AIBU to expect to sit next to my child on a 10 hour flight

[soimpressed]

This year I have booked my first ever package holiday. I booked with what I thought was a good company and the holiday cost a lot of money. I was told I could check in 7 days before the flight and tried to do so but the system wouldn't let me check in. I tried several times with no success. It took 3 emails before the company finally sorted the problem out. When I finally got to check in online I found that I wasn't sitting next to my child. Everyone else has obviously been able to check in and there are no seats left together. My only option is to pay £150 each seat to upgrade. My DS is in tears about having to sit next to strangers. The company are refusing point blank to help. AIBU or do I just need to shell out the £300?

[annebullin]

I'm sorry but you should have paid when you booked if you wanted guaranteed seats together.
I paid extra when I booked our Summer holiday so we could all sit together on our flights as ds1 has ASD.

You might be okay on the day though - my sis and I flew last Summer and moved voluntarily when we noticed that a boy was sat away from his Mum.

[ivykaty44]

Go to twitter and ask why split kids from adults due to fault on their system? And then refuse point blank to help at all

[Morgause]

I think you'll have to pay. If other people have checked in they won't be happy about being moved for you - and may refuse.

[ilovepowerhoop]

we normally pay to sit together when booking the holiday - adds a bot extra on but at least you know you will be sitting together

[Artandco]

No just turn up early. They won't want a panicy child on plane so will move someone. Ie I have booked seats before and arrived to find I have been moved and new seat to allow for this. If I'm travelling alone I don't care where I seat

If I'm travelling with toddlers they won't let them sit apart. Can you imagine a plane with a screaming child alone. Not going to happen

[Muppetsbitch]

If its the company I think then i think Yabu because every time I have flown with them there is an option to pay to reserve seats.

Possible ot on your flight, but everyone I have beano that has been the case.

P.s. as an aside I would call them budget personally...

[Ubik1]

he'll probably at last manage to sit across the aisle from you. Just get there early and be early to board. Sure it'll be fine.

[Groovee]

They have sat you in accordance to what is said is a child beside an adult but may be separated by a row or aisle. YABU to think the company should give it for free when it's always been said most airlines charge to sit together.

If I had paid to choose my seat and it was taken away from me, I'd be demanding a refund before the plane left. I paid a similar amount to ensure we could choose our seats last year when we flew to Florida and it was worth every penny.

[Forago]

YANBU imo.

Is a budget airline imo, and certainly budget website.

I find this policy laughable - and like all the greedy budget airlines it is now coming back to bite them on the butt. If you pimp out every seat on a plane after booking there will be constant chaos and confusion for the poor cabin crew on every flight. I suspect they keep a few rows back for this purpose as they know they are on dodgy ground with the CAA splitting up kids and parents who can't or won't pay the "optional extra"

As an example, I was recently travelling on Easy Jet with 3 children 3-9, only a short flight so I wasn't hugely bothered about the older two who would be happy to sit on their own. I did think a 3 year old shouldn't be sitting away from at least one parent though. On the day you could do online check-in I logged in and found there were no seats together left - just 7/8 seats distributed singly about the plane. Well I wasn't going to bother paying for them so I just skipped paying and pressed online check-in. Suddenly, we were miraculously allocated 5 seats in row 11 all in a row. In the event, when we got to the flight, the cabin crew changed our boarding passes to row 13 because the plane model had changed and we couldn't be in row 11 which was now an emergency exit with kids. Both row 11 and row 13 has been showing up as booked.

I reckon they'll swap you at the airport if you ask and get there early, or the person next to your son may swap. Who wants to be sat next to someone else's kids! I cant think of anything worse and I'd be pretty pissed off if I paid a large sum of money to book my family of 5 into 5 seats and then to find a random toddler in the spare seat that I had to look after.

As an aside, I think the luggage restriction policy is also coming back to bite them - it is clearly not possible to cram a full planes worth of regulation size trolley cases into the overhead lockers now :)

[Piercy]

Hi I used to work for an airline and the law states a child under 12 must be seated next to parent - they will have to move other passengerS

[Nomama]

As has been said that have seated you 'with' your DC.

If you had paid for a seat choice and it got lost in the mix then you would be in with a shout complaining, but you say you didn't. Your not knowing is not their responsibility.

It will be fine, you may even get a swap once on the plane.

[Forago]

They didn't always charge to choose your seat - it's a fairly recent thing. You used to be able to pay for extra leg room seats and emergency exit seats with no one in front but they didn't pimp out the entire plane.

[ItsNotPossible]

Dh and I have 5 dc and we holiday abroad every year. We have never once not been seated together.

We always get to the airport early and are first to check in. Honestly I wouldn't worry, just get there early.

[Ubik1]

Alot of airlines don't charge you to choose seats. KLM don't.

[meddie]

Charging to book seats is such a rip off. you shouldnt have to, unless you specifically want an extra legroom seat

[soimpressed]

On the plan every seat is showing as allocated apart from the premier/premium seats but I'll try to get to the airport early. It's going to be a budget holiday isn't? I feel so stupid for not finding out more about the company before booking! Never again!

[Forago]

don't panic too much about the holiday, my experience if thomson and TC is the airline is terrible and the journeys are awfuly but both holidays were fine. where are you going?

[uselessinformation]

Why never again, you haven't even been on the holiday yet. I've always had good holidays with that company and I've always pre-booked seats. Ok, a mistake has happened but don't write off the whole holiday.

[soimpressed]

We are going to Mexico. I'm just dreading it now.

[PrincessScrumpy]

We paid extra to ensure we were with dc - although part of me was curious how the other passengers would cope with my 5yo and twin 2yos! :)

[PrincessScrumpy]

Seriously, this hasn't ruined your holiday, usually they are very accommodating and someone will swap. They had a spare seat on the plane when we flew to Canada with twins on our laps and the crew swapped people to give dh a spare seat so dd3 had her own chair. Other dtd was in a cot thing but they didn't have space for another. We didn't even ask.
Calm down and go with it. Ds will pick up on your anxiety so relax.

[PerhapsNot]

Is there a reason you told your DS? I would have tried yo sort it out first rather than upsetting him.

[soimpressed]

Yes I must admit the thought of being able to disown ds when he kicks the chair in front, knocks his drink over, falls asleep on the person next to him and elbows his neighbour throughout the 10 hour flight is slightly motivating me to stop complaining!

[MooMaid]

Honestly OP you can't go in with the attitude that this has ruined your holiday. It's ridiculous. As other people have said, go to the airport and get checked in early then enjoy the rest of your holiday and have a fab time!

[soimpressed]

As I said the airline will not budge. I have spent ages on the phone today to them. My ds would have a meltdown if it was suddenly sprung on him. He may get used to the idea. If not I'll have to pay for the upgrade.