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!

Wow! Ok I'm clearly off here!

Don't fly much so I'm obviously out if touch!

If you're that concerned you should have paid to be sat together. There's no way I'd fly with a young child and not pre book seats. You can't guarantee that someone will move for you especially if they have paid extra themselves

I can't imagine why you think it's appropriate to turf people out of the seats they have paid extra for because you're too cheap to ensure you sit next to your child.
I fly with my child often, I always pay, why risk it?

Why, on earth, would you surprised that people who had paid extra to prebook seats grumbled when asked to swap with someone who hadn't. Did you offer to pay them back?

To be clear, I agree that no one else should have to move from their seats!! The flight steward told me it was 'an error they'd had a few times' and that it was completely inappropriate that I wasn't sat with DS.

But you understand that other people do pay for seats together? Meaning chancers people like you are slotted into the other seats?

YABVVU!

Pre-book seats if you're travelling with a 3 year old, it's not rocket science.

Relying on other people, who have presumably paid to sit together, to swap with you because you couldn't be arsed to pre-book is the height of selfishness.

Ex cabin crew here, across the aisle is classed as together. 1/3 of the plane are in this position, unfortunately it's a case of paying up if you want any guarantees

There is no need to have a go at the OP, by the time she knew how the seating worked her ds as distressed. If she had known and not pre-booked that would have been different.

I am flying on an orange airline in Tuesday. I have my seats. If loads of people have booked then maybe there are no seats left next to each other. Cheap airlines are only cheap if you don't want any extras. If you want to sit together then you behave to pay.

The flight is cheap because they want to charge you all of the extras. For the purposes of being "next to" your child they count 2 seats across an aisle and 2 seats in front and behind.

Agree - pay the extra to reserve seats. It's selfish to refuse to stump up the extra and then expect people who HAVE paid to move.

And sitting across the aisle from someone is still sitting next to them, of course it is.

CAA rules state quite clearly that seated together means next to, in front of, behind or across the aisle from. All airlines have that in their T&Cs. All airlines also state that children 'should' be seated with a parent 'wherever possible' not 'must'.

If you want to be with your child, pay for seats together.

Rather than "letting loose" at Easyjets customer services, maybe you should ask them if the people who did pay have been refunded.

If you want to sit next to your child pay for it and pre-book. YABU to expect others to move for you and Not the airline's problem.

I don't think you are being unreasonable.

In my experience they have seated people with young children first (or after those with additional needs) meaning that this shouldn't be an issue.

It would be outrageous to sit a 3 year old away from their carer.

Btw, i totally get that with cheap airlines you pay to guarantee sitting together. No issue there - that is v clear.

But they say themselves that they'll sit you with children. So I didn't bother booking that as an extra. Here:

If you’re travelling with children it’s important that they are clearly identified when you make a booking so they can be seated with you. Simply add the number of children and infants and their ages when prompted

It may well be budget airline policy not to guarantee that a child of 3 will be sitting next to their parent, but I do think that's poor. Yes, booking seats guarantees it, but surely in a sane world there should be a policy to ensure that under-5s are always sitting with the responsible adult who is travelling with them? As in sitting next to, not in front of or across the aisle from.

OP I don't think YABU. I would have assumed they'd seat you together too, I'd have been shocked to not have been put literally side by side if I'd read that you'd be seated 'together'. I always figured booking seats was more about where on the plane you were, not for getting a seat by your preschooler.

I also hope the poor sods who had to move for you were refunded. Although I doubt they will have been.

YABVU. Don't bother complaining and embarrassing yourself further.

that old chestnut again.
either you pay for choosing the seats. or you check in and select seats as soon as it opens (4 weeks before travelling with orange airline).
and 'sitting next to each other' can mean across the aisle or behind/in front.

EJ have a policy that they'll always ensure parents are sat next to young children. Hence i've never paid extra to book seats with EJ...I don't particularly love spending extra on flights for fun.

However op, I think YABU...although not ideal, I would class across the aisle, well within reaching distance as 'next to' so I think they fulfilled their promise tbh.

Old boots - thank you
Happy8 - yes that was my reaction too.

Whateverwillbe - that's the view I'm coming round to I think.

Not another one.

FFS, if you want to sit next to your kids on a flight BOOK AND PAY FOR THE BLOODY SEATS!

Don't refuse on the assumption that the airline will seat you together or you can bully someone else into moving because Tarquin, aged 2, then whine about it on the internet.

And you were sat across the aisle from your DC, it's hardly the other end of the plane!