to be annoyed at BA for seating my toddler on his own, in a different set of seats from any family?

[SuiGeneris]

DSis, DS1, DS2 and I are flying tomorrow morning. I have just checked in online to find we are split in three different bits of the airplane, with me and DS2 (a baby on my lap) in row X on the aisle, DS1 (2!) across the aisle and DSis, who has travelled to London specifically to fly with us and help with DS1, on row X-1. We booked ages ago, was it so difficult to keep us all in the same row? How do we get this fixed?

I think under5s can't sit alone so I would imagine they will fix it either when you check in or when sit down . Someone has to be by ds in cAse of emergency

Why have you checked in so late? With two small children, you should have done it earlier, 24 hours before.

Speak to them when you go to check in. Am almost certain they won't let a two year old sit with no responsible adult next to them.

I think you have to throw yourelves on their mercy. If this doesn't work - not many passengers would enjoy sitting next to an unaccompanied toddler and may be willing to help you out on board. the next advice is cruel but might help - if your toddler has a dummy - remove it before going on board. It may encourage an irritated adult or the staff to place him next to you or move to help you.

It's not always possible to check in online with kids with BA and you cant always change seating

I'm glad to know they have to sort it out for you.

This happened to us a couple of months ago with BA; me, my DH and 3 yr old DS were seated in rows 1, 2 and 3 however when we checked in at airport, it got sorted out (but we did have to actually ask as check in person didn't care or notice). Given your DS is only 2, I doubt they are going to let him sit "alone" even if he is just across the aisle from you. Don't worry, it will get sorted.

Talk to the check-in staff and if they claim say they can't help, ask the chief trolley dolly steward/ess if they can sort something with other passengers when you board the plane.

If you checked in online you should be able to change your seats online unless the plane is full. If you can't, get to the airport early (which completely negates the point of online check in, I know), and see I'd they will put you together. They might tell you to "negotiate" with the people around you once on board though.

It happened us to us once on BA and I asked the steward to help but usual with BA (unless you are in business class) they were shit.

He's too young to sit alone.
They will have to sort this!

OP, don't worry. He's too young to sit alone.
They will have to sort this.

If you were all under one booking that is very poor. If DH is under a separate booking I can see why he is maybe in a different row.

I would call them someone has messed up = this is from their website "if you decide not to select your seats in advance, we'll allocate your seats three days before departure. If the group can't be seated together, all children in your booking will be seated with an accompanying adult" ba info

There's no way the passenger he's sitting next to is going to want to be responsible for him! This happened to our 2 yr old DS2 a couple of months ago - it was sorted as soon as we boarded and the poor bugger in that row realised who their companion for the flight was .

www.britishairways.com/travel/choose-your-seat/public/en_gb. Did you ask BA to book you all together? If you have an infant under 2 you can book under 2 and all your booking together as soon as you book for free. It says on their website under family travel.

you can change seats online, have you left it too late to do that. I have travelled with 4 young children with BA and they always put us together

Happened to us once, the young guy our nearly three year old was next to refused to move, so I left him there, Dh was across the isle, and I was in front on Ds, the idiot guy had to help Ds with his food packages and listen to him jabber away the whole time. He seemed to really enjoy it, and Dh kept a close eye.

We were under a single booking and aware of their seating policy so trusted we'd be sat next to each other. We fly with BA about 6-7 times a year and have never before been separated so trusted them not to get it so wrong.
The plane is full so all I could do was to move DS1 next to DSis in the row across and in front of mine. We will then see at the airport whether they can get us onto the same set of three seats: DS has always sat near me before and is a bit young to be trusted to be happy sitting somewhere where he can neither hear nor see me.

I am confused, are you saying DS1 is sitting next to DSis?

We have the same situation coming up later this week with a different airline. Please post the outcome if you can.

I flew in another airline in may and they wouldnt let my dc sit alone across the aisle from me. They are 12, 8 and 6

These were the seats the airline allocated at checking but once we were aboard the cabin crew moved us

They don't always sort it out on the plane; I flew to Ireland on Ryanair once, with DH at the front of the plane with DD2 on his lap, me half way down the plane, and DS and DD1 (then 5 and 3) together near the back. Nowhere near an adult they knew!

It was our fault, to be honest, as we were very late onto the plane, and I was aware that if I made a fuss we might miss our slot, but I was astonished that nobody helped us out. DS and DD1 were OK, and behaved brilliantly, but I had to depend on complete strangers sitting around them to make sure they stayed seated during takeoff and landing. I spent most of the flight sitting on the floor next to them, but had to keep moving for trolleys and so on. DD2 had to be escorted to the loo by a lady sitting next to her because I was trapped behind the trolley and she couldn't wait. DS spilled his yogurt all over himself because he couldn't get the top off.

And no bugger offered to swap seats! Staff were completely uninterested. It was only afterwards that I got really angry thinking about it.

The thing about Ryanair and its money-grubbing policies is that people might have paid extra for so-called speedy boarding so they get a better choice of seat it's hardly likely that somone who has paid that would give a seat up to people who board the plane too late to sit together. This happened on a flight I was on flight attendant asked man to move so that a mother and (11-ish?) daughter could sit together. 'But I paid extra for Speedy Boarding so I could have a better choice of seat and I chose this one,' man said, 'Will I get a refund if I move?' Blank look from attendant. Man stayed put. Don't blame him -- if an airline tries to extract money from customers at every opportunity then people are going to be distinctly more relucant to help said airline out.

But BA is altogether different -- website says if you are travelling with an infant, you can reserve a seat for everyone in the party free as soon as you have booked your ticket. Perhaps you didn't select your seats so they chose them for you? Always pays to check in online the minute it opens, 24 hrs before the flight, you can see the seats you have been allocated and can often change them. I once mistakenly changed two excellent seats they had allocated DH and I, thinking they were in the middle of a four-seat row. Indeed they were, but they were in their own little cocoon facing the other way from the two outer seats on the row. Club World. (not-so-stealth boast)

I flew internationally last year and my five year old was not sitting with either me or my dh. the flight attendant said nothing could be done, and to suck it up basically. my company had booked the tickets, but not selected seats - it never occurred to us they would not have precooked seats for us.
I got a bit hysterical as we were moving overseas and I was pretty emotional ( not my finest moment) another flight attendant did make it work, but I was not impressed they would allow a five year old to sit unaccompanied for 9 hours.

Sorry - pressed post too soon.
But, I think you will have no problem getting to sit with a 2 year old. Just get to the airport early - I am sure they will do what they can to accommodate you.