I understand (possibly) paying a little for allocated seating on a flight BUT

[kitsilano]

We are flying to Florida at Easter and BA want to charge us a total of £760 to choose seats so we can be sat next to our DDs - 5 and 7....

£125 per person on the flight out, £65 per person on the flight back.

Looked back at an old thread on here and there was lot of "suck it up, why should others have to move, if you can afford the flight etc etc". But was a £5 charge, which I agree, I would pay, although irritated by a stealth tax. But £760?!

Have called BA and they are immoveable on it. We have asked if they can please guarantee our childrens' safety while they are sat next to a stranger, in the dark on an over night flight.

I've never had anything other than great service from BA. Even with the glitch a couple of years ago, they sorted it out easily and with no fuss.

I'd be attempted to announce loudly at check in, 'Oooooh! Lovely! A child free flight. Someone else can have them whining and screaming and fidgeting next to them for 9 hours. What bliss! Usually I have to pay other people to mind them, but you say this is free? How exciting!' etc, etc. If they offer to put DCs next to you for the bargain price of £760 keep saying, 'No, no! That's fine. Someone else can look after them - I'm not bothered. The peace and quiet will be lovely!'

I suspect they will re-arrange the seating for free so that DCs are next to you.

Firstly you can select seats from 24 hours prior to departure online.

Secondly you will be allocated seats together 5 days before departure, which you will be able to check online.

Thirdly you appear to be travelling in Business Class, and therefore are incredibly rich and BA can hardly be blamed for trying to squeeze a bit more out of you.

Fourthly, when we last flew business on BA, we wanted to sit in the 'playpen' but one of the seats were occupied, so we bagged three and then the nice businessman in the other was only to pleased to swap so we had the four to ourself.

Fifthly, are you a BAEC member?

This is why your flights are cheaper than virgin.we flew BA last oct to Florida. I just checked in exactly 24 hours before departure to see that they had allocated us all together. My son was put in front of us but I just changed it with no problem and no cost.

BA are dire for this. Don't pay. They'll allocate you ridiculous seat, with the kids on their own at the opposite end of the plane and tell you that you'll just have to sort something out when you get on the plane. They've done this to me (flying alone with DS1) several times.

However, you will absolutely find that the person that has been seated next to your children will be delighted to swap seats with you.

Tbh, I wouldn't be happy with DS1 (12) being seated away from me either. Not after the delightful experience of a night flight where the staff let the woman next to me get really drunk and decided that the appropriate action to be taken when she attempted to sexually assault me was to give me one of those bloody awful jump seats instead. (That was KLM and I would never fly with them again).

No you really do not have to sort it out on the plane. Do it online 24 hours pre departure. There will be plenty of choice.

Yes its 24 hours before the flight you choose the seat. I always fly BA to the states and when I log in 24 hours before the flight I always have loads of spots to choose from. I wouldnt worry.

I haven't had any problem getting seats together with BA when I check in online as soon as it's available. Never paid to pre pick seats. We did two and two (across the isle from each other) and also three in a row when it was me an two kids. (one teen one toddler)

Same as photographerlady, we are back anf forth west coast US/UK and always fly BA.

We always fly virgin to Florida and they never charge us to sit together. And the flights are cheaper from Manchester, than BA. In fact they say us in a row of 4 this time when we had only paid for 3 seats. Ds is only small but the flight had a few spaces so they sorted it no issues.

Don't panic op. They won't sit your children away and if it happens by accident they will rectify it.

As others have said, just do it 24 hrs before check in opens. I fly a lot (mostly BA) and have never known there not to be loads of choice at this point.

In the 8 times I have flown with DS there have been 0 occasions we've not been seated together whether we checked in online prior to the flight, or not.

No airline is going to seat a child alone when their parents are elsewhere on the plane.

When I flew over here with my husband and son, we picked two seats in the middle and didn't designate any seat for my son, because we assumed that nobody would want the seat in the middle of three between two strangers. And we were right!

It does depend where you're flying. We've gone to destinations with no option of online check in with BA. Then you really do have to sort it out on the plane and the BA staff are as unhelpful as possible.

Hi

I haven't read the whole of this thread so apologies if I'm repeating this information.

I used to work for an airline it is against the law to seat an under 12 year old next to a parent - so at least it would be 2 and 2.

Just looking at your dates you say Easter so the flight will probably be busy get to the gate early make yourself known to the gate staff so they have the most time possible to change seats etc if you do have a problem don't leave it last minute they will want an on time departure!!

Good luck

P

We flew to Barbados with BA a couple of years ago and the friend who helped me book online, a BA employee, said "for God's sake don't pay for seats together. You can do it for free 24 hours before."

Arf at Piercy " It is against the law to seat an under 12 year old next to a parent"
Fabulous it's illegal for me to look after DS on the flight. I shall put up the bunting on our flights to the US - except I already have confirmed seats beside each other.

I don't think its illegal tbh. There was a huge thread about this before. I believe it is recommended practice that families sit together but its not required.

My DH has just left for a long haul flight. Went to check in exactly 24 hours before hand and ALL of the window and aisle seats had gone! However the message came up saying that on the way back he could reserve in advance for £28!

And BA dont realise that we know what they are doing!

The cost is disgraceful. Great extra revenue for the airline eh.

I have never paid for allocated seats, speedy boarding or whatever, and have always Sat with whoever I am travelling with. Exception being on return from Lanzarote last Feb when we couldn't have three seats together. DH was a ffs rows behind me and DS who were stretched out in luxury in the extra leg room seats for free. Ace.

Why not just join their executive club? Its free and you get free seat reservations.

We ARE executive club members - apparently they can override the charge but only if you are Gold members (we aren't).

Good to know we can try to get the seats 24 hours in advance online. I have no problem sitting 2x2 or even 3 and 1 as long as our children dont have to be alone.

I am absolutely not going to pay this amount of money as I think it's an outrageous mark up.

I particularly liked the suggestion of loudly discussing my daughters severe travel sickness and asking whichever adult is seated next to her to help her with her sick bag....

On a recent short-haul flight, where we hadn't paid to slecet seats because we can cope with being seated apart for a couple of hours, the cabin crew moved someone around so that our DS2 could sit with DH and I (who happened to have ended up with seats together). DS 2 was 17 .

Don't worry even IF you were all seperated the crew will sort it. 4 weeks ago we had a return flight from the USA with BA. I knew we were split up through the cabin 2 upstairs 2 downstairs but I didn't pay much attention to the seat numbers (long story but we were rushing to get to the gate in time).

It was only at the plane door when the staff pointed out our seats that I realised all 4 of us were sitting seperatley. My kids are 8 and 11.

The crew sorted it for us and my DS8 and I were together and my DD11 and DH were together. The crew even gave me a glass of bubbly to drink while they sorted it.

The crew do not want children sitting seperatley. I was asked if DD11 could sit on her own if absolutley necessary and I said yes as she is old enough and has been on loads of long haul flights, she was actually dissapointed not to end up on her own.

If you are leaving from a regional airport i.e Glasgow you can check in for your US flight at the same time as the Glasgow - London flight, so depending on your lenghth of time in London you could check in online more than 24hr before your US flight and have a better choice of seats. I hope that makes sense.

That's good to know. Interesting though that the BA representative on the phone was much LESS reassuring and said while they would TRY to seat us together and it would be "unfortunate" if the kids ended up having to sit on their own...

Also very jelous that you are going to Florida at Easter. Just spent Christmas there and the kids and I are desperate to go back. DH is not :-( as we have been a few times already and he is sick of it. So if you have room in your suitcase the kids and I don't take up much space