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?

Some companies won't allow children on their own. Virgin insist on an adult being with children, as did whichever cheaper airline we used another time on a short haul - my DD and her two friends (they were about 7ish) wanted to sit together with me, Dh and friends parents behind/next seats across aisle and both ties they weren't allowed, due to health and safety.

When we went to Vega, Virgin couldn't seat us together on the online seat booking think but they could at the check in desk - apparently only about 50% of the plane can be prebooked, the rest done at the desk. I fretted beforehand as didn't want to be separated from DD (8y at time) for such a long flight - 11 hours+. but at the desk there was no issue at all, it was sorted immediately.

Was on a jet 2 flight this weekend coming home and our prebooked seats didn't come into affect. The flight home was changed and a different plane allocated. On check in we had no seats at all but as we got on the crew did an amazing job in getting people seated and making sure that all children were sat with at least one parent. Most had whole groups sat together. Just a couple of adult groups at the end were separated - but crew did ask them if they wanted to get them sat together (my moving one or two people about I guess as some were sole fliers) but the adult couples affected said no.

Nice, Theodorakis . If I was travelling alone (as I often am, for work), I would not hestiate to move to allow someone to sit with their small child - apart from anything else, why would I want a distressed small child next to me when I have 'escaped' from my own DC, and one budget airline seat is just as nasty as the next.

casey - they had originally put us there, as it was the only remaining bulkhead seat in business class (we also had dd2, about 8 months ish, and had requested bulkhead seats with the seat thingy they do for infants. it was fine for dd2 to stay upstairs, but not dd1!

they sorted it in the end, and we were all upstairs, but not altogether (i was bulkhead with dd2, dh and dd1 were 2 rows away, as by check in, they had managed to put an un-movable customer in dd1's original seat. given dd1's issues, it was not the most comfortable flight for anyone, as she culn't cope with not being able to see me.

we haveavoided flying BA ever since, tbh, as they couldn't manage to override their own systems, and kept making promises they had no ability to keep.

We've never been separated even with the cheap no seats airlines like RA and EJ, and we never pay the extra for priority boarding either. We just get there with plenty of time and make sure once through and we know the gate we go and get in line. RA and EJ only allow a set percentage book early boaders so not everyone can. Have never had party broken up at all.

OP - you may not have experienced this before but as you are travelling with the baby on your lap you will not be able to change your seat on the online checkin regardless of the headcount on the plane. The seats for parent and baby are pre-allocated and unchangeable. Have had this conversation with BA before when travelling with DH, and he had to sit separately. Obviously the person next to me realised it would be a good idea to switch seats...

theodorakis.. did you miss the part about the people that were puked on refusing to move?

Karma's a bitch.

theodorakis - nice attitude Yes, horrible parents to want to make sure that their children are feeling safe and comfortable in a strange environment. I cannot stand this selfishness and idiotic thinking that a caring parent thinks they are superior, when all they want to do is look after their child! That's a normal thing to want to do as a parent, by the way! (I mean, it was Ryanair! Do people really care that much where they sit that they wouldn't move so that a young child could sit with their parent? I mean, it's not like they were being asked to move out of first class, is it?)

I'm baffled by people refusing to move. How can your chosen seat possibly be nice enough to make up for being lumbered with someone else's toddler all flight?

I am always puzzled by people's refusal to move as well.

due to a travel agent stuff-up we had our party split on one leg of a journy to Oz. dd1 was 5, dd2 was 2. it was not possible for me to sit apart from dd1 (due to her ASD), and dd2was understandably unhappy at being separated from me (she was sitting with dh, but wanted to be with me).

the cabin crew asked everyone in the cabin if theywould swap to enable dd2 to sit with me and dd1 (we had 8 seats booked altogether as a parrty, in a business class cabin, so shouldn't have been too hard to make this happen)

not a single person would swap.

on take off, dd2 got upset, leading to dd1 being upset as she could hear her sister was upset. the couple across the aisle from dd1 (who had refused to move) got really stroppy with her for being noisy. even when they were told that she was communication impaired/disabled. they ended up shouting at her

the cabin crew were fab, and told them in no uncertain terms they had brought it on themselves, and that if they upset dd1 any further they would be down graded

I still can't believe anyone would prioritise a particular seat over the needs of a 2 year old - surely much easier to try o ensur a peaceful flight by not upsetting th small children on board?

Last year, BA split me and my three children up. I phoned the day before and by the time we arrived at the airport this had been sorted out with no problem whatsoever.

This year I paid the fee to reserve our seats to avoid any stress.

I thought it was illegal to sit a child under 12 without an adult accompanying them. It's certainly illogical. What we always do though is just swap seats with one another so an adult sits on their own not a child. And sometimes have managed to swap with another family to more mutually convenient seating.

I think if you book in advance you should be able to pick your seats, like in a cinema or theatre.

We were expats for 18 years and I have taken loads of long haul and short haul flights with my 3DC's often travelling without DH. Lots of budget airlines as well as well as BA, Virgin etc, and we have never been seated apart. We have always made sure we were aware of seating policies for different airlines and been very careful to book our flights and seats as soon as possible.

The look on the other passengers faces when I would walk into the Buisness Cabin with my three when they were all under four was hilarious.

I would rather drive these days.

I am not talking about giving up your seat, although if I had paid an extra £100 I would not be so happy, I am talking about thinking it is funny or "karma" if such a thing existed, that your kid pukes on someone. I have not flown on a crappo airline for many years but YOU choose to do that, if you fly Ryanair why should other people subsidise your choice to do it on the cheap?

And, yes, walking into Business with kids is embarrassing and then it really is up to us as parents to keep them quiet.

Me and the DCs (then 2 and 3) were ticketed to sit apart from heathrow to LAX. I was actually thinking it would have been a quiet flight but they moved us together at the departure desk

"walking into Business with kids is embarrassing and then it really is up to us as parents to keep them quiet"

Really? Why? If I have paid for Busines class tickets for my DC, that's where I am going, with no embarassment. I do try to keep my DC reasonably quiet on flights whatever class/ variety of airline we are flying - why are economy passengers less deserving of courtesy than business class ones ?

agree with stealth, it's not embarrassing at all
you have paid the same price for your ticket

Can I just say that many of the routes no frills airlines are operating on have lost their scheduled services for various complex reasons to do with tourism subsidies being offered to the no frills airlines and not the national carriers, so it's not reasonable to assume people are travelling on no frills airlines out of choice, or as a method of saving money.

For example we used to be able to fly Lufthansa from Stansted to Munich, then this route stopped after 9/11 and Go took it over, which was sold to Easyjet. We now have to travel with Easyjet if we want to avoid flying via Heathrow, which takes longer to get to from our part of the world than the actual flight takes to get to Munich.

If Lufthansa started up their scheduled service from Stansted I imagine it would most likely be very popular, as the Easyjet flight times are not ideal, and it is often quite expensive to travel on that route anyway.

I resent being told so frequently that I am saving lots of money and therefore deserve to be treated poorly when in actual fact all I am trying to do is choose a flight on grounds of geography, and paying handsomely for the privilege anyway due to lack of competition on any particular route.

Frankly I find drunken adults on planes very much more problematic than children, whether I am travelling alone or not, and regardless of whether I am in Business Class or not.

I'm not embarrassed to walk into Business with my DCs. Apart from anything else, I know that in Business they won't bother anyone (huge range of films on tap, nice flat beds on longhaul overnight flights, cabin staff not so rushed off their feet and are eager to bring drinks etc, fewer people queueing for the loo, plus they couldn't reach to kick the back of the seat in front even if they tried. I'm serenely happy when we have the airmiles to travel in Business. When we're in Economy I am about a hundred times more stressed that the DCs might disturb other passengers.

Ohh, trust me I am not the slightest bit embarrassed when I used to walk into buisness class with my three kids. I found it amusing.

I once flew first class UK to US with two of the DC's aged 1 and 2. Both had their own seats and as the first class seat arrangement was 2 x 2 DC1 did end up sitting across the aisle to me next to some poor sod. Now that was extra funny!

Joking aside, I always made sure my DC's behaved. They were never allowed to walk up and down the aisles etc, etc.

On a flight to SA I was seated on a bulkhead seat with Ds (then 10 months), dd ( then 2.5) was halfway down the plane mid row and xh was at the back in a window seat. The best they could do st check in was to move dd to the row behind me but luckily the man in the seat next to her offered to swap with xh. It ix ridiculous that such young children arent seated with at least one of their parents. I feel most sorry for the poor bugger that gets lumbered with them!

I have taken my 4 on business class, and thought tough, if they are not silent. I have paid for my ticket same as everyone else

The funny thing with all this slagging off of budget airlines is that:

1. if you have kids under a certain age you can board first.
2. most have limited pre-allocated seating. They do it on arrival at the airport if you haven't paid in advance and done it when booking.
3. if you get to the airport / gate early you won't have any problems at all as seating is first come first served.

So I have a distinct lack of sympathy for complaints over budget airlines. Should have got your arse there sooner. Sorry.

With long haul its a different story. They are increasingly putting fees in for allocated seating and I think its getting very silly and disadvantaging families. Should be stopped. Its unfair to families and its unfair to other passengers to be split up or moved at the last moment or have to sit next to unaccompanied kids, due to airlines being basically incompetent.

I am talking about thinking it is funny or "karma" if such a thing existed, that your kid pukes on someone. I have not flown on a crappo airline for many years but YOU choose to do that, if you fly Ryanair why should other people subsidise your choice to do it on the cheap?

Theodorakis: in reference to your first post on page one, there is nothing "arrogant" about a parent wanting to sit next to and supervise their own child. It is responsible and considerate to other passengers.

Secondly- your second post above ^^ indicates that you think if you have children you should not use budget airlines as you are somehow expecting others to "subsidise" your economical choices.

This is frankly discrimination- whether you are a parent or not you have an equal right to travel how you please.

I agree that being puked on is not funny, but I also agree that refusing to allow a parent to sit with their child is really selfish. Even before I had kids, I would always have willingly moved seats to sit a parent and child together. It's just kindness. It's the people that won't move who are arrogant and entitled, not the poor mother who doesn't want to be separated from her young child.