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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that a 3 year old sitting on own on 12 hour flight is not ok??

196 replies

Angela0413 · 12/10/2016 22:21

Having absolutely nightmare with Thomson airline as they apparently state in t&cs (in teeny tiny writing of course) that they class seats across the aisle or behind each other as "sitting together. So on a 12 hour flight myself (with 9 month baby on lap), husband, just turned 3 year old are on 3 aisle seats!! Need to be able to cuddle 3 year old as a nervous flier and God forbid if there was an emergency. Trying to speak to customer service is like banging head against brick wall - they just keep stating "it's in t&cs". We paid £360 for extra leg room and pre selected seats and this is what we get? AIBU? Eventually they said they might be able to move us t to standard seats so we can sit together but will not refund the £360...

OP posts:
FluffyPineapple · 12/10/2016 23:07

I don't understand how you paid £360 to sit together but ended up not sitting together. How is that possible? You need to demand a refund if that's the case. I have never had a problem with booking seats together. And for the record I wouldn't be happy with having a 3 year old seated next to me on a long haul flight. I cant think of anything worse!

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 12/10/2016 23:12

How can seats in two consecutive row have extra legroom?

Isn't exit one row only?

soimpressed · 12/10/2016 23:15

I had this problem. In the end I was able to sort it at check in

andadietcoke · 12/10/2016 23:17

Whoever said up thread about BA and Virgin. I'm flying to Hong Kong with them in November and can't prebook seats unless I pay £9 for the shuttle and £30 for the long-haul. Otherwise it's what's available at check in.

edwinbear · 12/10/2016 23:18

I'm flying with Thomson on Saturday, me and ds (7) and dd (4). I paid something like £50 to pre select seats via the online seat map. I can't understand how that's happened, unless OP did you pay at the time of booking but not actually then go online ad choose which seats you wanted? Specifically by row and seat number?

Fintress · 12/10/2016 23:31

How can seats in two consecutive row have extra legroom?

The Dreamliner, for example, has a section where all the seats in that area have a few extra inches leg room compared to standard seats. We flew with Thomson on one recently and because we booked late our 'sitting together' seats were across the aisle from one another.

2rebecca · 12/10/2016 23:36

Agree that if there are 3 seats separated by aisle then mum and 3 year old are one side of aisle and dad the other. What's the problem? You can easily talk across the aisle.
I've always preselected seats on diagram in the UK

BusyBeez99 · 12/10/2016 23:39

I've flown thomson loads of times and it's always come up with a picture of the plane when it's time to choose our seats.

AlbertaDewdrop · 12/10/2016 23:54

Whoever said up thread about BA and Virgin. I'm flying to Hong Kong with them in November and can't prebook seats unless I pay £9 for the shuttle and £30 for the long-haul. Otherwise it's what's available at check in.

But that is your choice? You have the option to pay now or wait and see what is available.

Lots of people get free seat choice still both with BA and Virgin based on frequent flyer status and/or class of travel.

Actually on UK short flights with BA you now get allocated at check-in and if you want to change it then you have to pay. You cant just change the seat yourself free of charge any more.

Out2pasture · 13/10/2016 00:13

the aisle is what 18" at the most wide?? sorry I've flown with my grandchildren (younger than 3) and sitting next to one another with an aisle apart is fine.

Original poster
Angela0413 · 13/10/2016 03:15

It's 3 separate aisle seats - otherwise of course husband and 3 year old would take two together and I would have baby (still breastfeeding so would have him majority of flight anyway). It's Dreamliner they have while separate section of extra legroom. We booked ages ago and at time of booking we paid for the extra legroom seats but we were not actually able to go and select our seats until couple of weeks ago (we travel in a month). It's an expensive big holiday for us costing £6000. I know crew would try to help to at least sit DH and DC together but then I'd still be in an aisle seat on my own with a very heavy very active baby trying to breastfeed him to sleep whilst trying not to flash the whole plane and then try hold him with no window to lean on ! We need 3 seats together so going to have to downgrade. The issue now is the £360. I know in comparison to what we've paid for whole trip it's only small percentage but I feel we should get this refunded. It's not like we've suddenly decided we don't want the better seats, it's just not going to work.

PS we went on to select seats as soon as they were available but this was all that was left. Guessing lots of honeymooning couples going taking up window/middle seat. We're going to Mauritius

OP posts:
Original poster
Angela0413 · 13/10/2016 03:18

I guess my main question was do you consider two seats separated by aisle or two seats behind each other as "sitting together?" I don't. That's all they keep referring me back to when I say we're not happy as we're not sitting together - they say "well according to our t&cs you are". I'm like "according to common sense we're not!!!!!"

OP posts:
Sliceofrice · 13/10/2016 03:39

Why only a month before did you look? If we were struggling we were told to go in and check asap if we wanted seats near each other, which we did as it was our honeymoon.

You can choose your seats 90 days before on that flight. We went on a fully booked flights and ensured that we booked our seats at 1am when it opened, however there were still seats open next to each other 2 weeks before. (We kept checking to see if the third seat had been taken.)

AppleMagic · 13/10/2016 03:42

This is really shitty customer service and they should refund you the money and seat you in regular seats with the 3yr old actually next to one of you.

I can see there argument about the terms and conditions but you'd think in this occurrence they'd sort it as a gesture of good will.

AppleMagic · 13/10/2016 03:44

Did you pay for the extra legroom seats though slice? I would expect the extra legroom seats get allocated much quicker because there are far fewer of them and I expect the people who pay for them are more likely to have a preference for where they sit.

Sliceofrice · 13/10/2016 04:05

I did. We flew 31st July this year and it was completely booked up, mainly with those that work in education! :)

DailyMailFuckRightOff · 13/10/2016 04:20

But OP, you've said that the crew would try to seat DH and 3YO together but you won't accept that? Surely better than all of you separate, still not ideal though.

When you went online to book and saw that this was all that remained did you call the airline to discuss?

At the end of the day you selected those seats knowing where they were and then turned up expecting the crew to magic 3 extra leg room seats out of their backsides?

It's a shame no kind people will switch with you though.

Best of luck.

Motherfuckers · 13/10/2016 05:07

Airlines do count across the aisle as sitting together. I thought this was well known.

mathanxiety · 13/10/2016 06:02

Don't worry about flashing the plane. Everyone will be facing the same way.

Keep the armrest down and occupy it continuously with your arm and the baby. Don't try too hard to stop little flailing limbs, etc. Maybe your older child will cry continuously for mummy.

Whoever is next to you will volunteer to move.

Wallywobbles · 13/10/2016 06:32

Complain on twitter. Then leave them to sort it out. The flight crew WILL absolutely sort it.

I had this the first time my kids flew with me. 2 hour flight and they made someone move. Youngest kid (5) primed to cry.

I wouldn't stress it now. And I certainly wouldn't down grade. No f**king way.

schokolade · 13/10/2016 06:33

It's not across an aisle though. It's three aisle seats, all behind each other.

SofiaAmes · 13/10/2016 06:39

Just show up and ask people to switch once you are on the plane. There are always people who want aisle seats. And there is NO ONE who wants to sit next to a 3 year old for 12 hours besides the parents (and in the case of my dd, I would have been delighted if she had accidentally been sat a whole cabin away from me).

zad716 · 13/10/2016 06:41

mathanxiety Pretty nasty to attempt to force someone who is not to blame to move from seats that they paid extra for. Maybe the couple next to you will volunteer to move to separate seats, or maybe they won't or even can't (could also be a parent with a young child). If they don't they could equally make your journey unpleasant by needing to get out of their seat regularly and when they return they could 'claim' the armrest first.

Jinglebellsandv0dka · 13/10/2016 06:44

Sitting behind each other isn't sitting together. Go in to Twitter and complain. I wouldn't be happy with this stupid all.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 13/10/2016 06:45

You didn't pay to sit together. You paid for extra leg room and to pre select. You have extra leg room and you pre selected. The fact the only seats left to pre select were not where you wanted them is a risk you run especially when you seem to have left in quite late to do so. You can do it 90 days before the flight with Thompson. The cabin staff will sort it as no one wants a 3 yr old sitting alone.

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