that is 6 hours

I've done this on numerous occasions as I'm not willing to pay loads extra on a flight to choose seats.

So you expect those who have paid to move for you, @RueRue ?

Are you generally selfish & entitled in your day to day life?

No wonder people roll their eyes when they see families with young children boarding ...

@ChrisS36
Egypt.

Make ssure that whoever you ask to swap is the the middle seat so they don't get downgraded from an Aisle or window to a middle. People get justifiably upset about that.

I expect the airline will help you bit it's a pet peeve of most travellers when families don't book seats smd then ask for swaps.

I don't think anyone imagines the scenario of an innocent mistake!

@RueRue

but the airlines have to seat you together if you've small children.

No they generally don’t, if you do take time look back into the thread you’ll see this matter has come up several times previously in the debate.

I suspect the only difference in airlines is how much of a ballache they make it. The ones I've been on British Airlines etc have always made it seem no hassle. Also they normally save a row or two for this reason.

By happy accident there might be the odd empty row but I seriously doubt there’s any airline in this day and age (LoCo or traditional) that deliberately set seat rows aside to cater for seating difficulties…

They don't have to sit you next to each other. It can be in front, behind or across an aisle. It's also not a legal requirement, it's a recommendation, so they can sit you separately if you decide to be a CF about it (as some parents are).

Mistakes can be made, like the OP did, but please don't go encouraging others to behave like an entitled arse by thinking they shouldn't have to book seats and then get to demand other people give up their paid for seats. No.

How did it all go?

Just a word of warning. Don’t expect people to move. They paid for their seats. Unless you are offering them a better one so pick people in worse seats. I usually pay for my aisle seat up front and would say no.

phone them up. Happened to us recently with Jet 2. No seats together on the aircraft but they managed to put us together.

I’d be happy not have to be sat next to my kids 😂

Did you empty your trash folder as well?

It’s does say several times on EJ booking about buying seats if you want to sit together (in fact you have to click to skip past the seat selection for both journeys so it’s hard to miss). Lots of people don’t pay and expect others who have paid to shuffle around to suit them. if I was travelling alone or just with another adult I would happily move to accommodate one parent and a child or children, but if I’d paid extra for those seats i might hope to be reimbursed that amount (wouldn’t insist on it though). If I was travelling with my own children I wouldn’t move, because (wrongly in this case) I would probably assume that you hadn’t paid on purpose and were now being a CF. I booked flights for December for the 5 of us and we are sitting in two adjacent rows as a 3 and a 2, and it cost an extra £120 roughly in total for both journeys. Just so you know how much you might want to bring in cash if you plan to bribe / incentivise. I think any children 11 and under will be sat with one of you if you insist, but it will mean the poor stewards having to persuade others to move while you stand there awkwardly. Personally I would offer money straight away to stop any potentially snarkiness.

The alternative is that you prep your children for sitting alone - I used to fly alone or sometimes with my brother, very regularly as an unaccompanied minor from a very young age (6), and we were always fine. Took some colouring in and a pack of cards or happy families etc and just got on with it. I remember sitting next to people who would chat and be friendly or business men who didn’t want to be disturbed, it was just luck of the draw. Your kids may see it as an adventure!

OP will have travelled by now.

How did it go?

Well said.
We always book well in advance and take our time over to understand the terms and conditions. And we always pay for the seat allocation we prefer.

I don't appreciate it when people who have failed to do all of the above think they are entitled to bump me out of my seat because of their failure to perform due diligence and planning.

Im surprised people don't know about this

It's been commonplace for years

Other airlines do this too, not just EJ

We learned the hard way.

Hope it works out

Ah! THAT person!