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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Do I REALLY need to pre book seats on the plane?

438 replies

StephenKatz · 03/03/2016 16:05

Flying to Spain in a couple of months, Thomson have told me I now have the option to pre book my seats on the plane. The last time I went it was just allocated from the very beginning (different airline and quite a while ago to be fair!) It's going to cost £28 for the four of us, something I wasn't really anticipating and I kind of resent paying it. But if I don't, would they seriously sit DC away from us? They are 4 and 6.

Whilst I don't really mind having a couple of hours peace from them sipping wine Wink , I fear I'll be one of those people that Mumsnet whinge about! I won't demand rudely that a stranger give up their allocated seat or anything! But I'm trying to decide if it's worth paying, or trusting that they'll sit us together? I don't mind DH and I aren't sat together, as long as we have a child each to look after? AIBU not to pay?

OP posts:
Roussette · 12/03/2016 12:43

THat is NOT a fair burden for any other passenger. Some one has to have the ultimate responsibility!

Dukes Totally agree and if there was a plane full of holidaymakers, lots with children, surely that responsibility lies with the parents to pay for the seats. The responsibility should not lie with the airline when there is the facility to make sure you are sat with your children. All I know is, when my brood were younger, no way would I have them not sat with me, I would pay.

Agree with pp's - it's rarely like for like when you are asked to move. Of course, if I'd booked a window seat and was asked to move to the same in a nearby row, I wouldn't hesitate but unfortunately that's often not what happens!

When I travel now and it isn't longhaul but a hop to another european country, I don't particularly care where I'm sat, and often don't book my seat, I often end up sat away from DH but that's my decision and he often falls asleep before the plane has taken off anyway I wouldn't however do that with children.

dulcefarniente · 12/03/2016 18:23

I suspect the reason they don't sort it on the ground is that people would rightly be demanding refunds and would have time to kick up a fuss with the ground staff. I suspect once on the plane fewer people try to get their seat reservation refunded.

whois · 12/03/2016 20:15

I might move window to window, aisle to aisle to a row of equitable niceness as the one of booked if I was travelling on my own. No fucking way would I move to a middle seat or to a shit row though.

BadLad · 13/03/2016 00:54

they would be law not a loose set of guidelines

Does anyone else picture Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean explaining about the pirates' code every time they read this?

Expatmomma · 13/03/2016 05:48

Years ago I flew for a weekend away without my very young children.

I boarded and was looking forward to a rare flight of peace and quiet.

Found myself sitting next to a Just turned 2 year old whose mum had been seated several rows away.

SHE then refused to move and was telling the crew how delighted she was to have a quiet flight without her son!!!!!

The crew had to I insist she swapped with me .... Hmm

Trickydecision · 15/03/2016 06:56

Hello Barefoot and Maids, I said I would get back to let you know how we got on booking two seats with a gap in between, hoping no one would be assigned to the gappy one.
Well it all worked perfectly, room to spread out and more wriggle and leg room

We were feeling very smug then Karma came home to bite us. We were 45 minutes up the road in our transfer taxi when the driver got a call. One of our bags had been found on the pavement at Colombo airport and handed in to security. DH and I each thought the other was looking after it. It was my little carry on case containing the passports, accommodation vouchers etc. Security had found our hotel's phone no, had rung them, hotel told our agent, agent rang the driver and we had to turn back. Our driver was brilliant, when we offered to pay for the extra return journey to the airport "no, it's all part of the service".

Security had our bag safe and sound, nothing missing. Had it been left at Gatwick unattended it could have been blown up and the airport evacuated. Thank heaven for calm Sri Lankans.

Eventually having retraced our rush hour route through Colombo and beyond we were very thankful to arrive at our hotel. Where we are having a wonderful time!

TodaysFishIsTroutALaCreme · 15/03/2016 07:29

We booked but didn't need to. An Airbus A380 with only 84 passengers on it. We had the whole of the rear section to ourselves for a 13 hour flight Grin

Do I REALLY need to pre book seats on the plane?
MaidOfStars · 15/03/2016 08:15

Tricky Excellent work!

Foginthehills · 15/03/2016 08:43

Bliss, TodaysFish I love Airbuses. Even in cattle class they are very comfortable & Business is gorgeous.

MaidOfStars · 15/03/2016 09:03

We are flying on an A380 (well, 4 of them) in December - very exciting, although not our first time. We deliberately look for airlines/flights/routes that use them!

Most exciting for us this time - one of the planes on one of the legs has dropped first class in favour of economy. So I've booked seats upstairs Grin

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 15/03/2016 14:11

You see, I hate those A380's because they never bloody take off on time! They take aaages to load and very few airports have the double air bridge you really need, which is a massive pain in the bum. And the bar is right next to 4 stinky toilets!

I will take a 777 every time.... Wink

MaidOfStars · 15/03/2016 15:38

I will take a 777 every time
But they hardly take off at all. You're still only a hundred foot up after ten minutes Grin

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 15/03/2016 15:50

That is true Maid - I half expect to see Fred Flintstone's feet poking out when we chunter along the runway, but it's still a lovely little plane Smile

BiddyPop · 16/03/2016 09:59

Little??!!

I'd love to get an A380 - DH has been on them loads for work but I am grounded at the moment workwise (it's swings and roundabouts depending on roles, my current and last roles have almost no travel and the little there is consists of the "bus to Brussels" type short hop - ok an A320/A321/B737 series usually).

I do love the little Bombardier planes the City Jet use though, they feel so lovely and small, and you really feel the flying part Grin

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 16/03/2016 13:24

Haha Biddy oookay, little compared to the ruddy great flying bloody bus that is the A380!

I know exactly what you mean about the smaller planes. I used to fly regularly from Manchester to Guernsey with work on these piddly planes with a picture of a puffin on them - forgotten the airline! It was so much fun blowing around when trying to land, one time we actually bounced a few times! Grin

Foginthehills · 16/03/2016 13:41

Thing is, those little city planes are sooooo slooooow, when you're used to a big Airbus. Although, it's great to be able to see the fishing boats as you go over the coast of the Netherlands.

I'm old enough to have flown on a 707 when they were the latest big thing (I was v v young then of course Grin )

YoungGirlGrowingOld · 16/03/2016 14:13

My DH is stupidly excited that he is going on a 787 Dreamliner to the US in a few months.....I married a geek luckily I am one too Grin

BiddyPop · 16/03/2016 14:37

I have been on various widebodies and do like them, B787 was probably the biggest.

And on small little turboprops (1 pax each side of the aisle to Newcastle - fun!! - 2 pax squeezed into each side bouncing to Cork, slightly less fun when the 2nd was my DDad on the first flt we'd done together and both on work reasons, but he gave out to me for sucking my thumb as I looked out at the clouds, when I was in serious "TF I am OUT of the office, that was hairy getting to leave on time!" mode).

I flew transatlantic when I was 7 months old, and then not again until my honeymoon. And since then, I've racked up some serious miles in a wide range of planes, seats and journeys. In fact, I was 3 days past "no longer allowed to fly" when I flew home from my last work meeting before mat leave, and I burst into tears on takeoff (completely unexpected, and mortifying as I was sitting next to a colleague from another organization!) - as I knew that phase of work/life was over for good. I've flown lots since, for work and pleasure, but that particular role had some interesting travel and freedoms. Poor DH now, because he does so much for work, gets relegated to the middle seat on family trips, as I take the aisle one way and the window the other (and swop with DD - he needs some "bonding time" with her usually!! AKA mummy needs to relax and read her book.).

DingbatsFur · 20/03/2016 15:08

For those in the thread who are muttering about the costs of pre-booking with British Airways, all is not lost!
I just flew long haul with BA. We didn't pay to pre-book seats together and instead were going to pick the seats once online checkin opened. I was delighted to see that BA had already allocated us 4 seats together on both our flights for no extra cost.
Thanks BA!

purplevase4 · 29/07/2016 08:10

Apparently Ryanair are going to make families pay extra to book seats together: www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ryanair-seat-booking-families-fee-charge-cheap-flights-tickets-cost-a7160576.html

Instead of doing the common sense thing of allocating seats together on a group booking.

chocolateismyweakness · 29/07/2016 08:21

If you want to be guaranteed to be sat next to your children pay the £28. Last year we were sat next to little girl who was about 6 she was absolutely distraught. DH moved and let her brother sit next to her because it wouldn't have been fair on the little girl not to but very annoying when you've paid to sit together and end up stuck by yourself trying to entertain your 18 month old baby because someone else was too tight to pay for their small child to sit with them

NavyandWhite · 29/07/2016 08:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NorbertDentressangle · 29/07/2016 08:30

Expatmomma - Shock at the mum who was looking forward to her 2 yo being seated on their own away from her!

On the flight I was on a few days ago a mum and her (about 5 yo) son hadn't pre-booked seats but were lucky enough IMO to be seated across the very narrow aisle from each other .
However this wasn't good enough for the boy and he cried and winged and refused to sit there. In the end the flight attendant had to ask the people next to that seat (and next to the window which they had paid for) to move so mum and son could be right next to each other.

I still book allocated seats now and my kids are teen and preteen but it means you are there if they need you which in this most recent flight both did (one with really painful ears during descent and one felt sick - you can't deal with that from 6 rows away).

NoobThebrave · 29/07/2016 08:55

My friend cheerfully drops her 4 year old in vacant seat and goes on to find another...every time the person quickly volunteers their place 😂 In my limited experience, parents with small children have been allowed on first or it has been possible to seat two just not always four.

margaritasbythesea · 29/07/2016 09:09

Could someone please clarify something for me please? I am flying Ryan Air on Monday with two DC's. I have checked in online and we have seats together but I didn't buy these, they were just allocated to me. There was an option to buy.

I didn't really understand this at the time and now this thread has me worried!

I did purchase priority boarding not because I think they will let me on first - this never seems to happen - but because I don't want them to take our flight bags from us.