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.

None of that helps the person travelling with a companion who has an invisible disability or the person who has booked an aisle seat due to medical toilet issues or whatever other reason. I hope if OP is refused if she asks, that she doesn't argue back and accepts it at face value.

I've travelled with 7 kids before and never had a problem sitting together - because we booked the seats all together to make sure of it.

Obviously on MN there's a huge bias towards people flying with families and booking / paying for seats in advance. In real life I've been selling flights for nearly 20 years and the vast majority of adults travelling without children do NOT pay to select a seat and just take what they're given.

The idea that everyone on the plane has paid to select their seat and will therefore be affronted and indignant at the idea of swapping is nonsense, unless you're really very unlucky.

The moral is, if you don’t want to pre book seats, then check in on the dot of 30 days before the flight, then you will almost always get seats next to each other. I always pre book seats and pay for a large cabin bag so I don’t have to check in luggage. This comes with speedy boarding which is nice as you then get room for your bag above your seat.

You didn't know you have to pay to reserve seats? Aye right

Seriously, hope you get this sorted, but no one will believe you didn't know this. Even on this site, there are frequent and regular threads about it

This yes. Had this recently on a flight but was 2 adults wanting to sit together. We had paid for the seats we were sat in and they hadn't and then got funny when I wouldn't move and I came of looking like the bad one!

I'm hoping you read about the luggage rules

Not sure what this airline is playing at. How can you have a seven year old not sitting with their parent? If on their own, person sitting next to them would have to help with their meal, turbulence, toilet trips, etc on a six hour flight?! It is total madness.

Just prepare your 7yo in advance and I'm sure everything will be fine.

Make sure they have snacks and water to hand, and stuff to do.

Remind them in the hearing of the adults sitting next to them that if they need to get up for the toilet or to find you, they can ask the adult next to them to move to let them out. That includes waking the adult if they're asleep. If they have any problems, show them how to ring for a flight attendant.

Remind them that no one should be touching them and they can shout or find a member of staff if anyone is making them uncomfortable.

Reassure them that you will be checking on them every hour.

Set out behaviour expectations loudly so both your child and the people next to you know what you expect - no jumping up and down, no getting up unnecessarily, any rubbish in the front pocket until it can be put in the bin and no unnecessarily disturbing the adults next to them.

A 7 year old is quite capable of getting up and asking their parent for help to go to the toilet. Help a strange child to the toilet? You have to be joking. No-one in their right mind would do that. They shouldn't need help with their meal either. I'll be friendly to them but I'm not parenting them or even babysitting.

Why would the person sitting next to the child have to help?

Earphones in - if you didn’t care enough about your kid to pay £12 for a seat, why should I?

No the adult next to them doesn’t have to do anything other than put their headphones in and read their book.

It's easyJet, a budget airline. The fault lies with OP.

OP where are you going on easyJet that is six hours?

I am amazed people manage to book holidays at all and miss important details like this. How can you plan 5 people, take leave, organise dates, destinations, pay large sums of money and miss the seat booking ? I’m a complete idiot re online booking and I have never not booked when my kids were under 18.
What did you think would happen ?

being financially careful is fine but when you commit to an expensive holiday it seem foolhardy to fall into the tight category. I hope you’ve remembered to book a hotel OP 😁

They are also likely capable of going to the toilet alone, frankly. Also, should be capable of eating alone and putting on their seatbelt if there is turbulence (they should be wearing it at all times anway).

I'd always offer to swap so a child could sit with a parent, so would many others. I'm sure there'll be some kind folk on the plane OP, please don't worry.

You might not be next to each other, it might be a row behind or in front, but you'll be able go see each other and reassure the kids you're there and they're OK.

To the folk giving OP a flaming - please stop, it was a genuine mistake, she's not a CF like those who do this deliberately!

If you book in early, Easy Jet is pretty good at seating you together. Ryan Air never will. I don't understand why you left booking in so late?

If I had paid for a specific seat, I might move if I was asked nicely and my seat cost reimbursed. If the parent was in any way arsy or entitled - no chance.

if I was stuck next to a random kid I would not engage with said kid at all. Unless eg they needed to get past me to go to the loo (which I definitely would not be going with them to help with, as suggested by another poster!)

The OP at no point has said she'll be rude about it, and anyway, it's the airline's issue to sort. You probably won't find 5 together but most easyjets are 3-3 configurations anyway. Just make it the airline's problem, politely, and see what the best that can be done about it is. Not everyone books flights months in advance, sometimes we've booked the day before or day of.

Also for a parenting website mumsnet is very intolerant of other people's kids; in real life most people are kind and helpful. I've had random people entertain mine, hold them, carry stuff just because you know- they're nice. I don't think anyone is going to recoil in horror at seeing a child in their row.

Book seats for the flight back now.
At least you won't be flying during half term on the way out, during school holidays, the planes are all full of families who are less likely to move and will have paid ££££ for their specific seats so they're together.

I'd try phoning easyjet asap or getting to the airport early and speaking to the check in desk to see if there's anything they can do to sit you in two small groups.

I really genuinely don't understand how people, not just this OP because there have been many, who don't understand that things such as having your seat allocated for you at the time of booking is now your responsibility to select (even the free ones at the time of booking have to be selected by you) and if you really want to sit together and there is a family for example travelling that you definitely must select seats you want??
Did so many people miss getting that memo???
I mean the online booking sites, well they generally give you a layout of the airplane and you put your X on the seats you want.

While I hope your particular holiday is enjoyable @poppysgalore, I just struggle to comprehend how many people make this mistake when booking their flights.

Well you must know some very confident 7 year olds. The ones I know and have taught are not confident enough to be that independent on a flight and that is many children.

Pfft. That would get you NOWHERE with me. I would just find your antics highly amusing and settle in to watch.

No way would I swap seats with anyone, unless it was an upgrade. We pay extra every time for our preferred extra legroom seats. DH is very tall, so we have to do that. No way would I swap.

Not being funny, but surely everyone knows you should pick where you want to sit, and pay for it?

There isn't any better seats on an easyjet flight, they are all the same!

But I agree, I dont give up the seat I've paid for to sit in.

OP, do not be that passenger that kicks off if someone who has paid for their seat won't swap.

They also email you in the run up to booking opening, as well as on the day it opens. Even if you don't have the app, EasyJet do inform you about check in opening.

The last few times I've flown easyJet I've been travelling on my own but I would still have been reluctant to move from my booked seat once on the aircraft because then I would inevitably have ended up separated from my overhead luggage, which would have been very inconvenient for me for a number of reasons.