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

[StephenKatz]

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 , 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?

I've always paid for allocated seats when travelling with the children. I know it's an annoying charge but would not want to risk having them not seated with us.

DD1 sat separate from me and dd2 on a flight to Moscow. It was a last minute flight so no option to seat book and no one would budge. She was 7, very sensible and was happy to sit with Pringles and headphones.

The couple she was sat with told me in the baggage reclaim they had a nice chat about which sights were worth visiting.

This thread comes along annually.

Here's one from 2014: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2021239--to-NOT-pay-extra-to-book-pre-assigned-plane-seats-with-Monarch
And one from 2013:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1782916-To-not-book-reserved-flight-seats-for-us-and-the-kids
A short one from 2012:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/shorthaul/1545754-Thomson-flight-with-3-kids-Do-I-need-to-prebook-seats
And a long one from 2011:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1290039-To-expect-to-be-allocated-airline-seats-next-to-my-kids

I love an airplane thread. but the consensus seems to be that yes you really do have to book seats or risk being seen as 'that parent' who didn't bother.

Last four times I have flown I have had a mum or dad trying to make me feel guilty that I won't move so they can be sat next to their little darling. They get told I did pay to make sure I was sat next to my husband as I am scared of flying and I have uncontrolled epilepsy so I am certainly not going to move for someone who did not pay to pre book. The last flights the parent got sat seperetly with the nearest one at least three rows away from their kid, at least five couples were asked plus a family of four and they had all payed to sit next each other due a fear of flying or a medical condition. I doubt any of us felt any guilt.

OK, I think I'll just have to suck it up and pay the £28. I could just think of much more fun things to buy with £28!!
The kids would probably be fine, but given they both puked mid flight the last time we went away 2 years ago, I guess I shouldn't inflict that on some random stranger!

They justify it because they are not charitable organisations and are, as all commercial enterprises with shareholders must (remember if you have a pension this probably means you), maximising profits by offering additional secondary spends.

Well it depends:

How well would your children manage their meal on their own? Could they open things without spilling? Cut things up? Pour drinks?

How well would they manage sorting themselves out to go to the loo? Would they be brave enough to wake a sleeping stranger to get out?

How well would they manage if there was a chatty/nasty stranger next to them?

How well would they manage if there was turbulence? Would they be scared?

How well would they manage in an emergency? Would the 6 yo be able to fit the 4 yos oxygen mask? (Extreme example I grant you)

If you don't pay make sure you are actually prepared not to sit next to your children, don't complain when it happens.

NO!!!!
I phoned up a similar airline and said that I was travelling with my children alone (5/7) they said to me not to worry as they would NEVER split up a parent and children. You may well have a child each or you will have both/ dh will have both but they would NEVER sit your children near strangers so I wouldn't bother!

But they can afford to be 'charitable' to the 50% that don't pre-book?

And no, they are not paying my pension.

We fly to Spain in a couple of months too. I've paid to Pre book seats, if anything awful happened I would want to be sitting next to my children to help and comfort them. It's £6 per seat each way.

'As for the 5 year old who was also split from his DF because the man next to him wouldn't move, after about 20 minutes into the flight, the man actually went to the father and told him he could swap places because the child was an absolute nightmare. The father told him it was no longer necessary and he was quite happy relaxing where he was. The passenger had him for 8.5 hours grin'

More fool him. I'd have put on my headphones and ignored completely. In fact, if I am travelling alone, I pre-book a window seat, get a script for diazepam, pop that and some sleeping aids and am dead to the world, complete with noise cancelling headphones.

Don't worry! Like I already said in my OP I wouldn't dream of being rude if it was my problem I hadn't pre booked seats, I'm not assertive enough

It's a lot dearer with some airlines so it could be worse. It's worth it for the peace of mind to know you're going to be together.

I'm taking my chances this year - DS is going to be 10 so he'd be fine for his own on the flights - but up until then the only time I didn't pay was when I booked through a "luxury" travel company - Sovereign to name and shame - and assumed that seating was included in their high prices. It wasn't and we ended up turning up at the airport hours early to be guaranteed to sit together.

Up until recently I'd probably have moved if I saw a family needing to sit together but these threads have made me less likely to do that as the people who don't pay seem unwilling to accept that those without children might have a)very valid reasons for wanting to sit where they are sitting and b) may have chosen to pay to guarantee those seats.

How do you mean, charitable?

People who don't want to pay to pre book don't, then they get whatever seat is left. It's like charging for the wine or something, if you don't want it, don't buy it.

If money is an issue why not book 3 seats??

One adult sits between 2 children and the other adult sits wherever they get allocated.

Swap roles for the return journey.

This is a problem entirely created by greedy airlines who want to claim that their flights are cheaper than they really are

^^ This.

A few years ago nobody pre-booked their seats, so nobody minded the cabin crew using their discretion at the time of boarding to make sure that children were properly supervised by their parents. Now that people HAVE paid to pre-book their seats, the cabin crew don't have the freedom to move people around. Which has the knock on effect of meaning that parents HAVE to pre-book to make sure that they can look after their kids. Which, personally, I think is insane.

I've never paid to pre-book - whether I'm travelling with the children or without them. If I'm without, I would always gladly swap seats so that a parent and child could sit together. If I'm with, then I'm quite happy for someone who's been foolish enough to pay unnecessary money to the airline to end up sitting next to my child.

Disclaimer - I understand and sympathise with people who pre-book a particular seat because it helps them overcome a fear of flying or they have some special requirement. But I still think it's better that nobody pre-books and the cabin crew can use their discretion for these people as well as young children.

Excellent suggestion DameMargaret Any chance I can convince DH that I could only select his name with the kids both ways? < evil laugh >

There are guidelines by the civil aviation authority regarding seating children close to parents, ideally same row. This is for health and safety reasons. In case of emergency the chaos of unattended young children can hinder evacuation.
Also prebooking a seat gives you an option re that seat. The airline can move you from your prebooking and paid seat to another one if they so wish. They generally don't do so but if they want to move you, you can't refuse.

Oh, OK Buzza! So not your personal pension pot but that of many others.

And no, not charitable, which is why so many people have tales about families who cause disruption when they are not seated together.

Think of it as a comfort tax or insurance... you pay it you get peace of mind. Don't pay it and you worry right up until the moment you sit down.

If you don't agree with it don't pay it. It really isn't rocket science!

£28 isn't too bad but for me to pre-book 3 seats with the dc I was paying the equivalent of the ticket again. Each Way.

Not on your nelly easy jet!

(And they did tell me they wouldn't seperate us and had already pre-allocated seats for the three of us together due to flying alone AND the age of the children)

DH would love it as he would get to sit elsewhere and not get bothered, which would mean I would love it as the dc's only ever want to be with DH so I'd have a lovely seat on my own........................oh for a holiday!

Barefoot, the 'charitable' comment was in response to a reply I got asking why anyone should pay if half the passengers don't. I never pay to pre-book. If the airline needs more money it should increase the cost of every seat, not pray on those with children.

Just to be cheeky - have you ever bought a bottle of water on those flights.......that could pay then pension of a small village. For several years.

Let alone the alcohol

This allocated seat thing causes a lot of hassle.

In the good old days, the low costs didn't allocate seats (except the "premium" front and extra legroom seats) - they just boarded passengers with young children first to avoid any hassle.

It really is just money grabbing by the airlines, and not wanting to be honest about the real cost of flying.

We were on a 1.5 hour flight where a couple across the aisle ended up sat next to a 4-year-old. The husband buried his head in his book while the wife and the boy's mum argued the toss over the seats. The couple had booked, the mum and son had not.

The mum tried a last-ditch tactic - she told the woman her son always got air sick. The woman said "well give him a sick bag then." Then just calmly opened her book. The mum was furious. It was very entertaining!

(The 4-year-old was glued to his tablet throughout and barely looked up).

OurBlanche - I find your reasoning rather odd. We should be happy to pay for things that we don't want, like or need because it helps companies to be profitable and that funds our pensions???? F**k that. I'd rather keep my money in my pocket and invest it in my own pension. Companies should make profits by providing goods and services that people want at a price they're happy to pay - they shouldn't need to resort to devious charging for 'extras' to make profits.