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!

It would be interesting to know what the stats on who travels with whom are like - surely there is at least a theoretical risk that not everyone could sit next to their DC - especially on a holiday flight where there are likely to be more families and fewer solo travellers.

That does sound annoying.

The CAA guidelines seem reasonable to me. If they stated that all children had to be seated immediately adjacent to a parent or companion adult one of the effects would be that parents traveling with more than one child might be barred from flying (eg my local airport only has 2x2 planes, so I would be unable to fly with my two children).

I do think that the orange website should be more clear whether they mean all children will be seated in the seat next to their adult, or if they mean in front/behind/across the aisle. But I also think that it is the travelers responsibility to check their allocated seats as soon as they are able and sort out any issues long before they are in the plane. Making the stewards have people move when the flight should be getting ready for departure causes everyone grief.

If you want guaranteed seats, pay. Like the rest of us do.

I am a mess flying. On the way home from my summer holiday I started crying ten minutes from take off and didn't stop until I fell asleep through sheer stress and exhaustion thirty minutes after we took off. I knew this was likely, which is why I purposely booked and paid for I window seat next to DP.

There is no way I would have moved for someone who hadn't paid. They would have called me unreasonable. But why should I explain why? I chose those seats for a reason.

I'm not a nervous flier at all. I am prone to motion sickness but only in a bumpy takeoff/landing.

My only reason is I LIKE sitting by the window! And it's bloody annoying being made to feel like the Devils sidekick for separating a mum from her babies for wanting the seats I paid for!

But you don't have to pay, you just have to check in early. I don't understand why it's pay or lump it to everyone on here, it isn't

balletcats I really don't believe that people's reason for wanting the seats they booked is at all relevant. Most people don't pay for something that they don't want. So if someone had pre-booked and paid for a seat, they have done so for a reason that is important to them. It is their seat. They shouldn't have to justify or explain their reason for wanting it.

Everyone has the option to pre-booked seats so anyone who chooses not to has no right to moan and complain because they get a seating arrangement they don't - for whatever reason - like. Their reason does not trump the reason of the person who went to the time and expense of booking their seat.

I've paid for a car. Plenty of times I'm in it alone and drive past people with kids and actually it could be argued that I should give them my car and me walk as they need it more and it would be warmer/safer/easier for the kids. But nobody ever would suggest that would they - because it's my car that I paid for because I (for whatever reason) deemed I needed it. If a pedestrian family demanded I got out of my car and gave it to them because it would be more convenient/safer for them, everybody would agree they were being unreasonable. Nobody would see me as grumpy for refusing to do so. Why us it different with aeroplane seats?!

Nicki I don't have to. I absolutely do choose to for my own peace of mind in the run up to a holiday.

That doesn't make me wrong or indeed a target to be moved if others miss out

I don't think anyone should move if they don't want to, I have never said that. I wouldn't. It's just the constant "pay like everyone else has to" posts. I've never paid, just checked in early enough. Also with some lines you choose your seats when you buy the tickets - even Norwegian - a very budget airline. I just wonder if people are missing something by insisting seats must be booked and paid extra for.

OP I have recently booked an orange flight, first time with a young child, and like you assumed that they would sit us together due to they way they word it.

I've just gone on to add seat bookings!

I pay when I'm on my own with DS Nicki. Otherwise I choose seats on check in. I don't leave it until I get to the airport like the OP did.

DS has SN - there is no bloody way I'd take the chance I may not be next to him on a flight.

I'm not missing anything. I prefer to guarantee my seat and therefore pay for it. The only only way to absolutely guarantee is to do so and I prefer that

I've got two children with autism and fly around four times a year. I have never paid just checked in and got seats. I think it's a massive con that they make you think you have to really because many on here seem to believe it. You only have to pay if you're not going to check in before you get to the airport. I'd never risk that.

Gosh the thread has moved on. myownperson I characterised you as entitled, perhaps unfairly, for calling people grumpy for not moving. When you defended yourself you said that you would have moved and this this should be "basic consideration". Do you still think that?

I mean, barring accident or emergency, do you think it's basic consideration to give away a service you have paid for to someone who has not?

I personally wouldn't do it. If I hadn't prebooked and paid for seats I might move if asked nicely. But if I had paid extra I wouldn't move.

But if you are that nice, would you like to pay for my Netflix subscription?

Foof - first time I've had a problem with orange lot, other times (2-3) I've always been sat next to DC no problem. Like I said, usually they're pretty good, just on this occasion, their interpretation of what was sensible regarding seating of a young child was at odds with mine.
Sure you will be ok now you've booked though!

So when check in and get allocated your seat numbers you don't believe they're guaranteed unless you've paid Jacques? This is not something I have ever heard of.

Nicki - friend of mine checked in for a flight last week a couple of hours after check in opened. There were two seats left - not two lots of seats together, two separate individual seats on the whole aircraft. He was shocked as he'd never seen seats go so quickly after check in opened before (though many of those seats may have been pre-booked). He even posted a screenshot on facebook!

Just be aware that just because leaving it until check in has always worked for you up to now, it doesn't mean that it always will.

That should say he checked in online a couple of hours after it opened. Not at the airport

Surely it's more about having the greatest chance of getting the seats you want? I usually travel Air Canada (not much choice where I live) and transatlantic seat booking is free. If I select my seats when I book the earlier I book the more seats are available. I like a window seat close to the front of the plane, so that's what I choose. I then check the seats again when I'm checking in as I like to know how busy the plane is. Rarely are there any window seats by then, it's usually just middle seats at the back available. If I need a pair of seats my choice is going to be very limited indeed.

Well it's always worked for me, for years but I will definitely return to this thread and let you all say " told you so!" if that changes

Oh and our local flights are often over booked. I'd definitely not leave seat selection late on those as I'd be in real risk of being bumped. There are usually enough no shows, but last time I flew home they were asking for volunteers to take the next day flight.

Nikki I think there may be a cultural issue that caught my friend out. He, like you, had never had a problem before getting the seats he wanted at online check in. However this was a flight to a slightly more unusual location and lots of his friends who were familiar with this area replied saying that culturally most people from that area automatically book their seats when making their booking so there are often very few left at online check in.

RhiWrites if someone struggling with small children or someone nervous, or someone with any other need explained that they really needed seats together and hadnt realised it would be a problem I wouldn't hesitate to move. I'd feel bad not helping out if I could, regardless of what I'd paid. Does that really seem so unlikely?

But...I guess I can't say how I'd feel if I flew a lot and routinely got asked to move to a "less good" seat.

I will in future make allowances for people like those who made me embarrassed if it happened again - and remember that there may be good reason why they refuse to move and are unable to communicate that politely.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, situation is that if you want certainty, you pay or you suck it up.

The sort of people who strop on board, or refuse to take their seats until they get what they want for free are quite frankly arseholes.

Making a fuss until things were eventually sorted over a aisle's width is totally over the top IMO.

Nicki - you do it your way and you're happy. I do it my way and I am happy. I certainly don't feel like I am being conned.

Last flight I got was £79 return which included booking a specific seat so not really extortionate and money well spent IMO for choosing the exact seat I would like