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?

im thinking if you book together you stay together? why is this not possible?

I suppose it's because of the seating arrangements. If you are on a 3, 3 plane and there are 2 or 4 or 5 in your party, then there are going to be empty seats. There won't be many single travellers on package holiday flights, so people will have to be split up. The airline will want to fill the aeroplane to make it cost effective so they will mix and match as required.

What I want to know is why charter flights don't make some of the seats only available in blocks of 2,3 and 4 (maybe releasing them singly shortly before online check in closes). There will be few solo travellers on those flights and it would help avoid the problem of single seats being left.

For example a 3,3 configuration could be two parties of 3, 3 couples (one being across the narrow aisle but close enough to talk and hold hands) or a couple and a family of four. Might get tricky with families of 5 unless there were spare seats or solo travellers but two together and three on the row in front would be better than five separate seats.

Devlin I have sent you a pm

Have PMd you back

Oh please, no one should have to pay to sit next to their child. Nasty profiteering scaremongering airlines, an no adult is surely so emotionally attached to seat d6 or similar that they won't allow themselves to be shifted slightly to the left.
If you turn up at a decent hour on the day the staff will sort it out for you, don't worry.

If I'd paid more for the seat, options available to the parent, why should I?

The clue is in the word budget. Book with an actual airline with proper systems staff and planes with proper seats and you may find you get treated properly. It's like saying Tesco saver sausages are not as nice as Walls. If someone has no children but paid for a certain seat, does having children trump them and make the mum automatically superior?

And don't forget that some adults have good reasons for needing to sit in a specific place or by their travelling companion (e.g. anxiety or Aspergers)

Have you been able to sort your seats for the return flight yet?

Don't worry I've only ever seen the 'you pay extra or you sit apart from your 3yo, or you are an entitled nightmare' attitude on mumsnet. In the real world, somebody will move for you, because it is insane that you should have to pay extra for what is a basic necessity. If I was not with kids myself , I'd move in an instant for you!

OP- you might want to make sure your browser etc has installed all its necessary updates in future.

That was the only problem when I had a similar issue on what I presume is the same company's website. I was in tears of rage and frustration and felt rather silly afterwards when it was all because I never click that update button.

Devlin- that's very kind of you, but if I were you, I'd ask HQ to delete your posts. You might get a deluge of MNers wanting similar favours and your company might not think too kindly of someone helping out customers in their free time!

OP- hope you both enjoy your holiday and get to sit together! (though as others have said, a long haul flight not sitting next to your child sounds like heaven on a plate to me.....)

This blog in Which says that Thompson in particular seem to be renowned for doing this. It is ridiculous that parents should be expected to pay for the privilege of making sure their child is a) not disruptive to others during the flight and b) in a position to take care of them during an emergency. Surely this is to everyone's benefit, especially the airline.

I would start a Twitter campaign. IME they are very effective, even when the company has been completely useless when contacted any other way.

I always though Thomson were awful. Then I actually booked a holiday with them. Best most relaxing holiday ever. Couldn't fault anything.

I've been on a Thomson flight where this happened and no-one moved, we flew to Cape Verde and it was the worst plane I've ever been on.

In fact, from a safety perspective, I'm astounded that it isn't required by law that children under 12 be seated with the adult responsible for them. Perhaps it was assumed that airlines would never be so stupid as to split parents and children. Sadly an incorrect assumption when these airlines will take every opportunity to squeeze more money out of people.

Annie- "seated with" means one row in front of, behind, or across the aisle. IIRC the OP's child has been placed in the row in front so within the legalities. (someone said upthread)

I work for an airline and children must be seated with their parents but this is defined as not separated by more than one aisle or row forward or aft, my airline is not charter it's a well known international carrier but we get people every single flight separated from their kids but always manage to switch people around to accommodate, good luck

I've a suspicion that if airlines lost the money raised from charging people to guarantee seats together the cost would be passed on to others therefore resulting in higher bade fares. On that basis I don't see why parents, voucher and families shouldn't pay to choose their seats. If as a lone traveller I choose to pay for a prebooked seat I certainly am not going to move unless I get a seat of an equal or better standard.

Couples not voucher. Interesting autocorrect.

We have always had Thomson holidays and never had a complaint, this year it is to be Thomas Cook so fingers crossed eh!

deakymom - am i the only one who thinks it pathetic parents need to pay extra to sit by their own children?

No you are not, but we are a minority on here. There is no way that I would pay - for what I consider my right as a parent - to be seated next to my child on a short or long haul flight.

If they ever sat us apart, & wouldn't change it & seeing that I would not be allowed to comfort them on take off or landing, they would be distressed, then the other passengers would have to put up with my distressed children.

The reason airlines do this is because people pay for what should be a given.

How the hell did these people cope before online booking was possible. You rocked up at the airport & waited your turn. I think that system worked pretty well! But no, we have to have it all & have it all now.

As for the poster who made the commentabout an adult being "attached to seat D6" etc - for the sake of argument tthat's an aisle seat. I wouldn't be inclinedto swap to E5 on the row behind to be squashed between two other people on a ten hour flight to accommodate someone who'd failed to pre book.

If no one on the plane budget tell your ds to kick off. It's ridiculous a 9 year old should sit apart from a parent, regardless of booked seats or not.

If they ever sat us apart, & wouldn't change it & seeing that I would not be allowed to comfort them on take off or landing, they would be distressed, then the other passengers would have to put up with my distressed children

And I can't believe that any parent would purposely allow their children to get upset on a flight (that could be the last thing get ever do if the plane crashes) for the same of a few exta quid.

tell your ds to kick off

I think I've heard it all now.