Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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:
tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 20:40

Why doesn't someone put this to the BBC?

[email protected]

they are requesting questions by email

LtEveDallas · 19/06/2013 20:47

I honestly wouldn't fly Begonia. After my rotten experience I just couldn't do it again. If I absolutely had to fly - a death or something, then I'd be that drugged up to the eyeballs that I'd be no good to man or beast (or unaccompanied child)

The airlines may be ripping us off, but I will still pay for my piece of mind. I've seen families separated on flights before and I don't want to take that risk.

flipchart · 19/06/2013 21:58

Has no one got anything new to say on this thread?
It's just going round in circles now.

MummytoKatie · 19/06/2013 22:04

Anyone who thinks this is a problem caused by having payable seats obviously hasn't read Bill Bryson. By my calculations he and his wife were sat separately from their 4 yo and 2 yo (and their other 2 kids) on a transatlantic flight in 1992! (ie 6 separate seats for the 6 of them).

The good thing about pre bookable seats is you can guarantee that won't happen to you.

Personally I think every under 10 should be guaranteed to sit with an accompanying adult and if that cannot be allocated at the time of booking then the seats should not be bookable.

But I also think that every state school should provide every child with a decent education.

Unfortunately the world does not work how I think it should!

The good news is that (unlike state education) very very few of us ever have to use RyanAir.

No one has to go on holiday.

Assuming for some reason you do have to fly from A to B then you can choose another airline. Even if the only way from Stamstead to Barcelona is with RyanAir you can probably go from Gatwick to Barcelona with someone else. Or Heathrow or Birmingham or East Midlands. Or you could fly to Madrid.

The phrase is "where possible" kids will be seated with parents. The definition of whether something is possible is quite wide. I have no desire to experiment with that with my children. I find it really confusing that anyone would.

BegoniaBampot · 19/06/2013 22:04

Well lucky you Eve, I've had to fetch my very young kids from school and nursery and rush to the airport for that dreaded 13 hour flight home. Luckily we got seats close together despite last minute booking or I might have had the cats bum faces of folk who would say tough luck, you should have booked your seat like we did.

LtEveDallas · 19/06/2013 22:10

Hardly lucky Begonia. Phobias can be disabling.

I'm not sure why the sarcasm, I was simply answering your question.

Snazzywaitingforsummer · 19/06/2013 22:23

  1. A holiday isn't a human right, and you have to cut your cloth to fit your budget, so if you can't afford the cost of the flights, don't go. If you choose to go without paying for pre-booking, that's your lookout and you can't expect anyone to move for you. Why do you feel they should subsidise you going on holiday? Because that's what's happening.

  2. Those saying that Ryanair and other airlines are morally wrong to charge for something that should be automatically available - I have some sympathy with this view, but I think you'd be in a much better position to occupy the moral high ground if you didn't fly with these airlines, rather than trying to game their system and then moaning when others don't help you out at their own cost. I do not fly with Ryanair and when I book with any airlines I make sure of what is going to happen with seat allocations, or I don't fly with them.

Snazzywaitingforsummer · 19/06/2013 22:24

Oh and 3) Anyone who's knowingly chosen not to pay the pre-booking fee who then is separated from their child - you are the reason for any distress felt by that child. It all comes from your choices. Nobody else's responsibility (refer to 2 above and just don't fly with them if you don't like the system).

JudgeJodie · 19/06/2013 22:27

The only thing everyone agrees on seems to be that in an ideal world we would get to sit with young children even if whole families not together.

The differing opinions on this thread show quite how agitated the airlines have us about this issue, and they are taking advantage of it by charging for what most of us agree is common sense for all involved. But they are getting greedy, £30 per person per flight with Ryanair is extortionate and eats a fair old chunk into holiday spends.

As I said earlier we were separated on our way home for a 4 hour flight with Ryanair. I considered it my fault for not getting to check in as early as possible. Not deliberately btw, I wasn't shopping or anything! Anyhow people were really helpful and on landing when he was asleep the lady next to him held him up so he didn't hurt himself, really lovely and restored my faith in human kindness. Helped me carry my bags off so I didn't have to wake him.
However there was an element of selfish behaviour too. People saving middle seats so they can have more room between two of them. One woman came down the aisle after we had taken off and said to a guy "where have you been. We saved you seats up there a family got split up because of you" if people just behaved more civilly then the airlines wouldn't get away with it.
As proven by this thread, we are all playing right into the airlines hands.

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 22:33

snazzy would you assist a toddler seated next to you in the event of an emergency, or call the steward for them if they needed the toilet?

That's all I'm interested in TBH. Trying to get a feel from those with views like yours where the line is drawn. You say they aren't your responsibility - which is true - how far would you personally take that?

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 22:34

JudgeJodie I totally agree with you.

This thread is freaking me out a bit due to some past anxiety issues and bad experiences. Some of the posts have left me really shaky TBH.

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:37

nicetabard some of your comments have left ME really shakey.... but as we know from your posts... you arent interested in anyone else's point of view.... just your own point of view

Snazzywaitingforsummer · 19/06/2013 22:38

NiceTabard yes I would help any small child in an emergency. If they needed the toilet I would tell their parent and get them to take the child. If needsbe I would keep an eye on another child while the parent did that, or call one of the cabin crew to do so. I might even chat to them or play if not busy with work etc - I'm not obliged to do so but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. However, if the child doesn't behave then I'd expect the parent to sort that out, and any suggestion of 'Well, it's down to you, complete stranger, to sort it out because you wouldn't give up your paid-for seat', would make me very cross.

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 22:39

Which point of view?

My point of view that a 2 or 3 year old child is vulnerable and some of the posts on here have been really callous?

BegoniaBampot · 19/06/2013 22:43

And if they booked last minute and had to take what was left, people would still cats bum face and refuse to move? You don't know necessarily know why people are travelling and whether they chose to take their chances or not.

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:44

we all agree that they are vulnerable.

there is a way to minimize this, but some people EXPECT not to use this method, but EXPECT others to accommodate them.

anyone who objects to being moved (as i did - with good reason) is called names

this is a situation brought about by the Airlines. and by people refusing to follow the (unfair) rules.

I dont understand what is callous about me- taking steps to minimise my own issues over someone who hasnt taken steps to minimise thiers.

Why are my needs to ignored/ mocked?

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:45

begonia you dont know why they refuse to move though - do you?

BegoniaBampot · 19/06/2013 22:46

The only time I wouldn't move to help a parent be near their young child is if I was sitting with my own child, as people have been kind to me in the past.

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 22:47

Some of the things you have said have freaked me out:

"I'm glad you decided to pay because I would not move for you... and moreover... I wouldn't move when a stewardess told me to move so that a mother and child could have the double air mask that was assigned to my seat." and then going on to say "if a mum and baby want a double mask.... they should have booked it/the plane should have enough without me having to move.... either way its not my problem. why make it MY problem? as you can see i have enough of my own problems to deal with".

Why didn't you mention that all rows have additional masks at that point? Why make out that you refused to move even though this would mean two people sharing one mask?

I think maybe some people on this thread are deliberately trying to shock and upset. I hope that in a real life situation people would assist with oxygen masks and wouldn't dump 2yo in the aisle and tell them to go away.

This thread is just so scary and the worst of it is the airlines actively want people to think and behave this way because it makes them money. You don't get this kind of shit on the tube or the train. People by themselves offer to move to accomodate parents with small children all the time. There are even signs FGS saying to offer seats to people with small children. Yet on the plane all bets are off and it is just so scary.

lookoveryourshouldernow · 19/06/2013 22:47

After reading this..

....Thank God I am not going anywhere this Summer that needs a "no frills" flight - in fact any flight anywhere ......

Please simmer amongst yourselves and leave me to get on the plane when all the "little ones" have gone back to School in September and I can amble down the aisle and pick my seat...

I am sure that it was never this stressful when we flew with little ones a few years back - thank God they are now old enough to be able to be in a seat (any seat) and be grateful that they are getting a holiday !!!

Heaven help us if we have a real crisis in the UK where we need all to "pull together" - I don't think that we would make it at this rate...

... but the in the end "you get what you pay for " - or not !!!

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:48

okay - good on you! well done!

I on the other hand.... Wont move. I outlined my reasons in about page two.

My reasons for not moving are valid... especially since I take steps to ensure i don't have to.

I don't appreciate nicetabbard name calling

NiceTabard · 19/06/2013 22:51

Well done for what?

Posting something really really scary and then waiting until a load of people said, erm what, that's terrifying, and then saying oh well look mitigation here and extra masks there and actually it's all fine. So why post it in the first place? If there was never going to be a situation where a mother and a baby had to share one mask then why on earth post that?

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:52

nicetabbard i was being succinct.

I never siad that they would have to share a mask. I said that if the choice was me moving or them catching the next flight... they should catch the next flight.

I have never siad that i wouldnt help with children placed next to me. I said that i would help and keep them entertained (i'm a cildminder)

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:53

my well done was directed to Bampot... not everything is about you nicetabbard!

tomorowisanotherday · 19/06/2013 22:54

and nicetabbard i did not post and leave. i was on here till gone midnight listing to you and responding to you and others