Premier economy mix up...

[JulieHaydon]

My partner and I work very hard and we decided to treat ourselves to a holiday with seats in premier economy as we were flying long distance and my partner is tall.

Fine going out and we had a wonderful holiday.

Then coming back we were all sat down on the plane waiting to take off when parents got on with their young child. Again fine, if they've got the money to do that then good luck to them. A flight is public transport after all.

The problem was they boarded late and there was only two seats left. What the mix up was I don't know but as the child was four the flight crew would not allow him to be on one of his parents laps.

So they had the awful task of trying to get one or two people to swop down into economy to let them travel together in Premier - and no one would. We refused outright as did the other passengers. If it had been up to first class we and others would have gone like a shot but this was never on offer. Perhaps it was full.

It was the parents' attitude that amazed us. You'd think with a child they would have booked in early but they didn't they came late, and expected others to move to accommodate them. The woman was very large and said she needed a wide seat which was obviously true.

But as another passenger said "Why can't two people from economy be upgraded so that they can all sit together in cattle class? They were late after all so why should someone move when we've all paid so much more?" However they went on to refer to the mother as a "Fat lump with no manners, if you need a wide seat with your family then be on time boarding" which I don't respect - there's no need to be rude.

We were delayed for an hour because of them. I think they had to go down to economy to sit together as they wanted because two new people suddenly appeared and took their seats.

And I don't think this was unreasonable do you?

I agree Nancy. I like a window seat and always check in on line asap to secure one. I was once asked to move because a family wanted to sit together. If they were that anxious to secure three seats together surely they should have just checked in well in advance and not left it until they got to the airport.
That kind of behaviour annoys me. It's just an assumption that other people will inconvenience themselves to accommodate you, because you can't be arsed to plan a bit ahead.

If parents and kids can't sit together because they have been late and no one will swop seats then they should get off. Plain bad manners to expect others to move for them, but that's that sense of "entitlement" everyone on here bangs on about.

The cabin staff were wrong for asking anyone who had paid a premium to swap seats without being able to offer an upgrade.

If they didn't have any upgraded seats to offer, then they should have told this couple from the start that they wouldn't be able to sit together, and should have either told them they might be able to arrange seats together in economy, or they would have to sit separately.

We don't know that the fuck up was with the check in staff, the couple might have willingly accepted two seat in premium and one in economy, and then just tried to chance it when they got on the plane.

The one time we checked in late for a flight (me, XP and DD 18 months) there were only 3 seats left - all dotted over the plane.

Clearly the 18 month old couldn't sit alone and the ground staff told us this happens all the time and the cabin crew would rearrange people. it is how they operate.

They could have seen we were a group of 3 before our arrival (all tickets booked, paid and issued together), or they could have let us book seats online together - they didn't. The choose to rearrange people as necessary - that was how they operated their business.

I was appalled and upset to be facing this and could imagine all the tutting and glares of other passengers - so I was slightly relieved when we missed the flight (XP's fault entirely :))

BTW I am usually always early to check in - being late was all down to XP but that is another story.

Okay, so if they had one in economy, and two in premiere
then whoever was in the economy seat should have sat there. If it was the child, then one if the parents should have taken the seat. If they were unwilling to comply they should have been removed from the plane.

The staff were numpties.

If parents and kids can't sit together because they have been late and no one will swop seats then they should get off. Plain bad manners to expect others to move for them, but that's that sense of "entitlement" everyone on here bangs on about.

No - you are wrong on this. It is the airlines responsibility to organise proper seating for passengers who have booked and paid for tickets with them.

The airline CAN'T let small children sit alone - if they can't organise seating for their passengers in advance, then they have to sort it out another way. The airline has CHOSEN to operate this way.

And they don't have the option to "get off".

Their luggage will be in the hold already!

How was the issue resolved in the end, OP?

Who had to go in the overhead locker?

It wasn't because they were late!! there is no concept of late on a flight with pre-allocated seats. You either make the cut off of the gate closing or you don't. And it's swap seats

I don't know about Virgin as I used to work for a different airline but I would be astounded if they were expecting anyone to downgrade without offer of financial recompense. And Business and First must have been completely full.

This is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I reckon either:
• The airline royally fucked up the seat allocation or overbooked the flight (can happen, I was on a flight back which had a stopover where additional passengers got on and half the aircraft was playing Top Trumps with matching seat tickets, was absolute chaos!)
• They were pulling a fast one by booking 2 prem economy seats and one economy, in which case they needed to suck it up
•They'd accidentally booked the economy seat instead of a child's fare, and nobody thought to check.

No problem with getting on a plane last minute with kids though, I have NEVER understood why they put all the babies on first on flights with allocated seating, I don't want to be trying to entertain mine in a confined space for a minute longer than I have to!

I would only have moved forwards too.

And when I was travelling with my kids I always made sure I didn't arrive at the last minute. It's common sense.
And you were fortunate enough not to have been unexpectedly delayed. It can happen despite the best planning.

I don't understand at all, the family had different classes of ticket? 2 in PE, one in E?

If they did, they should have just sat in the purchased and allocated seats. Adult+child in the pair and adult in the single. That's what you'd expect if you bought 2 classes of ticket.

Or they only had 2 tickets, in this case, the airline would not have allowed the 3rd, pass-less person to board.

We often try to be the last to board if we have pre-allocated seats, why would you want to spend another 30mins in the seat? Obvs within the correct boarding time. Common sense IMO.

I think your second option is correct twelve

And incidentally, you can be late for a 'proper' airline.

Some years ago, my mum was flying with us three kids to Hong Kong, and we missed check in by seconds. They had sold our economy seats to stand buy travellers, but instead of letting my mum suck it up, they bumped us up to business class (equivalent, can't remember what it was called) This was BA I think.

It was bliss and we have never forgotten it.

Probably wouldn't happen nowadays, this was before online check in.

Story makes no sense. If they had two premium seats and one economy, why didn't one parent sit with the child in premium and send the other to economy?

Perhaps check-in had suggested they might get an upgrade once on board?

We have often traveled in different classes. Sometimes we are offered upgrades so we can sit together, sometimes not. I don't expect or ask for it. Happy to sit in the seats I've paid for.

yeah if it was that then one parent should have sat in economy, one in premier with the kids, obv.

I would only move up like everybody or down if paid - when I was a student I saved the cost of my ticket a couple of times doing this :)

don't really get what the question is, other than a rant that people with kids can be in premium economy too.

Because they might be cheeky fuckers toffee

They would have probably got an upgrade in that scenario on a non full flight

I got the impression that it was the opposite forago that OP was at pains to say a child in PE wasn't the issue

that's not how I read it at all.

I think you can be late for a flight if they are calling passengers to the gate and people keep shopping in dutyfree or whatever. I'm not saying these people did that, but it does happen.

Having watched the programme about BA last night I strongly get the impression that nothing like that would happen on one of their flights.

Would it?

parents got on with their young child. Again fine

OP of course can clarify which one of us read it wrong and whether in fact it was the child's existence which was the problem.

That was why we were late for a different flight once Julie, we lost my brother in the terminal. Was very scary. And we missed that one.

At no time did I say that a child shouldn't be in premium.

No problem. If people have the money to pay for it, that's their privilege to spend it on expensive seats.

There is also one airline (can't remember which - is it air Singapore) that won't allow kids in the more expensive seats and that's also fair enough. There's a market for childfree premier and they are taking advantage of it. If we had wanted to go on a childfree flight we would have booked with them.

Julie you don't work for BA's PR department, do you?