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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

731 replies

LittlePudding1 · 18/06/2013 16:47

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?

OP posts:
hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:16

SDTG... I can guarantee that people who have paid for seats have had to move. I have both moved for someone else's child, and had others moved for me... we all moved out of paid-for seats.

It is a terrible, divisive, stressful and unsafe policy on the part of the airlines. There are moves in the US to legislate against it.

crashdoll · 19/06/2013 18:19

I've read this entire thread and LOL at the twit poster who said this: "Ooh, how about charging for the privilege of using stairs to access the plane? Those who don't cough up have to use a climbing wall to get onto the plane - if they're lucky. The disabled can just pay extra or not fly, I guess." Yeah, because the legislation protecting a disabled person's right to have reasonable adjustments made is totally the same as having to pay for chosen seating. Grin

Mrsrobertduvall · 19/06/2013 18:19

We always prebook (never fly Ryanair/Easyjet) as dd and I have very long legs and need extra legroom.
We book 2 seats together, and 2 behind for ds and dh.
No one under the age of 12 can sit next to us as we are close to emergency exit ...you have to be able to get out independently, so that solves the problem of having random children next to us.
Dd has great anxiety and ocd so we have to make sure she is seated appropriately.

Airlines are not going to change their systems...there are always people wanting to fly.
Would I move from my prebooked seat to accommodate a family sitting together...no.

CelticPromise · 19/06/2013 18:21

Oh Lord there is such a lot of RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION on this thread, shame it is misdirected. I'm very happy to supervise/tell off/physically restrain my 3yo, but I'm not paying extra to choose a seat because I don't care where we sit. Easyjet at least seems to agree and if I don't prebook it will allow me or DH to sit with him anyway. It's not a moral decision. I got picked up for saying booking seats doesn't make you a better person, plenty of people seem to think the opposite. Confused

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:21

Airlines will not change their systems until people force a law upon them. Don't get angry with the person asking you to move so they can sit next to their toddler... direct your anger at the airline and the legislation that allows this.

YoniwayisHull · 19/06/2013 18:22

Wow, we're flying with Air France in July with a 2 and 5 year old and haven't pre-booked seats. We weren't offered that when we booked but tbh we're so stretched just paying for the holiday we probably couldn't have afforded it. I can't see how this is an ethical way of ensuring dc sit with their parents.

CloudsAndTrees · 19/06/2013 18:24

No harm is going to come to a small child that has been left to sit next to a stranger. The comment that was made about undoing a seatbelt and saying 'go and find your Mother' was extreme, and I don't believe anyone woudo honestly do that.

But if I chose to read, or sleep or talk to the person I was travelling with instead of engaging with someone else's small child, then I'm not actually doing anything wrong. If I really wasn't in the mood to look after someone else's child, I might consider it if the parent offerd to buy our drinks on the flight or something, but not once, in all the times that I have moved for families has one ever offered to buy a drink as thanks. That has put me off being helpful.

I'd be quite capable if chatting to and entertaining a 2yo should I choose to do so, but I know plenty of people that wouldn't have a clue where to start in entertaining a child. You can't expect people who know nothing of children to suddenly feel comfortable entertaining one just because a parent didn't want to pay for booking. That's not callous, it's just people!

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:25

Yoni... it is not ethical. But you can ring up AirFrance and see if any seats are available to book. It may do you no good, but worth a try.

LadyBryan · 19/06/2013 18:27

CelticPromise - you do care where you sit though, surely. You want to sit WITH your children, that is caring where you sit? The location of the seat may not be important but surely that all seats are together is?

I really don't think that people who have paid for seats are better people, but neither do they have less rights than people who have chosed to risk being able to sit together. Because essentially that is what people are saying, if necessary they would ask people who have paid more to accomodate them, because they didnt' want to pay more. And that isn't appropriate IMO

hippohugger I wouldn't get angry, far from it. But I would also exercise my right to remain in a seat I had paid extra for - and the people wantint me to move shouldn't get angry with me for it

I'm not prepared for my child to be the experiment to see what happens if we don't pay for guaranteed seats

CelticPromise · 19/06/2013 18:27

Gosh. I moved for a family last time I flew. It didn't occur to me that they ought to buy me anything to say thankyouConfused

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:28

"No harm is going to come to a small child that has been left to sit next to a stranger." Most young children would be distressed sitting next to a stranger - that's pretty usual. I would hope most human beings would want to avoid distressing a young child. And I would question your assumption that the parent had chosen not to pay.

CelticPromise · 19/06/2013 18:30

No Lady I've said already (twice) that I expect the airline to accommodate me, not anyone else. They know how many small children are on their flights and they know they need to sit with a parent, so they shouldn't flog so many reservations that this isn't possible. Fortunately most airlines will not sit a small child alone.

I don't care about all seats together, as long as one of us sits with DS preferably DH.

CloudsAndTrees · 19/06/2013 18:31

Do you offer to reimburse the people who have had to move for you hippo?

If you would have been prepared to pay it if you had been given the chance, then presumably you won't mind offering it to someone who was able to pre book.

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:32

LadyBryan My point is that the times I have been forced to ask others to switch, it has not been because I was unwilling to pay. So this assumption that I'm asking because I couldn't be arsed to pay or that I have chosen to 'risk it' is completely wrong.

So why is asking other to move because I couldn't find a seat to buy 'inappropriate'? The policy is inappropriate, and frankly wrong.

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 18:32

Clouds I for one am not talking about anything to do with entertaining children.

I am talking about the inherent safety risks in parting a toddler from it's carer on an aeroplane, and about the attitude that many posters on this thread have shown, including the comments I mentioned above.

Certainly many people have said that they would studiously ignore any child they were sitting next to, although most said that in an emergency they would put the oxygen mask on them.

I can't understand why anyone woudn't for eg call the steward if a 3yo sitting next to them said they needed the toilet, for instance.

YoniwayisHull · 19/06/2013 18:33

Think I'm going to have to but begrudge having to pay to sit next to my toddler!!

Only thing I can find on Air Frances website 'The child and accompanying passenger must travel in the same cabin. If not, the child will be considered an unaccompanied minor (UM).'

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:33

No, Clouds, nor has I asked parents to reimburse me when I have moved for their children. I asked the airline to reimburse me. They always have (after a fight).

clam · 19/06/2013 18:34

If airlines require a parent to look after its own child on a flight, then I fail to see how it can charge for the privilege.

What about that landmark case of the bloke on a BA flight was who asked to move from his seat as he couldn't sit next to the unaccompanied minor (15yo) who had been placed next to him? The cabin staff insisted he swap seats with his pregnant wife as, it seemed, she was unlikely to molest the 15yo. He sued for sexual discrimination and the airline settled out of court.

CloudsAndTrees · 19/06/2013 18:34

It didn't occur to me that they ought to buy me anything to say thankyou

It didn't occur to me the first coupe of times either, but once when I was moved from a nice comfortable aisle seat into a not so comfortable middle of the row seat, I did think that a nice gesture would have been in order.

moogalicious · 19/06/2013 18:34

After reading this thread I nearly forked out for allocated seating with easyjet. However, just got this off their website:

Will families be split up if they do not wish to pay for allocated seating?
No, we will seat families together wherever possible. It?s important that we know if you have children in your booking in order to make sure they get an appropriate seat and are seated with you.
When you make your booking for your family, please make sure you clearly identify any children in the booking. Just add the number of children in your party in the ?Children < 16? section on the easyJet home page and insert their ages just prior to concluding your booking

Looking on their website, most of the seats haven't been paid for plus you can check in a month before flying anyway, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 18:35

Yoni I think that there are rules about unaccompanied minors having a steward sort of keeping an eye on them and presumably taking them to the loo and that sort of thing. You could look up what is says about it on the site.

CloudsAndTrees · 19/06/2013 18:36

That's up to you Hippo, but I wouldn't be prepared to waste my time fighting the airline for reimbursement. Im crap at stuff like that anyway. Let the family who needs me to move do it instead.

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:37

Clouds, it was nice of you to move. It would have been nice if the airline had bought you a drink, too, though you don't seem to blame them for the situation.

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:38

But it's not the family's fault they are in this situation. The airlines should reimburse you automatically.

hippohugger · 19/06/2013 18:38

Let me amend that: sometimes it IS the family's fault, of course! I just know it's not been mine.