thinking I should have been seated next to my three-year-old on this flight?

[nappyrat]

Cheap (orange) airline. Normally v good when travelling with kids - speedy boarding, say they'll sit you with kid/s etc.

Flew out recently & they said a 'technical error' had mistakenly sat me in a different row(!!) to my 3 year old. They fixed it on board (after much grumbling by several passengers about not moving from seats they've paid extra to book to sit together (fair enough!)). But fixed, fairly stress free.

Return flight today, I was sat across the aisle from DS. Their handling agent told me that this is considered 'sat together'?! Erm...really?! Anyway, handling agent refused to seat us together. Cue quite a bit of 'discussing' with them why this was not on IMO. No budging. Decided to leave it & ask the flight crew when we boarded. Who eventually sorted it - v kind older couple agreed to move seats.

Before I let loose with said orange airline's customer services, AIBU to think that sorting across the aisle from a 3 yr old is not appropriate?! DS was wailing, I had to bend across aisle to comfort, there were good chunks of time during boarding when I couldn't see DS because ppl stood in between us in aisle. Just bloody stressful quite frankly. And not what I'd expect from this - or to be bloody honest - any - airline.

Opinions please mumsnet!

Entitled much, OP?

Wel, she's entitled to what the airline says she's entitled to. So, yes.

God, I hate the way people say 'entitled/jealous/whatever MUCH'.

DW and I have been the beneficiaries of others' kindness in separating so that we could both sit with DS when he was small, and I have been Mr Nice Guy who moved; but that was on planes.

What gets my goat is the family groups who expect me to give up the table seat which I book on a train because "you are alone and we need to be together and we were too late to book a table". No, you will have to split into twos and manage without a table!

If you are staying near midtown there's a little bar called the junction on Lexington ave just up from grand central. Does amazing food, and the ladies behind the bar are lovely. I would often go and sit there at the bar for a drink or bite to eat whilst my lazy Arse ex slept...

young actually think makes a good point. If your child is sat next to a random stranger they could be watching anything.
If i'm going to be travelling on a long flight then i'm bringing stuff to engross me, and i'm not thinking of other people's kids!
I alway remember my first flight as a child watching An 18 film on the planes tv

Ha! Dowager so do I. But I thought in this case it was particularly appropriate.

The OP thinks that just because she has a 3 year old she is entitled not to book a seat in advance.

no
The OP read what the airline said and didn't think she needed to book a seat in advance

But the airline said it wasn't necessary.

I have to admit that in all honesty, I do think across the aisle on short haul, is absolutely fine.

But that's not true grumpy have you actually read the thread?

I'm amazed that people pay extra for allocated seats, I would never pay extra, I don't really care who I sit with. I mostly read on a flight so wouldn't mind being sat seperate from my DH short haul.

I never pay now that I have children, we have flown 8 times this year with various cheap airlines, never once have we been sat apart. Mine admittedly are 7/8 so wouldn't be the end of the world if they sat separately. Although one was violently sick on a flight and had I not been there it would be been very bad for a random to have been sat there. (I doubt they would have got the sick bag out in time)

In all honestly I would happily move on a train/ bus to allow a mum to sit with her children so I don't see a flight as being any different. ( I wouldn't pay extra for seating so it wouldn't cost me anything)

I think the airlines have done a great job at panicking people into paying extra for seats/bags/ priority boarding.

Ryanair bags ate as expensive as a flipping seat! Greatly amused as all of their flights now need to put hand luggage in the hold.

Oh for gods sake. Does my head in when you come on here with a question like this and people jump down your throat... OP didn't ask if she should have pre booked the seats together, she asked if it was inappropriate for the airline to seat her across the aisle from her THREE year old. Yes it is totally inappropriate but unfortunately it's another money making scheme... They know most people won't risk this messing around and will pay the extra to ensure they are sat together. Of course you shouldn't be across the aisle from them - what happens if they get upset during takeoff etc? Or they're sat next to an oddball? Absolutely ridiculous xx

Yes it is totally inappropriate but unfortunately it's another money making scheme..

Really? It is 40cm to the parent's left or right , in full view and with unrestricted access.

You're not giving a 'basic element of respect' to the other passengers though. You didn't bother paying as you expect other paying passengers to be moved to accommodate you and your child, as you firmly believe you have more right to a particular seat than they do, that your child trumps their wishes or needs. Doesn't matter to you that they will get bumped around and lose seats they've paid for because the airline 'have' to accommodate you.

I for one, would not want to be seated next to - and effectively responsible for - some random's kid. I would happily move.

Who the hell wants to be dealing with someone else's child, when you could be sitting in adult peace and quiet, watching a movie and slugging gin?

I don't think it's unrestricted access

No, MyKingdom - the OP expects the airline to have arranged the seating so that no-one is disadvantaged. Not that anyone would need to move for her.

How many times does this need to be repeated.

I don't understand why being seated across the aisle is a big deal. But if it's a big deal to you OP, just book in future. You're asking if it's inappropriate of the airline, but the fact that you know booking seats is an option, shows that you are aware other passengers may well have booked. So you're assuming that they will be inconvenienced because you want the advantages of booking without the cost

(My personal view is that budget airlines treat people like shit, and seats should be allocated without extra payment. But given that this is how it is, YABU. You knew the situation, you took a chance and it didn't play out exactly how you wanted )

If you google the guidelines you will find sat across the aisle is classed as sitting together. As is sitting in the seat behind.

Posted on the wrong thread entirely there... Sorry

OP - how can it be a safety issue if presumably the air hostesses check the child not seated next to its parent has the seat belt done up, can get out if they need to go to the toilet or feel sick and access refreshments if need be. Do you really think Easy jet staff can't do their job re looking after passengers?

No I wouldn't move for you and yes pay up you tight fisted person. You'd have to be living under a rock not to have known this could be a problem. First thing I did when booking flights recently and flying recently was allocate and pay for my seats. Job done.

I've never booked, I don't know anyone that does. I do check in the moment check in opens though so this clearly solves the issue.

Is this all tongue in cheek? I rarely venture on AIBU.

Have I taken posters seriously when posting for fun? Surely no one is this angry?

Are posters booing and hissing at their screens?

Sadly it isn't tongue in cheek. There are certain subjects that bring out the worst in people in AIBU, this is one of them. I can't imagine being so abusive and aggressive towards someone for something so minor that literally has no impact on me at all, but some seem to love. The ones last night I put down to being a bit pissed and brave on a Saturday night but no excuses for today's ones.

YANBU. I think it's pretty obvious that a 3yo should be allocated a seat right next to the adult they are booked with and I'd expect any company who has the technology to fly a plane to also have the technology to have a booking system that handles these bookings as a non-separable pair. Much as I enjoy sitting away from my children on a flight we have a responsibility for them that does require us to be sitting right next to them. It's not appropriate to seat a parent even across the aisle because that necessarily means that it falls to other passengers or cabin crew to attend to the child's immediate needs when the parent can't reach them.

Myownperson LOL! The venom sometimes is so much I sometimes wonder how people don't spontaneously combust!

I saw something on the TV i think (or actually it could have been another MN thread, mum memory is so bad these days) about how unhygenic planes are, I'd never given it much thought before but it's really, really put me off flying!