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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think they will not seat the dc away from me

263 replies

inmyshoos · 04/03/2015 13:16

Flying on easy jet uk flight. Myself and dd1 (6)and dd2(8). Big treat for us. Goung to visit friends. Managed to get flights cgeap enough for it to be possible. Do i really need to pay the extra money to ensure we get seats together. Been a long time since we flew but have never had to do this before.

Aibu to think it is just another way to squeeze more money from you??!

OP posts:
ShumbTucker · 04/03/2015 15:18

Book the seats!

I had a mum throw a wobbler with me because I wouldn't move from my extra leg room seat so she could sit with her 2 DC. Tough shit, love. Plan better. I ended up with the row to myself 'twas bliss.

BuggersMuddle · 04/03/2015 15:36

Book the seats.

It really, really gets on my nerves when people show up with a sense of entitlement that they should get something for nothing when I've paid for it. I would be extremely unlikely to move for you, particularly if it involved sacrificing legroom, or moving to a middle seat. From the thread, I can see I'm not alone in this.

I've been asked to move for all sorts of reasons, many of them bizarre to be honest and I never have as every one was a case of people refusing to pay / rocking up late and chancing their hand on the goodwill of strangers who have paid. FWIW I find airports extremely tedious and my goodwill has usually worn out by the time I am on the plan Grin I can't imagine I'm alone in that either...

PeachyParisian · 04/03/2015 15:56

YABU Pay! Or your relying on other people's kindness to give up their seats that they have probably paid for which is selfish.

ptumbi · 04/03/2015 15:57

One point - Easyjet 'check-in' opens 28 days before the flight, online. In fact there is NO check-in desk at Gatwick; it all has to be done online. No point in getting to the airport early!

Book your tickets and check in online ASAP, but you will have to take whichever seats are allocated, if you don't pay. (EJ is from only £3 for a seat selection - Norwegian is £10, whichever seat)

I pay for seats together, as I like seats near the exits and if not bought beforehand, you will get seats in the middle, miles from an exit. I would not move to one of these and let a parent/child sit in my paid-for and desired seat.

BillThePony · 04/03/2015 16:08

I fly easyjet a lot and always book an aisle seat with leg room. No way would I give the seat up after I paid for it. I would pay to bw on the safe side.

Morelikeguidelines · 04/03/2015 16:17

I will be paying for dd (6), dh (with ds on lap) and I to be all together when we go on hols this summer. It is not that much for the cheapest rows on easyJet. We could sit 2 and 2 (so the person not holding ds sits with dd) but in practice they will both want to be near me. Dh holds ds (1) as he is bigger and stronger than me.

RandomFriend · 04/03/2015 16:21

There is no need to pay the extra if you don't mind having middle seats and you don't mind being seated separately. If you are all on the same booking reference and check in as soon as checkin opens, you should be seated together, probably near the back.

But don't expect people who have paid extra for the seat that they like to move.

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 04/03/2015 16:42

There's always the alternative of paying to travel with a decent airline and all this stuff is included... Can't stand it when people piss and moan about 'additional charges' that the likes of Ryanair or Easyjet demand. If you compare short haul routes, there's very little difference in price between, say, BA and a so-called lower cost carrier once you've paid for check in, bags and goodness knows what else on the supposedly cheaper flight. And however much people do moan, from a business point of view, Ryanair is an extremely good business model. Everyone loves to hate them but Michael O'Leary isn't a poor man by any means...

kali110 · 04/03/2015 16:43

I would pay. Airlines have to sit you together, but that can be same aisle or behind or in front.
I certainly wouldn't move from my paid seats. Im a very nervous flier, so i wouldn't be parted from my dp at all and i wouldn't blame other people not moving either.

Charlotte3333 · 04/03/2015 16:47

We always pay. We took the DC's to Florence recently and DH was being tight and refused to pay. 9 year old was seated 4 rows behind me and 4 year old, DH was right at the back. I was furious but said nothing and the lovely chap next to us offered to switch with 9 year old. If he hadn't, we'd have been scuppered as he suffers ear problems and flying solo with earache isn't top of anyone's list of fun ideas.

DH confirmed he will always pre-book from now on after seeing the look on my face as we were seated.

popalot · 04/03/2015 16:54

YANBU, but unfortunately people often don't want to move and you might end up being split up. Perfect world people would care and move for you, but real world they won't and you'll get split up as often you get on last (with all the kerfuffle with children). It's dog eat dog on planes. Almost happened to me after multiple gate changes, so now always book the seats.

TheOneWiththeNicestSmile · 04/03/2015 17:26

Booking a short-haul holiday flight with a 'proper' airline like BA might be an option if you live in the SE - it certainly isn't from eg Manchester (& paying for seats with a low-cost airline is a lot cheaper than getting down to Gatwick!)

Scrounger · 04/03/2015 17:27

Not all families rocking up late have chanced it and want other people to move on a whim. We were flying back at half term, booked and paid for seats together and arrived at Bag drop with over 2 hours to spare. Wait for the plane, it is cancelled and the airport closes for 2 hours. We pick our bags up and go to the EJ desk to arrange alternative flights home. We get on a flight due out 6 hours after our original one. We then check on again and due to threads like this ask to have seats together as they were in allocated. Agent has to go off and then gets us 4 together and 1 at the front. We have 4 yo twins and an 8 yo. Great we might get home.

Comes to boarding and we've been allocated the emergency exit row and we won't be able to sit there. We have to go to the row and the stewards say they will try to sort it out. A big thank you to the two families who offered without being asked to swap seats and gave my kids a chocolate bar when one got a bit upset. It brought a tear to my eye.

We are flying again in the summer and I've paid the extra again so we can all sit together. It depends on your children and the type of flight whether you want to risk it.

MaidOfStars · 04/03/2015 17:46

Booking a short-haul holiday flight with a 'proper' airline like BA might be an option if you live in the SE - it certainly isn't from eg Manchester (& paying for seats with a low-cost airline is a lot cheaper than getting down to Gatwick!)

I've always found the Manchester-London BA leg is chucked on for free. I only book BA with my Avios points though so that's likely the reason.

TheOneWiththeNicestSmile · 04/03/2015 17:49

I suspect it might be Wink

They didn't get where they are today by giving flights away!

TheOneWiththeNicestSmile · 04/03/2015 17:56

Out of curiosity I just checked BA from Manc to Corfu on our dates

easyjet cost under £350 all in (seats & 1 hold bag)

With BA, via LHR, it's nearly £1000 Grin

Fluffyears · 04/03/2015 17:57

On our last holiday some muppet got on last with her kids and screeched that they needed to be sat together and was pointing at people telling them to move.she hadn't bothered paying whereas others had and expected others to accommodate her. No one moved from the seats they paid for and quite rightly so. She was told eventually to take her seat or leave the aircraft and her bags would be offloaded, at this point I her smug look disappeared.

Crocodopolis · 04/03/2015 18:18

I loved the free babysitting comment.

Yes, YABU. If you want to ensure that you and your children sit together, you will need to pay extra. It is not reasonable to expect other passengers to be moved around like chess pieces.

ProudAS · 04/03/2015 18:18

I've no sympathy for families who could book seats but don't and then expect other passengers to move for them.

I have a letter from Dr stating that I need to sit with DH for mental health reasons.

I do think that airlines could make some of the seats bookable in blocks of 2,3 and 4 if large numbers of families and couples are travelling and the flight full. It would help avoid single seats being left.

Crocodopolis · 04/03/2015 18:25

"i wouldnt pay extra. If someone would rather sit next to my children than swap places with me so I can, then good luck to em."

Does this include disciplining them if they are naughty? Telling them off if they are kicking the seat in front of them? Making sure that they get off the plane with you? Making sure that they are looked after in case of some kind of emergency with the plane?

MaidOfStars · 04/03/2015 18:46

Does this include disciplining them if they are naughty? Telling them off if they are kicking the seat in front of them? Making sure that they get off the plane with you? Making sure that they are looked after in case of some kind of emergency with the plane?

In order: yes, yes, no but make sure I reunite with parents, yes.

LiegeAndLief · 04/03/2015 18:54

BA is not so great - they charge you to prebook seats these days as well! Think we paid about £20 a seat for a medium haul flight last time we flew BA.

GaryTheTankEngine · 04/03/2015 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

clam · 04/03/2015 19:22

"For reference, BA now charge for seat bookings." Only if you do so well in advance. They open up free seat booking 24 hours ahead of the flight. That's your chance to nip online and get your seats all together.

I have never paid the rip-off charges for guaranteed seats, although granted, my kids are older teens now so it's not an issue in fact, I'd pay to be separated from them. At six and eight I think I'd take the chance, assuming your kids are not particularly fussy or needy. Mine never were - in fact, they were fiercely independent when travelling.

However, I flew with Easyjet last week and didn't even notice until we boarded that our boarding passes (printed a week ahead) had seat numbers on them - all in the same row. Am pretty sure that this has happened on previous flights in the last couple of years too. Failing that, just get in the queue for boarding as soon as the boards say it's open.

NickMyLipple · 04/03/2015 19:38

I flew to Egypt a few weeks ago and on the way there, I was sat next to a 5 year old boy. He was really naughty, kept taking his seatbelt off. His dad was six rows ahead of me, his 8 year old brother was in front of me, and his mum was way back at the rear of the plane.

I felt very uncomfortable that I was effectively put in a position whereby I was 'responsible' for this lad. I had to keep putting his seatbelt on, picking up his toys, telling him to be quiet, holding his vomit bag after he ate too many jelly babies and then if there was an accident, I'd need to put on his oxygen mask and assist him off the plane.

For the first five minutes I thought "ooh, this will be fun..I LOVE kids" I soon changed my mind.

I urge you to please pay the slight extra to book seats together. DP and I had paid to sit in our chosen seats and whilst I don't mind children (I work in a school!!) I wasn't his babysitter...even though I felt like it for 6 hours!