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AIBU?

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Original poster

£100 to sit together?

379 replies

sunchild77 · 26/09/2016 18:04

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 posts:
kali110 · 27/09/2016 15:28

I would be wary using that airline too if they didn't even check for a note Confused

Love at all the 'airlines won't let kids fly if they're not seated next to a parent Grin'
No the caa GUIDELINES are not law.
If they can seat them with a parent or guardian they will, but it's not law.
Next too does not mean the seat next too either, it also mean the seat in front, behind at the end of the aisle...
moral responsibility Confused
No responsibilty is the parents if they want to make sure that they sit next to their kids then they should pay.
It's hilarious that on other threads people say that they will only think about their own kids and bugger others, but when it comes to this topic everybody should stop and think about the poor children Grin.
I have disabilities and terrible anxiety. I have to sit next to dh and would not swap at all.
Doesn't make me an asshole.
If i decided not to pay i wouldn't expect someone who had paid for their seats to swap for me?

Overrunwithlego · 27/09/2016 15:35

I think it depends on the airline. BA states: "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.".

So as long as you are not bothered about all of you sitting together (in which case book seats) then there this should assure you that no child under 12 would be seated on their own.

Other airlines won't operate like this and therefore paying for a seat would be required (in fact Ryanair are changing their policy on this from October - if you are with kids one adult must book a seat, and then all children under 12 will be given a reserved seat free of charge)

SuperFlyHigh · 27/09/2016 15:54

Sandy I think we got the message... Grin

Persian yes you're nasty! Am I too?! Heck yeah!

Wish it wasn't like this... squabbling over seats...

if anything it's the airlines faults putting this stoopid booking of seats in place, why don't they just let the passengers fight for seats like in the olden days?? Wink

SuperFlyHigh · 27/09/2016 15:55

Overrun I think Ryan Air's policy has changed as of now but their marketing/PR man still says more of their customers are non parents and they have to think of them too as well as fecking selfish parents!!! (JOKE!)

but they've been nice and made it free so as to claw back all the customers they lost when Michael O'Leary slagged them off

PersianCatLady · 27/09/2016 15:59

Persian yes you're nasty! Am I too?! Heck yeah!
Do you want to be nasty together?

Overrunwithlego · 27/09/2016 16:02

Super Grin

Actually I like the new Ryanair policy - I don't mind at all paying for one adult seat and making it mandatory means the poor cabin crew don't have to try and deal with issues on boarding (which must cost them a fortune in missed take off slots etc).

I do think it depends on the airline though - with an airline like Ryainair where I would expect the majority of passengers pay for a seat, there will be limited left over in which to try and seat your family together (and I don't think there is priority given to seat families together, over single passengers or adult passengers who haven't paid).

I suspect (might be wrong!) fewer people pay to book a seat on BA, and then according to their website BA slot in families who haven't reserved, and then finally once check in opens 24 hours in advance others can select what is left. So to me its less of a risk.

SuperFlyHigh · 27/09/2016 16:11

Overrun I did link on the last post but there was a video can't find it now...

I don't think they will guarantee them to sit together but will try to - I am still not 100% sure if this means one aisle in front or behind etc... for Ryan Air.

But this is now free they don't charge for it.

Persian why not be nasty together?? Grin

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/09/2016 16:46

The airline staff could see he was vomiting whilst queuing to board the plane .I didn't feel the need to point it out specifically to them. No one said he couldn't board. What were we expected to do? I imagine it happens quite a lot . Has anyone else extended their stay in a foreign country because their child has a tummy bug?

If I'd been in the same queue I would have been questioning very loudly why he was being allowed to board!

I'm sure people have had to stay in a foreign country because of a tummy bug. Wouldn't you just claim on your travel insurance for the extra nights? A friend had to stay longer overseas when her daughter caught chicken pox. Thankfully, rather than infect the whole plane, she stayed put and the insurance paid up.

m0therofdragons · 27/09/2016 16:55

holiday with you is barrel of laughs.
Er yes actually. The £300 we saved paid for Broadway tickets for the 5 of us - I'd rather be able to do that then sit together on a flight. We all have different priorities and, for me, as long as we are on the same plane I'm not too bothered.

limitedperiodonly · 27/09/2016 17:07

If you've paid extra for your seats then I see why you wouldn't swap, unless someone gave you the money. But if no one paid, it would take that out of the equation. But selling 'extras' and preying on your fear that everyone will just say 'tough' or regard you as a neglectful parent, is the way budget airlines make money.

mouldycheesefan · 27/09/2016 17:11

A vomiting person should not be allowed to board. Gross. I find it hard to believe that the people sitting next to him preferred to sit with a vomiting child than swap seats with you.

SandyPantz · 27/09/2016 17:14

The airline staff could see he was vomiting whilst queuing to board the plane

I imagine they must have assumed he was a nervous flier and vomiting with nerves (still wrong not to check), because although they probably see a lot of shinanagins working the airlines, there can't be many low enough to knowingly take a kid with infectious vomiting, either from the child's POV or the other fliers

SandyPantz · 27/09/2016 17:15

Or travel sick from the transfer to the airport maybe?

Original poster
sunchild77 · 27/09/2016 17:22

Thanks everyone. Due to most people making feel bad I've coughed up the £100.
I still wasnt able to choose seats though. BA doing this for us.
I was being neither entitled or tight and resent the implication by some people on this thread. I just found it hard to believe they really would move us all and sit everyone miles away.
Some folk on her have such indignant forthright views... I sincerely hope you never need the kindness of strangers in your self centred little worlds.
To everyone else who was helpful.. Thank you.

OP posts:
KatoPotato · 27/09/2016 17:22

Seems cheap for BA! I paid $120 each way for me and DS who's 6 to sit together LHR-SFO. Just not worth the aggro and stress.

kali110 · 27/09/2016 17:32

kato yes i think it's cheap too!

Justmuddlingalong · 27/09/2016 17:32

There's a difference between needing the kindness of strangers and expecting the kindness of strangers.

SuperFlyHigh · 27/09/2016 17:36

sunchild77 you have obviously got a sense of humour bypass...

were your parents free loving peace loving hippies (hence user name) because it's bypassed you! Grin

ps - Ryan Air is free booking for child seats!!!

SuperFlyHigh · 27/09/2016 17:37

PS - obviously your children's joy is worth the £100 - a search here will find that absolute gem of a post!

Ememem84 · 27/09/2016 17:41

I always pre book my seat. I am a nervous flyer and need to sit window on the left way out and window on the right on the way back. Anything other than this and I have difficulty with the flight.

I've been asked to move before and have said I will move if they refund me immediately or if I have a similar or better seat. Funnily enough they can't refund me immediately and have only once been able to better my seat (business class upgrade middle seat - free champagne).

limitedperiodonly · 27/09/2016 17:51

there can't be many low enough to knowingly take a kid with infectious vomiting, either from the child's POV or the other fliers

What's infectious vomiting? I think lots of people would get on a plane with diarrhoea and vomiting and hope for the best. I'm not saying it's right.

SandyPantz · 27/09/2016 18:07

What do you mean "what's infectious vomiting"? It's any tummy bug, obviously! as opposed to travel sickness or nervous vomiting/extreme grief/fear vomiting.

Doggity · 27/09/2016 18:07

The kindness of strangers? Grin You were the one quibbling over paying to sit next to your children. You weren't a poor sod lying on the floor after a fall and needing someone to give you an arm up. It would have been entirely of your own making.

SandyPantz · 27/09/2016 18:08

I sincerely hope you never need the kindness of strangers in your self centred little worlds.

Nah, you're mixing up getting away with freeloading with being in need of kindness.

Andrewofgg · 27/09/2016 18:10

OP Enjoy the trip!