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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To change seats on a plane

89 replies

Enidblyton1 · 15/09/2016 22:51

Has anyone flown with Ryan Air recently? I've just checked in and didn't pay to reserve seats. Oops! I haven't flown for a while...

All 4 of us are sitting in different places - ridiculously apart (rows 1, 15, 27 and 29!). We have a 5 and 1 year old.

As the flight is early tomorrow morning I assume we were one of the last people to check in, so other seats have been allocated.
AIBU to ask to pay for seats next to each other when we arrive at the airport tomorrow? Am I just too late?

OP posts:
wasonthelist · 15/09/2016 22:54

He he - this is going to go well :)

Original poster
Enidblyton1 · 15/09/2016 22:55

Sorry typo - 5 and 3 year old (in case anyone wonders why we've got a seat for a 1 year old!)

OP posts:
Crunchymum · 15/09/2016 22:56

You didn't pay extra for one of you to sit next to your one year old????

angelikacpickles · 15/09/2016 22:56

Your 1 year old will have to sit on one of your laps for takeoff and landing, even if you have a seat for him AFAIK.

Crunchymum · 15/09/2016 22:57

I'd understand getting a seat for a one year old. Did the 'on the knee' for a 3 hour flight with a 19mo and never again.

mummymeister · 15/09/2016 22:58

have you gone on line to see if you can change seats or book them now? I would try that first - see if there is anything available. in all likelihood if its a packed flight you are going to have to try and negotiate at check in but more likely when you board. if others have paid for their seats its very unlikely that they will willingly give them up to you isn't it?

fingers crossed that it is a quiet flight and you are able to do this but somehow I think that if all sitting together was really important to you then you should have paid for seats not be leaving it to chance the night before.

TheEmmaDilemma · 15/09/2016 22:58

This reply has been deleted

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EmpressKnowsWhereHerTowelIs · 15/09/2016 23:00

If you do end up having to ask people who paid to book seats to move, MN etiquette says it's only fair for you to offer to repay them or at least buy them a drink.

Drowzeee · 15/09/2016 23:02

I think you will be too late. The only way to get seats together now would be to turf someone else out of a seat they have paid for.

This happened on a flight I was on earlier this year, a family of four split up although their children were slightly older than yours. They put an announcement or three over the tannoy asking for people to volunteer to swap seats, no-one would.

Original poster
Enidblyton1 · 15/09/2016 23:03

Thanks Mummymeister for a sensible reply Smile

OP posts:
lovelybangers · 15/09/2016 23:06

Oops.

Change the seats

mummymeister · 15/09/2016 23:08

I sometimes think people who travel a lot and know the score about seats are a bit unfair on some threads tbh.

things have changed pretty rapidly in the last couple of years. as the cost of flights go down the airlines have to make their money somewhere and they do it by added value items like extra legroom seats and now sitting altogether. I don't think it will be long before their is an aisle seat premium personally. hopefully threads like this will be read by others who don't know the score and they will then look at the cost of reserving the seats as just the cost of the flight rather than leaving it to chance.

Osolea · 15/09/2016 23:09

YANBU if you ask to pay. They might be able to do something at check in with seats that people haven't paid for.

Just in case though, I'd take enough cash to offer to pay other passengers for their two or four seats together. I'd move for people in your situation even if I'd pre booked and paid, as long I was offered the full amount back straight away.

donajimena · 15/09/2016 23:09

They won't let you fly in those seats. We didn't book ours together (we tried Spanish airline and the website was shite) they had to seat the under 10's with an adult

Original poster
Enidblyton1 · 15/09/2016 23:11

Oh dear, thanks Drowzeee.
I have tried to go back and change the booking online, but it won't let me.
The flight back has us all sitting together, so I'm guessing I'm just too late. Even if I had pressed the pay for seat button it may have said no seats left together.
Eeeek! Wish me luck for the morning...

OP posts:
mummymeister · 15/09/2016 23:11

dona - sorry if I am being a bit thick here, but the airline allocated the OP these seats. the person doing the allocating had all the information in front of them including the ages of the children. how then can they not let them fly? do you mean that the airline will have to move people around or that they will just say when the OP checks in "tough luck you aren't together so you aren't going"

Original poster
Enidblyton1 · 15/09/2016 23:15

Thanks everyone, some useful info.
I'm an inexperienced flyer rather than being intentionally tight!
Will absolutely offer to pay at the check in desk. Just hoping someone will swap in exchange for a drink!

OP posts:
cdtaylornats · 15/09/2016 23:16

CAA rules say they have to make reasonable efforts to seat you together but thats it.

mummymeister · 15/09/2016 23:19

that's what I believed to be the case cdtaylornats. its not the law that you have to sit with your children however young they are. that's why the airlines do this. their job is to make money and they do it by the added extras.

Doggity · 15/09/2016 23:21

You seem nice, so I'm sure if you ask someone nicely, being all apologetic, buy 'em a drink and maybe a chocolate bar, they'll oblige. :) Of course, that's not really the MN way. You're meant to thrown a massive strop on this thread; saying that the airline are "mean!!!" and discriminatory and that it's outrageous to expect you to pay for a seat. Bonus points if you complain about capitalism and swear at a few of other posters saying that we'd watch another child suffer.

Have a nice holiday!

blue25 · 15/09/2016 23:25

Ugh hate this when I'm flying. I don't want to sit next to (be responsible for) a random 3 year old thanks!

MidniteScribbler · 15/09/2016 23:25

Ask at check-in, but don't get on the flight and start demanding people move. The airline may miss their slot, staff probably aren't being paid until the flight departs, people will be delayed and may miss connecting flights, the airline will incur additional costs, and people will just generally hate you.

QueenLizIII · 15/09/2016 23:34

My only desire on a plane is to have a window seat.

I'd swap with someone so they could sit next to a child as long as it was another window seat I swapped for.

dowhatnow · 15/09/2016 23:39

Just waiting to see what happens tomorrow.

You need to reimburse the booking cost, not just offer them a drink. Even better reimburse and buy a drink otherwise no one may offer. Why should they?