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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

that airlines charge you extra to sit together!?!?

542 replies

Dollygirl2008 · 26/04/2016 23:20

I mean, after a totally shitty year, I have scraped the money together to take my DC away for a weeks holiday to Menorca- possible the last foreign holiday we will have for a long time. And now, the sodding, well reputable tour operator want more money for us to sit together!?!? I mean, do pepper early do this!? Are they really going to split us up (DC is 7)??

Interested in others views or experience, thanks

OP posts:
notonyurjellybellynelly · 27/04/2016 16:09

Sorry, Blindsider but most of the time airlines are quite strict about everyone sitting in their correct seat during take off and landing. Something to do with 'balance

No, that wouldn't work unless they'd weighed all the passengers before they got on board then distributed them evenly around the cabin. The reality is that its to aid identification if an accident happened during take off or landing and people were trapped in the wreckage in their seats.

KP86 · 27/04/2016 16:16

Travelling with Virgin Atlantic later in the year, and just checked with them, even though they offer booked seats for extra, if you are travelling with an U12 they have to be sitting next to a responsible adult/guardian for the flight.

Not that I would have minded someone else having DS(2) for the 15 hours!

cleaty · 27/04/2016 16:19

So no booking in business class in Virgin Atlantic then, and leaving the kids in economy.

notonyurjellybellynelly · 27/04/2016 16:20

Call me old fashioned, but I actually think that airlines shouldn't allow children to sit in economy whilst the parents languish in business. Is it just me? I actually think thats awful!!!!

I think its none of your business if the children are well behaved.

Are you old fashioned? I doubt it.

Are you something else entirely? Yes.

cleaty · 27/04/2016 16:23

I think it is awful as well. But while most MN posters will say a parent should be able to sit with a 7 year old, most will also say to a MN poster that it is fine to sit in business class and leave young children in economy. I have seen the threads where this has been said.

KP86 · 27/04/2016 16:25

Seems not. If only I could afford it!

We did travel premium economy once on VA (pre-DC when we thought long haul was just horrendous) and I don't think it's worth the extra.

These days, if I was ever able to travel without a child again I would relish it. I've said that I would happily fly around the world six times in a row before going long haul with a toddler by myself again, yet here we are doing it in October. Clearly I'm insane.

DH has never had to fly more than three hours with DS and he was only six months old then. Next time we go on holiday I want to take a separate flight. DH thinks I'm joking. I'm not.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 27/04/2016 16:35

I feel your pain, KP. I really do. ThanksWineChocolate

expatinscotland · 27/04/2016 16:41

'*You get this on trains too. I book a table seat then a family want me to move so they can sit together because they "need" to.'

And you just tell them NO, this is my seat. Mate and I booked forward facing seats with a table for a journey from Glasgow to London, picking up a mate in Oxenholme, who had booked the seat across from us, so we could all ride together.

Sure enough, we turn up, and two women are in our seats. 'Sorry,' I said, flashing our tickets, 'But you're in our reserved seats so you'll need to vacate them.' Cue their story about how they were in a group and wanted to sit together.

'Yeah, so do we, that's why we reserved our seats. You'll need to move or I'll have to call the staff because we want to sit in our seats.'

NO works well in this situation.

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

kickassangel · 27/04/2016 17:18

Can I just point out that paying for allocated seats doesn't actually guarantee you those seats, or even a space on the plane? Flights are almost always overbooked, and the airline just turn away people who are the last to check in, if everyone does turn up. I fly 2 or 3 times a year and I almost always see people being asked to take an alternative route, or just being told that the plane is full so they'll have to wait a day to take their flight.

I have just accepted that flying is a hideous experience, if we get there on time and all together it's a win, and that I will hate everyone on the entire planet by the time we're leaving the airport.

The older I get, the more I just want to stay home.

SoupDragon · 27/04/2016 17:33

most will also say to a MN poster that it is fine to sit in business class and leave young children in economy

I very much doubt that most would say that at all.

BarbaraofSeville · 27/04/2016 17:48

I think how this all works depends on whether you are on a full service (eg, BA, KLM etc) or budget airline like Ryanair.

I mostly travel budget airlines and I don't think they overbook. You check in, usually online and get your seat then. They aren't going to give 2 people seat 2A or whatever, and the seats are non refundable so they get the money whether people turn up or not.

If you fly BA etc, don't you generally check in at the airport, so it can be first come first served. The only time I've ever been bumped due to overbooking, I was on an indirect KLM flight and they transferred me to a direct BA flight, which was much better for me as it saved me arriving in a strange place very late at night. They refunded the cost of the ticket too which wasn't of benefit to me as I was on a company booking. I wanted to fly direct but the company booked me indirect because it was cheaper so win win.

that airlines charge you extra to sit together!?!?
Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2016 17:52

Always read threads like this

If you want to guarantee you sit by your child or husband etc then you pay

If you don't mind either way you don't

Saying that if you check in online with easy jet then they allocate seats together

Sunshowercap · 27/04/2016 17:57

They advertise cheap flights. But then add on baggage & seat allocation

Don't know if anyone's already said this, but this is because about 2 decades ago, they changed the business model: all the components of the flight were separated out & each charged for separately. So if you didn't want to pay for hold bagage, you don't. And so on.

Flying has become something for the masses only because it's now affordable for people on lower incomes who would have - a generation earlier - gone to somewhere like Butlins.

This is why you can "scrape together" enough for a holiday outside of the UK. But you have to remember that it's affordable because of this business model. So if you want the things that we used to take for granted (in the times before cheap flights & cheap package holidays) such as hold baggage, drinks on board, and choosing a seat, then you pay for them.

If you compare a cheap flight from a low-cost carrier with what they call extras added, it's probably the same as some of us are used to paying for BA & Lufthansa.

Sallyingforth · 27/04/2016 18:02

One reason for the "parents in business class - children in economy" is they are hoping for a free upgrade for the kids if they play up and annoy passengers where they are. I have seen it work!

FurryMint · 27/04/2016 18:04

I don't get the angst about this. As long as it's priced clearly then you can pay it or not pay it. Confused

Roussette · 27/04/2016 18:08

Agree with all of that sunshower and I've been banging on about it on this thread Grin

Sunshowercap · 27/04/2016 18:18

Sorry rousette I should have RTFT Blush Great minds, eh?

AnneElliott · 27/04/2016 18:39

On our recent Virgin flight, they asked for volunteers to swop so a patent could be with a child. An upgrade to the long legroom seats was offered as an inducement. People couldn't volunteer quick enough!

HainaultViaNewburyPark · 27/04/2016 18:39

I don't mind sitting next to other people's children - I'd rather that than have to sit next to someone (usually a man) who thinks that they can spread into my legroom.

Indantherene · 27/04/2016 19:01

Lots of posters have mentioned "budget airlines", and are talking about quite small amounts to book seats. We flew with BA and had to find £50 each to guarantee sitting next to eachother.

Roussette · 27/04/2016 19:04

Indeedy sunshower! besides which you used proper words like "business model" whilst I just went on and on! Smile

I too have paid £34.99 per seat for securing it on BA longhaul. However, I would just rather pay it and get the seat I want as I am the most fidgety person imaginable on longhaul and couldn't subject anyone except my DH to that!

Hulababy · 27/04/2016 19:07

We always pay, I treat it as part of the cost of the flight. DD is a teen now, but i still pay it. I prefer for us to sit together and would rather not be split up even by the aisle or seat in front/behind, if I don't have to. I also like a window seat and Dh likes an aisle seat - so again, I will pay to get our preferences.

I have always seen the cost BEFORE committing to book. It has never just appeared after booking, via e-mail.

GingerMerkin · 27/04/2016 19:34

I don't bother to book for myself as a lone traveller. More than happy to move for someone as long it isn't to middle of a row with elbows each side. The words champagne, chocolate and upgrade work very well in persuading me.

Mabell · 27/04/2016 20:42

Your children are your responsibility if you don't want to risk them sitting next to a stranger (paedophile or not)then you need to pay . Why should someone else give up there seat for your convenience and as for expecting this stranger to meet your child's needs on a flight then I think your deluded . Why would someone want to do that after all they are on their holiday too ??.

Original poster
Dollygirl2008 · 27/04/2016 21:27

gosh, I have to say that what started out as a genuine "do you think I need to" type question, I'm slightly astounded by the aggressive tone of some of the replies - a small number I hasten to add, but still, there appears to be a small minority of people with unhelpful, unnecessary posts! notonyerjellybellynelly yours in particular.... Thanks for that.... however, to the vast majority, an interesting thread with lots of different perspectives that provide food for thought.

OP posts: