to not want to pay £100 to guarantee that our kids can sit next to us on the plane

[mumsnit]

DH wants us to pay £25 each to guarantee that we can all get seats together when we go on holiday next month. Aibu to think it's a ridiculous cost to pay out

But I have heard that one airline refused to seat a family together as they hadn't paid the premium and tried to seat a 3 year old alone on the other side of the plane from the parents. We don't go on holiday very often - especially abroad and I'm already nervous about flying so don't want this added to the stress of travelling.

WWYD/WDYD - do you pay the extra cost?

The thing is proud, yes there are lots of reasons why people need certain seats. It isn't just about young children other needs are equal and valid. I'd also be willing to move to accomodate those if I was in a position to.

Asking someone if they would mind moving is theft?

Are you high proud ?

I never said that asking was theft. Making them move or putting them under pressure is another matter.

Suggesting that an autistic person is high because they are having difficulty communicating exactly what they mean is the done thing is it hibble?

I think theft is a bit much. However I was pretty fucked off on a BA flight recently when a pissed up gap yar plonked themselves in Business Class after take off (9 hour flight) and the crew said to leave them because "we were all that age once"

NO. here's the breakdown. economy £398 business £1847

That's theft and I gut a refund for that leg if the flight. fuckers

They should not have been on the plane full stop alrayyan - is it not illegal to be drunk on board an aircraft?

Theft is forcing someone to hand over something that they've paid for; that you want, but declined to pay for yourself...

Which particular word didn't you understand, hibble? you patronising cow

Some poor sod got my 7 year old - I was across Isle with younger dcs. He talked man's ear off for an hour plus. Never seen anyone so happy to get off flight lol

All flights from Doha to London have gap years on their way home from somewhere. Most are either still tripping, stoned or.pissed. to be fair there isn't a lot else to do at the airport

Definition of theft:
A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and “thief” and “steal” shall be construed accordingly.

Asking someone to move does not come under that. Even if you believe that pressure has been applied it would not defined as theft.

queen my comment was nothing to do with said poster being autistic, more that it was an unreasonable assertion.

flogging how mature of you to resort to personal insults.

"I can't stand being nickeled and dimed for something I think should be included in the price."

Well, that's what used to happen, KeepItSimple - you paid a price that included seat allocation, and hold baggage. But now the airlines have broken it down, so you have a much lower starting price - and if all you need/want is a seat somewhere on the plane, and a small cabin bag, you can travel for the base price.

But if you want some of the extras, you pay for the ones you want. So you aren't being nickeled and dimed for something that is included in the headline price, you are being offered a base price and a menu of extras to choose from. If you pay the basic price - you get what you pay for, which is travel to your destination.

No-one's making any secret of the fact that the base price on a budget airline only includes the bare essentials.

It can be worth looking at different airlines - at least one poster on here has said that, once she took into account the extras she needed, it was cheaper to fly BA than a budget airline.

but flogging it was never guaranteed anyway ......

hibble what is the legal definition of property?

Proud never suggested that asking someone nicely to move was theft. Even if her assertion was unreasonable you were out of order suggesting she was high - most autistic people have difficulty communicating so can you even be sure what assertion she was making if she didn't explicitly say so?

Glad to see someone fighting my corner. I am sick and tired of MNERS turning my posts round and suggesting that they mean something completely different to what was intended.

Can we please get back to discussing the original matter now????

The original matter is quite simple. If you want to be guaranteed seat together book and pay. If you are prepared to gamble don't . It is highly likely you will win the gamble but you must be prepared to lose.

BA aren't perfect.

In the days before they charged for seats when DS was 4 I think, we were flying in the UK. We had no access to a computer so didn't pre book our seats and as it was BA and it was all included, thought there would be no problem. Got to the airport and we were due to all be in separate seats. Lady at the desk said there was nothing we could do - we'd need to wait until we got to the gate and throw ourselves on someone's mercy.

DH does a great line in stoic silence. He said "No I think we'd rather not thank you, we'd much rather one of us were sitting beside our DS." and waited, and waited. Eventually 2 seats were found together.

Whereas I was pleasantly surprised with Ryanair. Once before you could book seats with them, we'd paid for priority boarding, but they had silent flight calls at the airport and it was about an hour before we were due to go. We missed speedy boarding and got there and the plane had no seats together - hostess was lovely and managed to get all 3 of us together.

I think it depends very much on the disposition of the crew as well as the airline itself. A good air cabin member will know enough about their customers to find the right people to approach and do it in a nice way.

But I'm very much of the camp who would rather pay for it and know that it should all (accidents excepted) be sorted and we all sit together, that way I'm not reliant on others goodwill.

What the sensible majority have been saying all along mehitabel6

And there is really nothing more to be said- you pay your money or take your chance. Which you choose is a personal decision.

Think its also unfair on the adults who didn't pay to be seated next to unsupervised children, we just got back from holiday and paid for four seats together 3 window and then one next to us in the isle. My husband sat in the isle and had a 9 hour fly with two boisterous boys who parents who were a few rows back happily sat and slept on the night flight. They were between 8 and 10 year old and their behaviour including calling the air stewardess repeatedly, which meant my husband would then be asked why they had been called and not stop chatting and shouting and of course fidgeting all on a night flight it all got a bit too much.

I bet their parents paid to book that arrangement!

Well, that's what used to happen, KeepItSimple - you paid a price that included seat allocation, and hold baggage. But now the airlines have broken it down, so you have a much lower starting price - and if all you need/want is a seat somewhere on the plane, and a small cabin bag, you can travel for the base price.

well, there are things I want, and things that EVERYONE wants. the trouble is that airlines should seat children with carers not for the sake of the carers, but for other passengers.

I can see how budget airlines justify it, with lower headline prices, but what about a package holiday as we've booked? Nobody has told me about needing to pay for pre booking to get seats together - and we've got an infant too so won't be able to check in online. That is penalising me for flying with young children, surely? And on the return journey when everyone arrives via transfers together, it's even more of a gamble!

It's all very well saying if I want the peace of mind, pay - but I don't really have a choice do I? They won't let my toddler fly alone so I'll be relying on others to move, so I have to pay don't i?

*Cuntycow - I really hope on your next flight you are sat next to a separated 2yo during take off & landing. You would have to console/deal with tantrum/entertain like it or not - I doubt you would have much of a choice really (oh but you could have moved - but them your name wouldn't have suited you).

Terrible state of affairs if grown adult women are too precious about your seat allocation to swap with a terrified 2yr old. Yes I would have bloody repaid you whatever money you had spent - if it was that big a deal.

People like you make me despair*

Ruperta, it's people like you, with your huge and bloody irritating sense of entitlement that make me despair . You have some kids - wow, so amazing that of course I'll inconvenience myself just for you. Get a life, and realise that your 'terrified two year old' is your responsibility and if you're too tight to pay her her/him to sit next to you, then he/she is YOUR and not mine!

Your responsibility and not mine!

we've got an infant too so won't be able to check in online.

Why not?