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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Single mum. Do I need to prebook flight seats ?

154 replies

Blinkyblink · 17/05/2017 14:14

Trying to get through to Monarch. The less said about that the better.

I'm travelling alone with my 6 and 4 year old. Our first holiday as a new family of 3. I'm on a careful budget and would rather not have to pay the £30 to prebook us. However the thought of my 4 year old (not a chance my 6 year old would be ok on his own) could be separately seated from me is somewhat concerning! Surely single adults travelling with children are seated with the children??

In the absence of Monarch customer service actually providing any customer service, please could someone clarify.

Thanks very much

OP posts:

Mulberry72 · 17/05/2017 17:49

This is from the CAA website.....

www.caa.co.uk/Passengers/On-board/Seating-allocation/

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 17/05/2017 17:50

In answer to those posters quite rightly saying we should have got the cabin crew to sort it - we did try. They didn't do anything - they shrugged their shoulders basically - the flight was full - people couldn't get to their seats because we were blocking the aisle trying to get it sorted. Other passengers not knowing the full story thought we were just being horrid trying to separate a little boy from his Dad. It was late - we were tired. We gave up - it didn't seem worth the fuss. We should have complained - you're right - if it happened again I would.

ShinyGirl · 17/05/2017 17:53

Did you get the person's name and direct phone number to confirm you'll be sitting together?

I fly regularly and know that they do separate adults and children, frequently.

KallyBox · 17/05/2017 17:56

You really should prebook, to avoid stress, but also because chances are someone who has paid for their seat will be asked to move to accommodate you not booking.

I had a minor celebrity person sat in my pre-booked seat on a shorthaul flight a few years back because he wanted to sit with his kids. Infuriating as I knew how much he bloody earnt and he still didn't pay out to prebook! I told him DH and I had paid for those seats so we were having them.

NavyandWhite · 17/05/2017 18:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Branleuse · 17/05/2017 18:02

i wouldnt bother. Its just another way for them to scam money out of people

expatinscotland · 17/05/2017 18:04

'Having said that if you do get issued seats apart I cannot imagine that most people on the plane would see a mother seperated from 2 very young children.'

I would have no problem seeing that. Not my problem if she's too tight to stump up. I did, and I don't have a lot of money, why should I be out of pocket to subsidise someone else who thought they were above everyone else? Nope, wouldn't bother me a jot. Wouldn't look after them, either. Put on my noise cancelling headphones and close my eyes. I'd ring the bell for the attendant if necessary.

Andrewofgg · 17/05/2017 18:09

Having children does not override other people's paid for prebooked seating.

Exactly. Flying with children is a lot easier in Business too, but SFAIK nobody suggests that people who have paid the cost of a Business ticket should give it up to a family. Not even on AIBU

exLtEveDallas · 17/05/2017 18:12

I've flown with Monarch, Thomson and Thomas Cook airlines Navy and seen children sat apart from parents on each. It's particularly prevalent during the summer holidays.

Best one I saw was the non-paying family kicking off and trying to get a paying family to move (split from their kids) to accommodate them. That was a joy to behold (and huge props to the steward who eventually told the non-paying family to either sit as allocated or be unloaded).

AmberLin · 17/05/2017 18:18

with Monarch, I wouldnt hold my breathe. I'm ex industry too and would never take off with a family seperated. We would simply move around passengers until it was resolved. It is a matter of safety, not service. Child needs to be sat with a parent incase of o2 masks dropping down. I simply wouldnt give my thumbs up to captain till all kids are with their parents... the paying extra is just for airlines, particularly those low cost charters, to make a quick buck.

NavyandWhite · 17/05/2017 18:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pieceofpurplesky · 17/05/2017 18:25

When DS was 4 I was told the policy was to seat us together. It wasn't we were 6 rows apart. Luckily I had the email from the company that said they would seat us together and they sorted it.

Scottishchick39 · 17/05/2017 18:27

I've just paid £50 to prebook our seats, if it had just been us and our 15 year old I wouldn't have bothered but didn't want to take the chance with our 4 year old. I grudge it but couldn't be arsed with that stress at the start of our holiday.

HotNatured · 17/05/2017 18:29

I travel 3-4 times a month. I see families split up on flights on a fairly regular basis. Always pre book seats.

patheticpanic · 17/05/2017 18:33

We travelled with monarch last year and paid for the seats we wanted, we were next to our dcs. We were asked if we would move to different seats for somebody who hadn't booked a seat, we declined. They were very put out. There was one seat empty on our row and they wanted one of us to move so a woman could sit there with her son .

melj1213 · 17/05/2017 19:23

Yup, I know its annoying but it's what you get with budget airlines. I'm flying to Spain for a friend's wedding next month and I had to pay out an extra £10 per flight to secure specific seats (and an extra cabin bag) with EasyJet. I could have bought cheaper seats or spent more on Extra Legroom but I made my choice to pay for the seat I wanted based on my preference. If I get on the flight and someone wants me to move out of the seat I have chosen I will refuse (especially if they want me to move to a seat further down the plane that would have been cheaper to book), because they had as much opportunity to book my seat as I did but chose not to.

If DD8 was coming with me (she's at her dads) I'd have had to pay the same for her too. I could have taken the risk of being separated but I'd rather not spend the run up to the flight worrying about having to sort out seating issues or deal with it at the airport.

expatinscotland · 17/05/2017 19:28

' I'm ex industry too and would never take off with a family seperated. We would simply move around passengers until it was resolved. It is a matter of safety, not service.'

And the passengers are not refunded and compensated for the seats the airline sold them and then denied them for someone who didn't?

ecosln · 17/05/2017 19:37

www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-1011260.html

Scroll down to the bit quoting Simon Calder... might be worth looking into more.

ecosln · 17/05/2017 19:38

Sorry posted too soon.

Look into more about civil aviation rules if budget is tight

CoolioAndTheGang · 17/05/2017 19:38

It is now compulsory to pay for prebooked seats for u12's with Ryanair if travelling with children since last September.

TSSDNCOP · 17/05/2017 19:40

I have pre booked our 3 seats specifically to avoid this agro. There will be murders if some were man with her kids rolls up and one of us has to move so she can up her spends on holiday.

Andrewofgg · 17/05/2017 19:43

Well done Ryanair and I never expected to say that!

Travel singleton and scheduled and book a seat - you have a shot at an upgrade if they need to unite a family. And that is experience!

TSSDNCOP · 17/05/2017 19:47

Andrew what I'd like to see is airlines quote a price so that everyone on the booking is seated together. If you opt to sit alone by ticking a box, you get charged less. If you want more legroom by ticking a box you pay more.

melj1213 · 17/05/2017 20:13

So basically you want them to do the maths for you? Because that's basically what the seat allocation charge is ...

I fly a lot on Easyjet, they make it very clear what the charge is - they provide a schematic of the plane and set up the sections clearly: Extra Legroom seats = £15, Up Front Seating = £10, Standard Seating = £4 (from the flight I'm taking) ... you click on the seats you want and it automatically adds the price on to your total.

If you choose not to pre-book a seat then you will be allocated whatever seats are free, but there is no guarantee that if you are a group that those seats will be together.

Anyone who needs/wants to choose specific seats - whether that's because they want their group to be together or because they want to be at the front of the plane - can do so, for a fee, and anyone who doesn't care can take their chances but then runs the risk of being stuck in the middle seat between the most annoying seatmates in the world. .

AmserGwin · 17/05/2017 20:16

I'm going to Greece with my 7 and 11 year old. I'm not pre-booking but I will check in online as soon as it opens (a month before) to get seats together. I've been with kids 3 times I think and always been sat together. I have not been with Monarch though - do they have online check in?

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