£100 to sit together?

[sunchild77]

Kids first family holiday abroad... BA want £100 to sit us all together.. Kids first flight they are 4, 9 and 11yrs plus us mum and dad.
Would the airline really sit us all separately? Is paying out really a big waste of money?
Plus Im terrified of flying as it is... I need DH nearby!!
Thoughts please? thanks x

OP, suggest you have a quick search for past threads on this issue (there have been lots, and they have been pretty fractious....)

Pay the money to sit together. It's just part of the ticket cost that's been broken out artificially. If you don't pay it, don't expect to be able to sit together and don't expect anyone else to move!

Pay it

Yes they really would separate you if you hadn't paid.

I would pay for the seats to avoid being separated and having to hope somebody would exchange seats once on the flight.

If I'd paid for my certain seat I wouldn't give it up, why should I

Yes they could well seat you separately. Accept that or pay.

Pay it or accept you might be sitting apart, just don't expect anyone to move for you, especially people who have paid.

I just paid £40 to Thomsons to ensure me and DD1 can sit together on a forthcoming holiday - and she is aged 24!

I would pay the money to make sure you all get sat together. There have been no end of threads on here with people complaining they were not sat next to their small children on flights. Having paid money to book my seat i wouldn’t be moving to accommodate you.

I am sure £100 is a small fraction the cost of the holiday. And you want your DH nearby. I would suck it up if i were you.

Yes they Absouletly could/would seat you away from one another.

Just pay it of peace of mind knowing your be together.

No way would I give up my seat after paying for it to accommodate you

No British airways I am sure allocate you seats together if you are a family with young children. Then assign random seats but altogether a few days before travel. I will find link

Im just amazed that the airline would seriously separate us...
Ha! just thinking of the endless questions my 9 year old would ask of strangers, plus he'll need tying down he'll be bouncing off the walls.

They will pre seat you 7 days before travel with children but not necessarily all together and not necessarily where you would choose. Me and DH always pay with even just us 2, out holiday starts at the airport.

Mother and daughter talking over seat in World Traveller cabin.
To get the best choice of seats and to make sure your family sits together, it’s best to reserve your seats in advance, for which you might have to pay.

If you don’t choose your seats in advance, we’ll do our best to seat your family together a few days before your flight departs, from the limited selection of seats available. This might result in your family being split over different rows or across the aisle, however we will make sure each child under 12 is seated with an adult from your booking. Anyone over 12 years is treated as an adult in our system, so we may seat them separately.

Find out about reserving your seats

So pay the fee and don't inconvenience the other passengers

Paying out is a waste of money, if you don't mind the possibility of being sat apart. I want to sit with my DP, therefore I pay. This topic is a hot potato on MN. I suggest you search previous threads.

You'll need to pay it if you want to sit together. The airline will usually try to be accommodating, but the other passengers will be arseholes if asked to move. I don't understand why, but I've seen it happen. Getting into an airplane seems to bring out the worst in some people.

I wouldn't expect anyone to move for us.

Believe me, I could ignore your son no matter how many questions he asked! I'm terrified of flying so have enough to worry about without looking after a kid who's parents didn't bother paying for their seats!

But Cosycoupe if everyone else on that flight has paid to book their seats how would BA then be able to seat a family together just before the flight? Genuine question. I travel with BA loads and always have my seat allocation well in advance of my flight.

but the other passengers will be arseholes if asked to move. I don't understand why, but I've seen it happen.

Because they may have paid extra for a specific seat?

BA will try to sit children under 12 with a parent.

But "with" could mean across the aisle or in the row in front or behind.
If you would not be happy if this happens,then pay the money.

Kids first flight they are 4, 9 and 11yrs plus us mum and dad. Would the airline really sit us all separately?

If they are fully, or almost, booked and/or most other people have paid to book, then yes they might, especially the adults and older two children. The younger child, at under 4, is more likely to be sat next to one of the adults. 'Next to' can be the seat directly next to you, or across an aisle or a seat immediately in front/behind of you.

Is paying out really a big waste of money?

IMO yes, if you want to guarantee sitting next to one another.

Plus Im terrified of flying as it is... I need DH nearby!!

Then pay to guarantee it.

We never pre book seats - two adults who don't give a damn if we're next to each other or not.
The only time we've been sat together was when we got sat in the escape row middle of each side. You have to be over 16 to sit there anyway.

How big is the plane? You might need to separate anyway.

I wouldn't expect anyone to move for us....or start a thread complaining when you get home? Promise? ☺

Adjustable why is it being an arsehole not to move because someone hasn't paid? I pay for my seat so I'm not giving it up!

Its a charter flight so expecting they'll be lots of families on plane, plus half term. Travel agent says you can pre book seats at £100 though.