About pre-booking airline seats

[Jollyphonics]

This is a common topic on AIBU - the dilemma of whether or not to pay extra to ensure you can sit with your kids on flights. The general consensus is usually that it's unfair to expect others to move when they've paid extra for specific seats, and that if you want to all sit together you should just pay the fee.

Fair enough - so I've just done my (compulsory) on-line check-in, and chose the option to pay for specific seats. Despite the fact that the check-in only opened a couple of days ago, virtually all the seats appear to be taken, and the only ones available were randomly scattered around the plane.

I just rang Jet2 as this seemed a bit strange, and was told that most of the seats have not actually been taken, but that the airline keeps aside a big chunk of seats precisely in order to sit kids with carers. So although it may appear that we're in 3 different places, we will actually all be seated together.

This is totally at odds with what I've heard on here! So, if anyone gets moved on our flight so that we can sit together, I apologise sincerely. I really did try to sort it out! I'm still sceptical about what will happen on the day though.

Has anyone come across this before? Would you do anything different?

I will always pay for selected seating and I will never move for someone who hasn't. As long as the person who hasn't paid doesn't kick off about it, then there won't be a problem.

There is no rule that airline have to sit parents and children together, so if you are happy taking that chance then good on you, I'm not.

In your case OP I wouldn't have got off the phone until my seating was confirmed with my party all together, I wouldn't leave it to chance or without written proof of what they said.

Forgot to say, call the airline back and bitch at them nonstop until they sell you seats together. If you do not sort it before arriving at the airport, you will get crap situation A or B.

I am flying for the first time in a couple of weeks with my 4 children (13,11,3 and 2). We are flying with Thomas Cook.

Youngest child has SN. I rang the special assistance dept and they have said we would all be seated together. We also get to pre board, and have direct access to the plane rather than having to go up the stairs.

I'm hoping it all works out, I'm nervous about it.

I have flown with jet2 when they put my three year old four rows behind me next to a couple of teenage boys.

They wouldn't move. She was sick on them.

We had tried to book seats together but it was a last minute booking. The flight attendant tried to sort it out but everyone else had paid for their seats and wouldn't move. I wouldn't bank on being able to sit together.

Of course where there are two adults each can be expected to sit with a child, if necessary two, and not necessarily with the other adult.

There was no way I could refuse without making a huge fuss

You didn't need to make a big fuss - all you need to say is "sorry no I pre-booked these seats as it's a special occasion, please ask someone else".

Or even just "no I would prefer to sit here as I pre-booked the seats"

Or ultimately "no I am comfortable here and would like to stay in this seat, sorry"

And refuse to engage in further discussion.

And those of you who say "you always reserved seats"...really? In the olden days you couldn't go online and reserve seats, you got an allocated seat as part of your ticket and no airline charged extra for reserved seats.

It's stupid, the airlines should allocate groups who book together seats together. Regardless of whether there are children or not.

Well, yes, I DO always reserve seats - because I don't want the worry or hassle of us not sitting together, and I have specific requirements......window seat, a row to ourselves, not close to the loos, not over the wing, towards the back of the plane (which is safer), and on the side of the plane where we will get the best views out of the window, depending on where we are going!
I work for an airline, and all I can say is that we get many delays, and a load of unhappy people, because families do not pre-book, are often split up and people refuse to move to accommodate them. Believe me, I can see both sides of the argument and wish there was an easy solution.
We always make sure that a child is seated with at least one parent/guardian, however long it takes to get other people to move. Although I can't find any specific reference to it in our operating manuals, it is our policy, and if you think about it, the airline does have a duty of care towards that child.
In your case, OP, I would talk to the airline again (it's not my airline!) and get some firm proof that you will sit together - perhaps an email confirmation. The last thing you want is an extended argument with them once you get to the airport!

AndrewofGG - NO That is so wrong

Families with children sit together FULL STOP - until we keep pushing airlines to give us what is our right for free - they will get away with spliting us up.

It is so wrong - keep pushing OP

Seems to be that if some airlines they don't need to book as families are seated together then they obviously won't book.

I always pre-book ours seats together on easyjet and wouldn't risk not doing so.

However if I was travelling alone and someone wanted me to move then I would but I am small and it wouldn't make a big difference to me. However my very tall DH would probably be less accommodating. The choice of cramped lets or sat next to someone else's 3 year old - well not sure which way he'd go

We have this scenario to deal with when we fly with Jet2 in October half term. I have a baby, a 3 year old DD and a 6yr DD old with SN. Theres myself and DH. So what seating combination do we go with? We have baby on one parent's knee, adult next to 3yo and 6yo with SN on her own? Or me with baby on my own and then DH with both DDs on another row? Argh its giving me a headache just thinking about it!

I've said this on every one of the hundreds of threads on this matter: Airlines should have a base, slightly higher, price for seats. Those who don't care where they sit or who they sit by could be given a discount on that base price. That would stop all the bloody moaning and demanding - people would get what they (think they) are entitled to for 'free' and those that took the discount couldn't moan if they are 15 rows away from their companions.

That's the best solution I've heard yet, Eve.

I'd vote for you exlteve

We've flown two or three times a year (range of airlines) for the last 15-ish years, ever since our two were 2 and 4 and I have never paid the ridiculous premium to book seats together. Never once have we been made to sit apart even though there've been times when I might have welcomed it.

Also, I might add, I would never have expected anyone else to move, particularly if they'd paid for their seat.

But ltEve's suggestion is good.

As a single business traveller of many years I would have moved - why not - a seat is a seat and air travel is boring wherever you are sat. Wouldn't have moved from Business to Economy - but happy to go the other way .

CAA guidelines:

Family Groups

CAA guidelines ask airlines to develop procedures for the seat allocation of family groups, particularly when a group includes children. It is probable that family group members would seek each other out should an emergency evacuation be required, an action that could adversely affect the passenger flow rates towards emergency exits and might seriously affect the outcome of an evacuation.

Additionally, children and infants should be seated where they can be adequately supervised by an accompanying adult in the event of turbulence or a decompression in the cabin.

Airlines procedures should take into account the following factors:

Children, accompanied by adults, should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. In wide-bodied aircraft, children and accompanying adults should not be separated by more than one aisle. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults.

Seat allocation procedures for family groups and suitable seating arrangements for large parties of children should reflect the above criteria.

Whenever small numbers of infants and children are travelling together, the airline should make every effort to ensure that they are allocated seats where they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adult in both normal and abnormal conditions.

Hi5Hello Ideally of course the family sits together, but safety only requires each child to be with one adult family member, usually a parent. If putting them all together would mean splitting up other couples or not giving people the seats they have paid for - then no. Other people have rights too.

You get the same thing on the trains when families of four expect people who have reserved a table seat to move so that they can all sit at one table together. No. If you can't find a table of four you find two twos and split.

Eve's suggestion still has people paying for something that families should be getting for free.

Airlines should organise seats as

Families with children
Disabilities
Elderly
Those who have paid
Those who don't care where they sit.

Why should anyone pay extra or get a discount for something that families should be getting anyway?

Define Elderly, Hi5Hello?

We fly a fair bit to Ireland and Europe to visit family. It's usually but not always EasyJet. I have never booked seats and when the boarding cards come up after you do the online check in we always have seats together.

it is the definition of "together" that makes me book. I want to sit next to my kids - a seat either side of me - then I can deal with any safety issues or general behaviour issues etc.

"together" on airlines can mean across an aisle, or on same row with someone in between you or seated a row in front or behind.

my choice is to pay, even when travelling alone (I like an aisle seat near the front - hop off plane quickly at destination)

I offered my aisle seat for the extra (£12) I paid once when I was flying alone - and a parent with a child who looked 8-10 wanted to sit beside their child - suddenly they weren't so keen to take it.

I'm getting anxious now. I'll have to ring Jet 2 again, but the seats have been allocated now and the boarding passes printed.

It all makes me so cross. I don't mind paying extra, I was happy to pay, but the option wasn't there. Now I'm worried we'll either be separated, or I'll have other passengers looking daggers at me after they've been made to move.

I much preferred the old days of first come first served. Get there early, be at the front of the check in queue, and you got the pick of the seats.

Don't worry about the daggers Jolly!!!! Most people would be fine with moving, I wouldn't want to be responsible for someone else's child in an emergency.

Look at the CAA guidelines - quote them if you have to.

The solution is for airlines to stop charging extra for pre booking seats. There is no reason for them to do so. It's just money grabbing.

We are flying Ryanair next week and didn't pay to reserve seats. I mistakenly thought that it was first come first served at boarding, as I think it used to be. When I did the online check in it allocated three seats together then one across the aisle. They said that they will try to always seat families together but the only way to guarantee it is to pay extra to book seats. But it seems cheeky if those paying extra don't get much choice.