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

[Angela0413]

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...

It is terrible customer service.
Ok, there are a finite number of seats and I think you are probably right about the number of couples in rows of 3 seats . But it is outrageous that if you downgrade they won't refund your £360.

Have you lodged a formal complaint? Problem is, time is short . You could go to the Guardian Consumer column. Maybe take the downgrade and then fight for the refund later?

YANBU, OP.

Math, little flailing limbs might get scalded inadvertently by a dropped cup of coffee or tea. BA's cups are notorious for falling to bits when passed across passengers by the air crew. Wouldn't recommend encouraging that myself.

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.

And then watch as your photo ends up on passenger shaming for being an utter twat.

Legally they are undoubtedly right but it's incredibly poor customer service to take £360 and then sit you apart from a 3 year old! Quite apart from anything else, there's a safety aspect here: I was on a flight recently where a toddler had a meltdown during landing due to ear pain and needed restraining to keep him in his seat.

A bit of public shaming on Twitter is the usual way of getting this sorted I believe.

Are there non leg room seats available together? If so take them and argue about your £360 later.
It stands to reason that the leg room seats would get booked up very quickly as there are fewer of them.

The OP paid to be seated in the leg room section, and to be able to select her seats within that section. If she left it too late to select any seats other than 3 aisle seats that's not the other passengers' fault. Advice to behave like an arse until someone moves is disgusting advice.

It really is poor customer service isn't it though?
Yes you paid to prevent select seats and yeas you paid for extra legroom and unsurprisingly you want to sit together. That is not rocket science.
If we're a customer calling up I would expect a minimum of an apology and a look into how it could be resolved either by a decent refund and apology OR an upgrade.
This is really poor. I think you should complain higher up the chain and see what can be worked out x

Unfortunately you've been bitten by the 'seated together' guideline that is universal - across all countries and all airlines. It's not a Thomson guideline, it's a CAA guideline.

You left it rather late to pre-select I'm afraid. Flights open at the 90 day point. There are only so many seats available and those who selected them as soon as they opened are the ones that get them. It's not Thomson being arseholes, it's your seats being the only ones left after everyone else has booked at an earlier point.

I wouldn't rely on other passengers moving for you, because of course they have also paid £360 for their seats, that they selected earlier than you.

In your case I think I would have to bite the bullet and accept the downgrade. It's shit, of course, to 'lose' money, but it's more important that you are together, surely. Hard to put a price on peace of mind.

The OP paid to be seated in the leg room section, and to be able to select her seats within that section. If she left it too late to select any seats other than 3 aisle seats that's not the other passengers' fault. Advice to behave like an arse until someone moves is disgusting advice.

I agree.

I'm totally confused as to why it's the airline's fault if the person who has paid to preselect seats selects seats and is now complaining about her selection. Others will have done the same. Should they have held the seats open for you and prevented others (who have also paid ) from booking them?

They system shouldn't have allowed extra leg room seats for an adult with baby on lap or the 3 Year old so there must be an error somewhere. They will have to refund you the extra legroom seat/s.

What Poldarks and LtEve said

Sitting behind each other is sitting together - all airlines adopt this practice.

The OP didn't pay to sit together, she paid for extra leg room seats.

The issue is Thomson only allowing you to book your seats a month out. Anyone booking longer holidays will have there return flights booked up by those on shorter trips.

It sounds like you prioritised leg room over sitting together, and now you are annoyed you can't have both. I think you should downgrade and be refunded and not make the same mistake again.

On the Dreamliner babies/kids are allowed in extra legroom seats. It's only emergency exits seats that they are banned from. It's not one row of seats, it's a whole cabin.

It is very poor customer service. You are not getting what you thought you were paying for regardless of t+cs and that's the end of it. I would politely call again and request a downgrade to sit together and your refund. I would also record the calls if possible in case they cut you off. Politely ask for the name of the agent at the start in case the call ends unexpectedly. If they state t&cs again ask to speak to their manager. If that doesn't work, you write on twitter and link to your ever so polite recordings of the conversations.

Ive been on many a airplane seats thread pointing out they class behind one another and across the isle as 'sitting together'

Ive warned many a passenger who've prebooked that it's a con IMO.
I truely believe they woukd have sat a 3yo with an adult anyway - and even if that was across the isle you didn't need to pay £360 for the pleasure of shit seats anyway.

Id definitely complain writing. Also tell them what resolution you are seeking. It may be worthwhile pointing out the premium was to select seats and that isn't available to you as there aren't suitable seats to select.
If that is downgrade to sit altogether in a row and a refund of pre booked seats then state this.

Twitter is also a good idea because all the time companies can persuade families to ore book seats at a premium to still only sit in a seat that's across or front or back then this will continue happening.

Why didn't you go for standard leg room when you realised the extra leg room seats didn't have 3 sat together? you've paid for extra legroom and made the choice to pay the extra fee to do so.

Hardly see how that's terrible customer service when you could've picked seats in a row in standard seats - why should the people who have also paid for extra legroom and to sit together move when you could've avoided it by realising you couldn't have both?

The OP went to book the seats two weeks ago, she says when pre-selection opened, for a flight in a month . So 6 weeks in advance .

Thanks everyone! The reason why I don't want to wait for cabin crew to sort it out is because I don't want to mess other people about and I would never act like an arse!

I totally get its legal and the seats weren't released 90 days before. It's a brand new flight, we are literally on first plane out so maybe that's why? We did leave it couple of weeks as mussed the email etc so I know it's our fault but it's the lack of common sense and customer service that is so frustrating. They will sell those seats as upgrades if we downgrade do they will get double money for them.

Only solution is to obviously downgrade as my 3 year old does not like being strapped in so above all else it's a safety thing keeping him sat down. Will just have to argue the refund later.

Scooperdooper when we booked holiday they were very happy for us to pay for extra legroom then but they only actually released the seats to be selected a few months ago

Sooper: because she paid for extra leg room, then saw that there were no suitable 'proper' together seats to select but they won't give her the leg room refund if she downgrades.

The options are: fight for suitable seats in legroom, or fight for refund as suitable leg room seats not available.

Yes Thomson haven't previously flown to Mauritius. Just Emirates, British airways and air Mauritius.
Have I got this right, op booked extra legroom seats at cost of £360 but wasn't able to book seats next to eachother? So wants to downgrade from the extra legroom seats so can sit together but airline won't refund the £360?

You're inflicting 2x12hr flights on a baby and a 3yr old, and you are inflicting a 3yr old who doesn't like to be strapped in on everyone else. For a holiday. Sure that the honeymooning couples you mention will be delighted - there may even be one next to you and your wriggly baby. Good luck OP, but I fear you've made your bed.