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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:
ToastDemon · 03/03/2016 18:49

I like the option to pre-book seats. I get anxious about flying (mostly claustrophobia) so being able to book eg. seats in a row of two is great. I feel a bit more in control of the experience.
At worst I can guarantee an isle seat.
I'm afraid I wouldn't give up my seat because other people had chosen not to pre-book. I book mine because I need to.

derenstar · 03/03/2016 18:57

It's been a while since we've flown long haul (last time was 5 years ago with VA), been doing short haul with various airlines in that time including with BA with our two DDs now 8 and 5 and have NEVER paid to be seated together and have always been allocated seats together on check in. Neither have we seen any issues with kids being separated from their children on any of those flights. I don't personally know anyone in my group of friends, family or colleagues that have experienced this either. We must be extremely fortunate, perhaps.

This summer, we're flying to Orlando with BA. I was genuinely shocked that BA have started charging to guarantee seats together for long haul too, particlualry since the tickets were the best part of £900 per person so not cheap! Friends of ours are flying business on the same flight and there is a charge to sit together too. I understand it's business blah blah but also think it's immoral and plays on people's fears, especially those with young children. It's just greedy in my opinion. I'm going to take my chances again, if they seat us apart so be it.

derenstar · 03/03/2016 18:59

Obviously meant kids being separated from their parents not children! That would be rather odd.

Fozzleyplum · 03/03/2016 19:07

I get a sense of deja vu whenever the "airline seat" threads appear.

I'm not interested in the rights and wrongs of the charge. You know when you book a holiday that a cheap flight is always going to have extras to pay.

If you want to leave seat allocation to chance, that's fine. But I always pay to prebook a seat and (not that I've ever been asked yet) I wouldn't give it up to someone who chose not to pay and simply fancied my seat. Unless they paid me the booking fee, in cash, there and then, plus a 500% uplift.

You wouldn't walk into a restaurant and say to another diner, "I don't want to pay for dinner, but I'd like you to give me yours".

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 03/03/2016 19:09

Although it's only DH and I we always pre book seats. I'm terrified of flying and there's no way I could sit on my own. Someone who hadn't pre booked could beg, plead, shout and scream all they liked but they wouldn't be getting my seat!

LagunaBubbles · 03/03/2016 19:11

Fozzley I wouldn't give up my seat if I had pre-booked it either but I dont agree with your "cheap flight extras to pay" bit.....4 flights from Glasgow to Phoenix and San Diego to Glasgow with BA weren't exactly "cheap"!

KitKatCustard · 03/03/2016 19:15

Oh please book. I want you all to sit together as I don't want to be the adult who has to sit next to (and feel responsible for) a random child.

Fozzleyplum · 03/03/2016 19:19

Maybe not, Laguna. I agree these surcharges aren't ideal, but we know about them when we book and they are not a huge amount compared to the price of the flight. They need to be factored in for anyone not prepared to risk the seating arrangements.

Likeaninjanow · 03/03/2016 19:20

I paid extra for seats together with Thomson. When I went online to check it, they had given us 4 seats in different rows, one behind the other. Apparently that is classed as together.

When I phoned & created an almighty fuss, they eventually moved us.

DingbatsFur · 03/03/2016 19:21

We're flying long haul with BA in a month. The allocated seat cost is ridiculous. I will log in online and get seats for us.
Last time we went our flight was delayed and we missed a connecting flight, we were then shoe horned on to another flight (one parent per child). If we had paid for allocated seats I bet we wouldn't have got our money back.
Greedy money grubbing airlines!

BopToTheTop · 03/03/2016 19:22

As others have said already, book if you want the guarantee of children not being separated

I always book a seat even if travelling alone as I like a window seat as it helps me zone out a bit and feel partly out of the hustle and bustle on the plane

I also wouldn't move if asked if I had paid for my seat as I wouldn't get the money refunded and I don't see why I should waste my money if parents don't want to 'waste' money paying for this perk

HeadDreamer · 03/03/2016 19:24

derenstar I fly long haul regularly. Virgin is charging me to prebook seats this year too. It's not a cheap flight! £2200 for 2 adults, a child and a baby. Last year we got it to select our seats with BA for free as soon as we got our booking reference. It must be a new thing. What's next with long haul? No more free luggage allowance?

kali110 · 03/03/2016 19:26

The airlines guidelines does not mean what a lot of people think they mean.
Sitting together does not mean the seat next too.
'Together' means the same row, row in front or behind, aslong as they're not seperated by a row, so they could sit kids away from you.
I always prebook. I have invisible disabilities and anxiety, i certainly wouldn't move let alone for someone who hadn't prebooked.

FreshHorizons · 03/03/2016 19:31

If it is important I would pre book. I expect that I might have been kind at one time but since reading MN I am determined not to move when some people are so entitled and think they can scare people with talk of sick bags etc!

kali110 · 03/03/2016 19:34

PoohBearsHole the amount of fb posts complaining i see that the parent was told they wouldn't be separated from their kids...well you can guess why they were complaining to the company on fb... ( yep separated because they hadn't prebooked and nobody would switch).

Andrewofgg · 03/03/2016 19:35

You may find that you get two blocks of two, well apart from each other, each adult taking one, which is not too much fun.

It's also grossly unfair to assume that if necessary people who have paid will be turfed out of their chosen seats to accommodate you.

derenstar · 03/03/2016 19:39

HeadDreamer shhhh! Lest you give the airlines new ideas for fleecing us further! It used to be two pieces of luggage as standard for long haul flights too, now it's only one unless you fly premium or above. I remember the days when establish airlines used to pride themselves on not charging for 'extras' like the bucket airways. Now, they're all at it. There's no honour indeed amongst thieves as they say!

FindoGask · 03/03/2016 19:41

Oh sheesh, just pay the money and be done with it. I don't understand all this fuss.

IsItIorAreTheOthersCrazy · 03/03/2016 19:42

I actually think it's quite selfish to rely on the niceness of other people to either swap seats so you can sit together or put up with your child for the entire flight.

On the way back from a Christmas holiday we watched a man argue horribly with the cabin crew because their 3 seats (husband wife and child around 6yo) were all separate.
The plane was full of families who had paid to sit together or lucked out and sat together. I had a window seat which I enjoy but was not happy at a man demanding that as we had no dc we should "do the decent thing" and move.

Was horrible to be part of a big scene and I felt so sorry for the poor cabin crew. If you're taking a child, just pay the fee.

BarefootAcrossHotLegoPieces · 03/03/2016 19:44

Findo, OP has paid. See her update.

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 03/03/2016 19:47

Years ago on a plane Dh and dd were seated together (allocated seating) and oddly on their row of three was a random woman while I had been allocated the row behind. Dd was about 4yo.

The lady very kindly turned round to me and offered to swap. I'd just settled down with a newspaper and some snacks and thanked her for the offer but said I was fine where I was. Grin. Her face was hysterical! I had the best flight ever!

maitaimojito · 03/03/2016 19:59

We were on a plane in Mexico at New Year (also Thomson) and were unable to take off as a 2 year old had been split from her mum. The stewardess asked for volunteers to move and nobody did so in the end the pilot came on and said that the plane would be going nowhere until somebody moved as it was illegal to take off.

We had paid for extra legroom so wouldn't have moved, but I'd definitely pay to pre book if I had kids as I wouldn't want everyone giving me daggers like the woman stood with the toddler at the front of our plane!

Sallyhasleftthebuilding · 03/03/2016 20:01

This is funny - when you pre book you have no idea who you will be sat next to -

I may just randomly select middle seats for all my kids for our next flight Grin

Nice if you could exclude certain types - annoying teens with headphones - chatty people - snorers etc but you can't Hmm

OllyBJolly · 03/03/2016 20:03

My very favourite place name in Central Scotland FindoGask !

(Sorry, not point of thread!)

2boysnamedR · 03/03/2016 20:05

When ds was two we went skiing. Was the last people to check in and got the last three seats. Ds was sat no where near either of us. Seat swopping on the plane. No one wanted to swop seats but when Dh left ds by himself no one wanted to sit next to him either! It wasn't a pleasant experience

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