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.

Imagine how quiet and relaxing your flight will be far away from the kids!
Honestly though, most people are pretty nice about it. Just ask someone to swap.

I used to fly with sleazy jet and Ryan Air they lose your bags and they don't care, a lot in the 90s and noughties.
They both seemed charmingly inept but their staff were lovely. Sounds like they haven't changed much. I sat on the runway for an hour at Stansted with one of them once as they attempted to locate most of the passengers who were lost somewhere in the airport, which isn't even large.
I'm sure it will be fine OP, can't be worse than being in Club Europe with BA as the entitled middle classes get drunk on free fake champagne, which happened to me on my last flight, and BA misplaced all the bags for the whole flight on the return leg. Its not just budget airlines that struggle with basics.

This isn't the airline's fault?

OP didn't bother to pay to select her seats.

When you book easyjet online it does ask if you would like to select seats for both legs of the journey. I have booked too and paid around £110 for upfront seats for both legs of the journey, I wouldn't be swapping as I have kids.

But lots of single travellers always on the plane. In that situation I would swap with no problem, so long as I wasn't in the middle! Good luck.

Your youngest is 7. They’ll be fine. It’s not like you’ve got a toddler. Just tell them in advance, make sure they’re packed to be self sufficient so they have their own backpack with their water bottle (empty through security, refill afterwards), lots of snacks they can open themselves, ipad and headphones, whatever other entertainment they want. Tell them to watch the safety demo and about the seatbelt sign. Then once you’re onboard ask nicely to see if anyone can swap. If it’s all couples/families you might be out of luck but if you get a solo traveler and can offer them a better seat eg exchange their row 20 middle for your row 7 aisle and maybe a drink for good measure then you might get lucky. Whatever you do don’t be panicking about it or act like it’s a big deal because you may not be able to resolve it and far better that the kids are calm and prepped ready to sit alone.

But even single passengers might have reasons for choosing their seat. For example, I know someone who has to get up a lot to use the bathroom, so books an aisle seat. They shouldn't have to justify why they won't swap to anyone.

Just calmly plonk them in the random allocated seats and I bet the passenger next to them will beg you to swap. This policy of easyjet serves no one.

7 and up? No, I wouldn't be begging to swap. I wouldn't be looking after them either though.

Oh no! This was my fear when I was booking a holiday recently. Haven’t flown since being a teen & kept worrying about seats. We are flying with Jet2 and it did prompt me for seats and inflight food. But it didn’t initially and it sent me into a panic. Friends with children have never pre booked seats and told me the younger ones do usually get sat with a parent. So fingers crossed you get there today and are at least sat with youngest. If I had paid for seats and then was asked to move I would but very reluctantly admittedly, good luck OP!

They will if they can. But if the plane is full because people have already checked in then that isn't easyJet fault.

I struggle to believe that you didn't see the option to pay for seats- it comes up constantly because they want to try and make more money.

You need to check in or there may be no seats at all.

If you get aisle or window you have more chance of swapping.

I wouldn't bat an eye at a child seven years or older sitting beside me (without a parent) - much less would I beg to swap becasue of it

Even reimbursing people for the seats they’ve paid to reserve doesn’t make people more likely to want to move. They don’t want the £30 it cost to book the seat in cash. They want the seat they paid for

Maybe, @toastofthetown, but at least it shows willing and is an improvement on "I didn't see the seat booking into" (unlikely to be believed), "they have ADHD" (they'll have heard it before) "theey get awfully travel sick" (ditto) and all the rest

If it helps, I would move for you for a child and I'm scared of flying.

The policy of easyJet is
A. Pay to get what you want when you book- you can then see what seats are available before handing over money.
B. Check in 30 days early and then easyJet will do what they can to sit you together.

It isn't easyJet fault that the OP has messed up and the plane is now nearly full.

If I had paid for seats and then was asked to move I would but very reluctantly admittedly

I imagine you would be in the minority.

Or ‘here’s my child’s teddy since you’ll be looking after him’ from some other melt on the other thread

Jog on.

If seats are available yes. In OP’s case everyone else has got there first and booked all the seats!

Really? LOL. I'd hand the teddy to the kid and get on with my movie.

Dramatic

Even reimbursing people for the seats they’ve paid to reserve doesn’t make people more likely to want to move. They don’t want the £30 it cost to book the seat in cash. They want the seat they paid for

Not necessarily on easyJet, I always check in early but don't pay for seats or really care.

Agree with the pp about being nice and apologetic, I didn't move recently because the parent was so rude and entitled.

Check the adults in on the nice over 16 seats and people will be more willing to swap hopefully.

In my experience (seeing other people- I always pay to book seats together) easyjet are very good at offering free food and drinks as an incentive to get people to move so you can sit together.

Actually OP book two seat on the emergency row and the kids wherever.

Much more likely to get a swap as emergency rows normally have more leg room

Hi OP, whether you can get seated together will depend on how busy the flight is and how many other travellers are likely to be other families with you children or couples versus single single travellers.

I think you are likely to struggle to get all 5 of you seated together. I’d focus on trying to get your 7 year old next to either you or your DH and accept that the other three may be spread throughout the plane. Hopefully there will be two single travellers seated next to each other who may be both willing to swap for a potentially better seat (ie middle seat to isle or window). Any other families, regardless of whether they paid, or just checked in 30 days ago, are not going to want to swap. Bear in mind that as it’s outside of school holidays most other families on the flight are likely to have much younger children. I’d definitely have cash on you and be prepared to compensate people for swapping seats. Hopefully this way it will come across more as a genuine oversight, rather than a deliberate attempt to save money by just assuming that people will swap because you have children.

As others have said if they each have their own bag of everything they need for the flight this will make being seated apart a lot easier.

Also, make sure you arrive as early as possible.

I’d get over the “making memories” bit. The only important thing is that you all have a safe flight. Your kids will probably love it and it will be one of the stand out memories of the holiday anyway!