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!

What if this had been a disabled person and carer...... Would he view be the same.

Airlines have a Cutomer Welfare or Special Assitance team for disabled passengers. They have medical or welfare seats and will do their best to seat disabled people,and one carer, in those seats if they need them. If you're disabled and don't need those seats they will still sit you next to your carer.

However, you must make them aware of this at the point of booking (I always check before I book the holiday that the seats I need are available) for this to be arranged. It doesn't stop them moving you from the seats you think you're going to be in, but they don't move you from your carer.

BA's website always has offers for mini breaks and flights and I have found them reasonable.

In paying for the cheap airlines, you often have to go to an airport like Stanstead or Luton which will cost alot of money in fares from the capital, then pay to choose your seats, then pay to check in baggage or crush it all into hand luggage.

With BA, the price of the fare might look more expensive, but then it is from major airport, 23kg hold baggage included, choose your seats free with online check in 24 hours in advance, drinks and some crappy food onboard. Budget airlines are not actually cheaper when you factor this in.

Budget airlines are not actually cheaper when you factor this in

Do you not think that people do factor that in? or are you the only clever one around who has figured this revelation out? I always compare and the no frills on my route - short route to a scandinavian country - is always cheaper! I don't pay for luggage, hand luggage only, I don't pay for seats (never had any problems and would not ask anyone to move) I live near one of those crappy airports and I get a lift when I arrive!

I think YANBU. I think parents with very small children should be seated together without having to pay extra because you are legally responsible for a child and they would not be able to take care of themselves in the event of an emergency or if they need something to eat or the toilet on the flight. The same should apply for e.g. disabled person and their carer.

Yokohamajojo god what a rude woman you are.

OP what type of "safety issue" is it exactly? You were no more than what, 40cms away from your child who was within easy reach. You sound so entitled.

'she had to stand in the aisle with two upset kids for the four hour flight because no one would move.'

Would have been an ideal time for him to learn 'this parenting stuff'.

OP If you don't pay and get seats across an aisle, please tell us which passengers who have paid do you think the cabin crew should target to ask to move?

Is it by any chance the singleton flier?

You shouldn't HAVE to pay extra to choose your seat.

Ok then. All tickets go up by £20 and you can book your seat for free!

And FYI, with BA you do have to pay to select your seats and on some flights hold luggage is not included.

TheFairyCaravan no me neither.
I'd be really pissed off.

Trying not to let this thread worry me as we're going away early next yr for a family wedding and im nervous enough as it is
Atleast dh can drink! ( i Can drink again but i don't think it would be advisable with meds to calm me )

Sparklyglitter ThumbWitchesAbroad and anyone else interested.

I found out this week when booking flights through a tour operator that if flights for Monarch are not booked direct then you can't check in on-line and therefore select your seats.

I have also found this when using agencies. So this may be a useful tip - get the airline app on your phone and load up the booking on that.

1. Short haul, booked direct with BA.com. App is showing as blank for the seat, but has the option to choose and confirm seats now (for £18). And I'll be able to check in the minute it opens if I want to choose them for free.

1. Long-haul, booked via agency who wanted to charge £15 pp/ew to confirm specific seats together (bus class so far fewer seats/less choice). Can't view/log on to booking online, but on the app gives us the seat numbers no bother. Which are seated together both ways and which we would have had to pay £60 to the agency who would already have known that! Ditto re checking in asap.

Don't fly if you have small kids? Plenty of places in the UK to go on holiday, by car, carrying all the kiddie stuff, and (although not always) avoiding the need to cover them in suncream. And most people speak English too.

Thanks Shotsfired - that's useful. I mostly book direct with BA now anyway, as they claim (with some justification) that their prices can't be beaten, but if I do have to go through an agency again in future, I'll remember that tip :)

Galdos - how dare you suggest most parents don't holiday abroad?!

my parents only ever took me abroad by aeroplane for first 3 years of my life (in 1970s) - god knows where I sat... on the wing probably...

but from 3 onwards it was due to cost etc UK camping in the rain and driving miles... where we could kick the back of our parents seats as opposed to a total strangers...

when I was 9 and my brother 7 we were finally considered safe to bring to France via ferry and then other locations...

Some people wouldn't think to bok extra seats, they ask the age of the child, ao you would just think it common sense to sit them together especially as moat airlines won't let children under 12 sit without an adult.

Sorry but ridiculous you left something important like that to chance. If it's that important to you, then you should have paid to guarantee it. It's not their problem and you are putting out other better organised people, who were forced to accommodate you. You were in the wrong.i think you know that and are playing devils advocate.

Scatty - not ridiculous & not left to chance. EJ give the strong impression they will seat you with child automatically. Also, if it's that important - which I agree it is - then the counter argument is that it bloody well should be automatic & not something that the airline can treat as optional.

It's outrageous that you have to pay extra to sit by your child.

Fucking air travel these days. Animals are treated better.

'Animals are treated better.'

Aw, c'mon, they have to travel in the cargo hold. No one forces anyone to use air travel or forces people to use a particular airline. Don't want to pay extra for seats, fine, find an airline where that's included in the price.

EJ give the strong impression they will seat you with child automatically

And they did! Across the aisle or directly in the seat behind you or in front of you counts as sat with your child. You could have asked the person sitting next you in the middle or next your child in the middle to swap with you or your child rather than kicking up a fuss having the crew make it just how you like. Plenty of people will swap a middle seat for an aisle one. You want more than that, pay for it.

Yanbu op.

I've flown with that airline with small children and they DO say they'll seat you together. Most people don't read up on the airline guidelines before flying and assume together means together.

I'd complain

Air travel is not a luxury, it's a completely normal way of getting from A to B.

The way every penny is wrung from so called customers takes the piss.

I hope all of those who get the rage at being asked to move remember that life doesn't always go to plan.

When my dad died, we were booked onto an already fully booked flight (they bumped people off for us) just a few hours before it left when everyone had already selected their seats or checked in. We have three kids and all five of us were scattered through out the plane, including our two year old.

Thank heaven that people were a bit more understanding than many of the people on this thread

Sometimes you need to just be kind.

I just laughed out loud at the first post, that you couldn't even see you child during boarding as people went past.

Are you, um... well - a little bit thick, really?

Child on you lap until everyone is on, then pop them into their seat. Job done.

Professionally entitled

'Sometimes you need to just be kind.'

No you don't. You pay for the seat, you're not a bad person for wanting to sit in it.

'we were booked onto an already fully booked flight (they bumped people off for us)'

Poor people. You have no idea what was going on in their lives, either.