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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect to be allocated airline seats next to my kids?

751 replies

correllia · 30/08/2011 13:24

My partner and I are off on holiday to menorca at the end of September with Monarch. They have emailed us to tell us we can check in online now, which saves time at the airport.

So far so good - but to complete the process I have to prebook my seats at the cost of £5 per seat per flight. We are on a tight budget and deliberately haven't bought the seats in advance to save the pennies.

Kiddies are 2 and 4, whilst I don't mind our sitting 2 and 2 apart from each other but looking at the seat plan even this option is fast disappearing! Can the airline force such young children to sit next to strangers?

Am I unreasonable to demand that we sit with them?

PS this is my first post, so please be genttle :-)

OP posts:
Hulababy · 30/08/2011 16:54

Most airlines only let a certain %age of people prebook anyway. We discovered this when we went longhaul last year. This means the rest are up for grabs on arrival at the airport, and right up to boarding seats can be changed by the airline. just because you prebook it doesn't mean they will seat you in the seats you have chosen - again through experience.

Get to check in early and kick up a fuss if you are not sat next to a child each. They generally will seat you together regardless, or at the very least one adult/child combo together.

SusanneLinder · 30/08/2011 17:01

I wouldn't pay these stupid charges either. And if I found a small child beside me separated from their parents, I would happily move :). I really don't want to be sat beside someone else's upset 2 year old.

Most people would surely, and I don't get why people would think that's unreasonable. [hmmm]

Hulababy · 30/08/2011 17:04

You could probably argue health and safety issues to have your under 5s unsupervised ont he plane. Who would be responsible for them throughout the journey for example, or even worse in case of an emergency?

Skimummy · 30/08/2011 17:14

Hmmmm, maybe they will split me and my 3yo DD up for our flight to Australia at Christmas...

Where do you draw the line here though? Is it just small children? My DH and I once refused to move so a family could sit together. The daughter was about 25 and sitting next to the toilets - we really didn't want to move there and had pre-booked our seats to avoid it (at no charge). The Mum was pretty outraged with us though...

bittentothequick · 30/08/2011 17:16

If you are happy to be two and two or three and one I definitely wouldn't pay.

Itsjustafleshwound · 30/08/2011 17:16

Does anyone remember this ???

DooinMeCleanin · 30/08/2011 17:18

You can pre-book airline seats? I did not know this. When I go to book my next Holiday, can someone please remind of this so I can pre-book the dc and DH seats at the other end of the plane to me? Grin

There was a little boy on our way home last week seprated from his mum. He was very upset. Someone did offer to swap.

In your case it'd be safer just to book the seats op. It's only £20, well worth it for the peace of mind.

ginmakesitallok · 30/08/2011 17:21

I never pay to pre-book seats as they will always try to sit kids with their parents - especially when children are so young. I wouldn't pay it.

Insomnia11 · 30/08/2011 17:22

We had this going on holiday this year. There were 8 of us so we didn't expect to all to sit together. We shuffled about a bit with another family so the kids were all sitting next to one adult.

Actually I had a blissful flight out as I got to sit on my own and read a book, away from DH and DDs Grin. Of course I wrangled DDs on the way back while DH read his book.

Insomnia11 · 30/08/2011 17:27

On our flight, I should say, you couldn't pre book seats but you could do online check-in on the day which FIL (who booked all the flights) hadn't done Hmm so for that reason some of the seats were gone.

crazyspaniel · 30/08/2011 17:30

Itsjustafleshwound - apparently BA settled the case out of court (clearly didn't think defending their stance publicly would do them any good) and has now reviewed their policy so that unaccompanied children are seated in one area of the plane.

WorkingItOutAsIGo · 30/08/2011 17:33

We once got 5 separate seats for us on a trans-USA flight - took huge amounts of jiggery pokery to get us grouped a bit. And in doing so I was able to help a family with even smaller kids who had been separated out too. I couldnt believe the airline could have been so hopeless.

I always take the approach that all these additional charges would be added back to the ticket price if they didnt break them out, so they are not really extras. If you want to be sure to sit together, you have the option to pay. So, if you choose not to pay, you ABU to demand you sit next to each other.

Andrewofgg · 30/08/2011 17:36

unaccompanied children are seated in one area of the plane.

The cargo hold?

Theas18 · 30/08/2011 17:40

Agree, another stealth rx. We didn't fly like this until after the kids were old enough to cope alone ( ish- youngest was maybe 8 or 9 and old enough to keep asking those next to her to open her snacks or let her out to the loo at a rate irritating enough for them to want to swap seats ASAP- but shed do it in a sweet polite way!!).

bubblesincoffee · 30/08/2011 17:43

Just get to the airport early. It will be fine if you are happy to have 3 and 1 or 2 and 2.

FWIW, if I had paid, I wouldn't move. I always have paid when travelling with the dc, as I have a different surname to them and don't want to take any chances. DH hates being late for anything, so we usually get to the airport ridiculously early and get seats together that way if it's just us. But I would be quite unlikely to move if it were just dh and I, unless it were extreme circumstances. I wouldn't move away from dh for a family that had had the opportunity to book seats together but hadn't. I like sitting next to my dh on planes, and it doesn't happen often without the dc.

VivaLeBeaver · 30/08/2011 17:46

I had this with either monarch or FHA air on the way back from tenerife. Dd was seven and they refused to let her sit with me. Last two seats on plane as though we'd been early to check in we'd been slightly light for boarding due to a combination of dd having the shits in the airport and them announcing the wrong gates.

All the fuckers on the plane refused to move and dd was hysterical. I threatened to not sit down and they said they'd kick us both of the plane if I didn't. Looking back I think if I'd stood my ground they'd have made someone move as they'd have had to have unlaoaded everyones bags to get mine off and we'd have been delayed by hours. But I was too stressed to think of that. I was so mad.

VivaLeBeaver · 30/08/2011 17:47

Ryanair not FHA air. Bloody ipad

Andrewofgg · 30/08/2011 17:50

OK Viva, just who should they have ordered to move. If you had been one of the cabin crew who would have been in your firing line?

VivaLeBeaver · 30/08/2011 17:52

Anyone who didn't have a young child with them as per caa guidelines.

Itsjustafleshwound · 30/08/2011 17:53

I think a DD with skits would win pants down .....

Catslikehats · 30/08/2011 17:56

I wouldn't pay on principle - it is obvious that children below a certain age need to be accompanied.

On a number of ocassions I have checked in on line with BA and been given 3 adjacent seats only to get to the airport and find I have a 2 & 1. When asking that I have three seats together I've been met with the BIG SIGH, At which point I smile sweetly and say that is Ok.

We then board the plane and I make a big deal of sitting DC's (at the time 2&3/ 3&4/ 4&5) together and saying mummy will be right over there. Strangely people have been desperate to accomodate our threesome Grin

muminthemiddle · 30/08/2011 18:02

I am going to go against the grain here and say Why the hell should anybody have to pay to sit next to their own kids??????

What should happen is you queue up and you are allocated a seat, filling up the plane as you go along. Or you are allocated seats when you book your holiday, again no choice, simply filling up the plane leaving no gaps.

tiredgranny · 30/08/2011 18:08

when i have booked flights travelling with children they have always put us together without paying the extra the airlines realise that it would be a nightmare i refuse to pay on principal flight is cheap but all extras inflight meal luggage in hold etc

SlackSally · 30/08/2011 18:09

I appreciate that you wouldn't want to be separated from a small child, Viva, but why should 'anyone who didn't have a young child' move for you if they don't want to?

What if a couple are on their honeymoon and want to do the whole 'together' thing? Why should your wants trump theirs?

I would almost certainly move for you in that instance, but I shouldn't be obliged to. The way it would have looked to other people was that you were late onto the flight (they wouldn't have known the reasons) and then demanded someone else get out of their seat to get you what you want.

Why should childless people be penalised as a matter of course?

Andrewofgg · 30/08/2011 18:10

Starting with which, Viva - the singleton who always seems to be expected to help?

As one who has often been that singleton when flying for work, as I have sai I would probably move if asked politely. If not,not.