To not book reserved flight seats for us and the kids?

[LittlePudding1]

Hi, I have a 6 year old and a 3 year old and was under the impression that even if we weren't all sat together together on a plane they would sit me with 1dc and dh with the other but a couple of people have told me they can sit you anywhere. Surely they wouldn't sit a 3 year old away from a parent and next to a random stranger, would they?

We booked with Thomson this year and I was told that my husband and I could sit with one child each (4 and 6 years) without having to pay to pre-allocate however there was no guarantee that the 4 of us would all be together so I've just forked out another £50 to make sure we do! Possibly a little necessary but would rather we weren't at oppos ends of the plane!

I would have thought a 4yo would have a better chance of finding who they are travelling with on a plane, than a 2yo? They are taller, and can communicate much better.

Quite possibly, NiceTabard But I still don't think anyone would have the right to unsecure a child & leave them in the aisle.

'if they were seated next to me because their parents had turned down the option of seats together'

I didn't miss it - I just don't think that refusing to pay extra for a safety essential on a flight constitutes moral degeneracy such that you are entitled to behave incredibly, astonishingly callously to a lone 2-year-old.

I have to say, this thread has been an education for me too. I genuinely had no idea people thought like this!

No. My younger DD is nearly 4 and I don't think she would be able to find someone on a plane very easily.

Under the booking and seat allocation system as it exists now, if a parent decides not to pay extra to book allocated seating, then it is their gamble, and they are responsible for the consequences to themselves and their child if the gamble doesn't pay off.

I would not be happy at having paid extra for allocated seating, then being expected to give it up to someone who had chosen not to pay for it and who expected me to move, and lose the money I had forked out, to sort out their problem.

I probably would move - but whether I did so willingly or reluctantly would depend on whether the parent who was asking for my seat was asking pleasantly and was apologetic for the inconvenience to me, or whether they were expecting someone (me) was going to move for them. And I would be pretty pissed off at the airline for taking my money for pre-booking allocated seating, and then making me give up my seat without offering a refund.

differentnameforthis

However you dress is up the airline are giving you perfect opportunity to supervise your children. If you don't want to pay for it, well then that's your look out. But neither is it anyone else's responsibility to make sure your children are adequately supervised.

I am honestly a touch amazed that anyone thinks its ok to affect someone elses journey like that.

And you keep saying "yes well I paid for my daughter to have a seat" - the thing is, so did every other person on the flight. And I as a parent think its my responsbility to do my absolutely damndest to make sure my child doesn't make the flight uncomfortable for any other paying passenger

It's people who are travelling alone and haven't reserved a seat who get asked to move, generally. Most people travelling for work don't book IME as they are by themselves and unencumbered and don't really mind where they sit.

Surprised that people think it is acceptable for airlines to do this from a safety POV.

I can't see who is advantaged by a toddler being seated alone. Could potentially be disasterous for the airline in emergency situation.

I reckon it'll take some kind of news-worthy event and the existing guidelines will be made rules.

NiceTabard You are right actually. When we travelled both of my girls walked straight passed our row of seats each & every time we got up for the toilet. Come to think of it, I did once or twice too. Especially when we weren't sat with dh, because I didn't have the back of his head as a reference for where we were sitting

LadyBryan

I have absolutely no fucking objection to supervising my child.
I have no objection to paying for a seat for her, me & anyone else who I am travelling with. That is my end of the contract, to buy all appropriate persons a seat to sit it.

It is NOT up to me to make sure I pay extra to reserve my seats, because I have paid them already. I don't care where my seats are, but if the airline want me to supervise my children, they will damn well make sure I am sat with them.

If they don't do so, I am not making anyone else travel any journey like anything. I don't allocate seats, the airline do & if their staff are too stupid to sit me with my children, it is not my fault.

And I as a parent think its my responsbility to do my absolutely damndest to make sure my child doesn't make the flight uncomfortable for any other paying passenger

And I will do exactly that to the best of my ability with what the airline give me.

'if a parent decides not to pay extra to book allocated seating, then it is their gamble, and they are responsible for the consequences to themselves and their child if the gamble doesn't pay off.'

Well this is where our moral universes differ. It doesn't matter what I think of the parent - they could be a mass murderer for all I care. If there is a lone two-year-old next to me on a plane, i would consider it my moral duty to ensure that it does not come to harm. If I do not do this, it is MY fault if harm ensues.

I'm guessing that the woman who failed to intercept my toddler running towards water took the same attitude as you. She gave me a dirty look as I ran and screamed towards him, but failed to do a thing about it (he ran right past her, straight towards a lake). Sure it was my fault, but she was actually prepared to let my toddler drown to make a point about my 3-second lapse in supervision. Pretty depressing stuff!

"It is NOT up to me to make sure I pay extra to reserve my seats, because I have paid them already. I don't care where my seats are, but if the airline want me to supervise my children, they will damn well make sure I am sat with them. "

I actually agree with this, to a certain extent. But you know what the system is, and you know what the risks are when you don't pay in advance to get allocated seating - you risk not sitting next to your child - so your decision makes you responsible too.

And the one group of people who are not responsible for your situation are the people who have prebooked allocated seating, but it is they who end up being inconvenienced. Why should they be responsible for sorting out the results of your decision and the airline's policy?

unnecessary

Gah. 90% of flights are not allocated!!! No-one is asking allocated seat-holders to move!!!!

I mean 90% of seats, sorry.

That's fine - your choice, your risk. But exceedingly stressful for you should the situation ever arise when no-one will move and it may be that everyone is saying flippantly "oh how wonderful, someone else watching my child for the flight, I'd sleep or read". But if it were my child I REALLY wouldn't be thinking I was doing my best parenting foisting them off on someone else because I was too tight to guarantee our seats being together. And I would spend the entire flight stressed out beyond belief to know that they weren't with me.

Oh c**p that was in relation to my post earlier!

We flew BA from Switzerland. 2 adults and one 10 year old child. They split all 3 ofjs up. We were not late checking in. Had an argument at desk as husband has gold frequent flyer status but they didn't care.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought there were accounts on this thread of people who had paid for allocated seating having to move to allow a parent and child to sit together.

but if the airline want me to supervise my children, they will damn well make sure I am sat with them.

So you'lll only supervise your children if the airline want you to. If they are happy to seat your children away from you then you won't bother your arse? Nice

Just to say, we fly longhaul several times a year with young children. For all those bitching that it's crap parents refusing to pay, this is not always the case. I pay when I can, but sometimes (maybe 30 - 40% of bookings?) all pre-bookable seats are already sold. So we have to argue the case on board and switch. It's stressful and worrying for us, and seriously fucking annoying for people who have paid for those seats. But we have always, always ended up next to the kids (often not all together, which is fine). It also requires knowledge of the seat booking system on that airline, which I have, but I assume many do not. (To know when more seats will become available for purchase, etc).

But... and I want to stress this for the "I will not be moved because you are feckless" crowd... IT IS NOT MY FAULT.

This is on major national and international carriers, not RyanAir. And for flights of up to 12 hours.

And by the way, the cost per seat on AA is £75 for some longhaul flights. I pay it, but it is a considerable cost.

Actually Eve you said 'your 2 year old would be lifted into the aisle and told to find his mother.' Not quite the same as 'guiding him back', is it!!

Again my original comment wasn't about your child impecunious, and I quantified that at the time. However I made the above statement following your assertion that your child would be also be a pain in the ass, just like differentnames. No once did you say that your child would be "distressed", in fact you seemed to find it very funny that someone would be stuck with your child and how badly your child would behave.

Had you have said your child would be distressed, then my reply would have been different. But you didn't. Are you changing your statement now? Because if you are saying that your child would be distressed, then why on earth would you, as his mother, put him through that for the sake of a few quid. I think that is a rotten thing to do to your child and wouldn't dream of putting my daughter through that.