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!

But they say themselves that they'll sit you with children.

They define "sit you with children" as one seat either side of an aisle. So do I. You obviously don't.

I dunno, I can see both sides.

On your flight out, I can see why some passengers were annoyed at having to move out of seats they had pre booked and paid extra for to make sure they were sat together, so that someone who hadn't taken those same steps could sit together.

I can see why you wouldn't book seats together though, you say in your OP that the airline says they sit children with parents so I don't think you're at fault for not pre booking.

Your return flight, across an aisle isn't ideal but the aisles are so small it's like the space of one seat in between you so I can see why they'd think it acceptable. It would stress me out too, esp if little one was anxious and upset.

We've always paid to make sure at least one adult will be sat with dd, I don't trust to rely on there being seats available together and I'd be stressed out in case we were sat apart. I guess now that you know they count opposite sides of aisles as sat together you can complain about their wording (was it in small print on conditions etc) but they'll probably just tell you to pre book in future.

I know some people get stressed when flying, but some people on this thread seem to get angry just talking about it!

I think my overriding feeling is that I'm genuinely quite that it's considered acceptable for a 3 yr old to not be sat next to carer. That for me is an utter basic! Not a 'you need to book it / pay extra / book in advance' or anything at all. It should be a total assumption. when you book a child ticket. As much as anything else it is a safety thing ultimately.

"poor sods who had to move for you were refunded"

why are they poor sods? Honestly, the small-minded nastiness of threads about airline seating always depresses me. Luckily, it's one of those places where mumsnet is way out of step with the rest of the world. Most sane people agree that it should be an airline's responsibility to seat small children right next to their parents, and not charge them extra for what is a basic safety necessity. I am always reluctant to say 'so do you think you should pay extra for a seatbelt too?' because some miserable sod will no doubt say 'oh yes, what a good idea, and then all those people who perish when there's an accident will only have themselves to blame.'

I have never booked seats (6 of us) this yr I was worried seen stories about people not being allowed to fly because there weren't 2 seats together for mother and child. Thought about booking seats but with Thomas cook would have been £13 each each way, dh said no way are we paying £156 extra! If it was small charge and just the two of us I might have done it though.
And the size of the planes across an aisle is virtually side by side! Although I can see to a 3 yr old might not feel near enough.
I think the problem with the seat booking - is the seat booking! In the days where no one use to book everyone would be allocated seats fairly at check in - the problem now is that lots of the seats are pre booked so that can't be done, and people are scared into booking there seats by the airlines & media stories (like I almost was) the only winners are the airlines!

I thought rules had been brought in saying airlines couldn't charge for the 'privilege' of parents being seated next to their children (meaning they can't be forced to pay to book seats next to each other) and they had to sort it so they were together.

Or maybe that's the states.

They do have a policy that they will seat an adult with a young child. However they consider "with" to include not only across the aisle but also if you are the seat in front of or behind the child. If you want to be genuinely right next to your child with no aisle or seat-back in between you then you need to pay the extra.

All this shuffling about takes time, software and resources and therefore money. That is money that single travellers who don't care who they sit next to should not have to pay, and people who do care who they sit next to (i.e. you OP) should have to pay.

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

This airline advertises that parents will always be sat with their children, free of charge.

Why on Earth would you opt to pay for a service that's already being offered for free?

In my experience, Most other passengers are horrified to be seated next to a strangers small child and will willingly swap seats.

just don't do what a lady did at our last flight.
she kicked up a stink saying her dc is ill and therefore she needs to sit in the front of the plane and next to dc. 'ill you say' asked the attendant at the gate 'sorry you can't fly without dr certificate...'

Ok phew, seems I'm not do way off after all!
Didn't realise airline seating was such a hot topic!!

For those still having a go at the OP, this is what Easyjet themselves say:

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 needs to be made clearer that, unless you pay to choose seats, this can mean that you are not seated next to your two or three year old. This is not just about passenger convenience but about safety: I was on a flight recently where a young toddler had a complete meltdown during landing (ear pain?) and cabin crew had to help restrain him or he'd have been out of his seat.

Ok. Not brought in, but trying to be brought into law in the states that airlines must seat parents and children together for free, since it's ridiculous to charge extra for the 'privilege'.

Should be like this in Europe as well.

And for the record, my DS ( incidentally, not called Tarquin!) was detailed as 3 from the offing.

They are poor sods because they have paid to select their seats and been moved anyway because if the rank entitlement of people like the OP. If you want the luxury of free seat selection, fly with a non-orange airline. If you want a return flight to Bratislava for 30 quid, then stop fucking moaning.

I fly every week for work and the attitude of some families just absolutely beggars belief.

But seats either side of the aisle ARE together!!!

They weren't putting her in row 3 and her child in row 33.

If I had paid for my seat I wouldn't have moved. Unless you were going to reimburse me?

Across the aisle isn't very far 🤔 I'm not sure I see the problem.

It's outrageous that the airlines put the onus on parents to organise and pay for adjacent seats where young children are involved.

It's a health and safety issue first and foremost. If anything goes wrong on that plane and an evacuation is necessary then you don't want one single person going against the flow of traffic because they're fighting to get to their child.

Young girl - read the thread / info please! ;) you've missed my point.

I think it is definitely beyond the realms of reasonableness or safety for an orange airline to think it is ok not to seat a 3 year old beside their main carer. An aisle does not count as beside.

I think you should complain and also post your story on their social media pages.

This is not acceptable and they should be forced to review their policy regarding young children on flights.

Luna - the truth flight was across the aisle - as I now know, this is considered together. The outward flight seats were not even in the same row. And staff admitted this was their error FYI.

I have read the thread nappy and I still think you should have read the T&C's more carefully rather than expect other paying passengers to move for you.

because if the rank entitlement of people like the OP.

The op expected the airline to meet their advertisement of seating her child with her. How very fucking dare she expect a company to provide what they offered.

The fault is with the airline and the whole bloody process that allows a booking with a small child to be split in the first place. IMO every airline seat should be randomly allocated at purchase, keeping parties together...you fill from the front to the back, how fucking difficult is it?

Instead you get some people being scared by Martin Lewis and booking their seats, leaving a mishmash of pointless singles all over the bloody place.