Online Check In - seats together with children

[madmare77]

I'm going on holiday next week. Thomson package holiday with DH, DS (12) and DD (9). Online check in opened today. Logged on at 6.30am and could not check in. I left it until after 9am and still not able to check in.
I called Thompson to query and was told they only allow 70% on people to check in online (God knows what time they got up to do this!).
I told the lady I was concerned as I had children (especially my 9 year old) could I pay to pre book seats and was told no. I'm concerned as it's a 4.5 hour flight and I don't want my kids sat next to any Tom, Dick or Harry.
Are there any airline industry people who can tell me if they will try to seat us together or are we screwed?
Thanks

*Nobody is paying extra.

Some people are taking advantage of a discount for not wanting prebooked seats. Just like some people pay less for not having hold luggage*

^ This.

Years ago, you booked a flight and included were seats together, a meal (even on short hop), and luggage. Now elements of air travel are split up. You take your choice which bit you want and you pay for it
If you don't want seats together.. fine, don't pay for it.

If you want a meal... fine... you can buy one.

If you want to take hold baggage... fine... add that into what you are paying.

BUT do not expect the rest of us, who pick and choose and pay for the bits we want to move seats when you can't be arsed to buy seats.

I went to Spain in the decades ago and it cost me then aout £250, it was a hell of a lot of money on my wages. The price to fly taking into account inflation, has dropped 50% compared to now. But it is 'unbundled' to allow customers choice.

Sometimes I pay for where I sit, sometimes I don't. I take the risk of not sitting with my family or where I want, if I don't. I was on a flight two weeks ago... I had paid for my aisle seat back row because I needed a quick exit and at this particular airport I knew they opened front and back doors on arrival. I was asked to move to the middle of a row of 3 to accommodate someone who hadn't paid for their seat. The answer is NO.

Thank you PP:

airlines dont jack up the prices for allocated seating, baggage check in, food etc. they give a discount to those who dont want those services. before, everyone paid full whack to include every service possible, but now you only pay for what you want- if you want allocated seating together pay for it

I have severe anxiety issues. I didn't fly for 15 years. As of a couple of years ago (and £££ therapy later) I am able to fly again. I always gladly pay extra to pre-book an aisle seat. Am happy to pay.

Last year I was flying solo and found a lady sitting in my seat with 2 young children next to her. She refused to move. Stewardess asked her to move, asked others if they would be willing to move so that I could have an aisle seat which I paid for because there was a woman who had not prebooked sitting in my booked seat kicking off about needing to sit with her children. But she hasn't paid to pre-book specific seats.

I wish it was mandatory for people travelling with small children to have to pay to pre-book. Why should I pay to have a specific seat only to be unable to sit in it because someone wanted the discounted cost of not pre-booking but still depended specific seating?

Totally agree Reow. I hope that woman had to move. Why should she get something for free that you had paid for?

Unless I am offered a far better seat, in my eyes, I won't move. Because I have paid to be sat where I have chosen. Me, DH and my now adult children have a short break planned together and I've even paid for those seats together! This is because we don't get together very often and I want to squeeze every last minute of our precious time together on this break. I made my choice to do this as should others if it is important to them.

I had this concern with thomson and in the shop they said we wouldn't be split up it wasn't a risk I was willing to take so we paid to pick our seats with thomson and have already selected them for July holiday

Walrus, shame on you for bringing your child's SEN into this. My child also has SN. I pay to book our seats because I know he can't cope with sitting next to strangers.

Thank you Roussette. She did not move. An old chap sitting in another seat offered me his aisle seat and took a random middle seat.

For people with MH/anxiety issues that have side affects causing severe gastro problems it is very important to you where you sit - that you don't feel trapped or enclosed.

If you've paid for a seat for a specific reason that should be the end of it. You shouldn't have to stand around negotiating (and having an internal panic attack) with someone who has not chosen to pay for specific seats but feels they are more entitled to them because they have children.

(Though according to some pp I would be an immense dick and need to take a good look at myself. Don't underestimate the reason people might have pre-booked specific seats. Having children does not trump other peoples choices, mental health related or not. End rant)

That's why its so cheap to fly, comparatively speaking. You want to pay more for your plane tickets?

Yes. I'd rather everyone pays the same and luggage and a seat allocated at booking are included. Less stress and no-one lording it over someone else because they have paid more to board first or sit at the front or together or whatever. If one flight was so full that you couldn't sit with your kids or whatever you'd book another one. Like when you go to the theatre, if one performance is full you book another.

Pity you weren't on United Airlines Reow. She'd have been moved......

Elkegel - what you want then, is for other people to subsidise you. That's a bit selfish. Why not just pay for the services you want and let the rest of us pay for the services we want.

I think those of you who want flight prices reconstructed are probably too young to remember how expensive flying was. Even if you pay extra to pre-book your seats, the deconstruction of prices has hugely increased traffic and resulted in significantly reduced prices for most people in most circumstances.

I agree with the majority - if you are travelling with children or want to be certain of sitting next to your travelling companion, you pay to select your seats at the time of booking.

DS1 is a strapping 6ft 2 19 year old. To look at him, you'd think he'd be an ideal candidate to sit anywhere on the plane, with or without family. In reality he has ASD and has to sit between rows 9 to 15 and in a middle seat (so no window or aisle). Anything else would cause him to have extreme anxiety and possibly a meltdown throughout the flight. It isn't just young children that need to be considered.

This summer, we'll just be flying with 5 year old DD. I have pre-booked seats again, so that I know I will definitely be sitting next to her. Yes, I could leave it to chance but why the hell should I expect somebody else who has paid the extra to select their seat move because I couldn't be bothered to pre-book?

As you don't really have a choice now OP, you'll just have to hope that you are all seated together. If not, you'll need to hope that somebody takes pity on you and moves. In future though, pay like everybody else who needs to sit together!

Elkegel that's a rather selfish view. I rarely take hold luggage so why should I pay for yours? I sometimes will sit anywhere but why should I pay for your family to sit together? I prefer to pay the BASE price of an airline ticket and add and pay for the bits I want. There will be very few people happy to pay another £100 (and that's probably what it would be) to get everything all in when they don't actually want it.

Santas you've subtly raised another good point I forgot to mention - another reason we always book seats is because of my v v v tall DP. His legs are ridiculous. So we usually book emergency exit row with me on the aisle.

So the suggestion that people should move to accommodate children also misses many other reasons people may book specific seats - height, anxiety, invisible mental health or gastrointestinal issues, the list goes on.

Reow So the suggestion that people should move to accommodate children also misses many other reasons people may book specific seats - height, anxiety, invisible mental health or gastrointestinal issues, the list goes on.

This includes "just because it is my personal choice" too. Nobody needs to justify a seat selection at all. If I want seat 17A just because its my lucky number, then I will pay to prebook it and that is my right entirely. And then apparently I'll be "lording it" over everyone else

madmare77 I don't think everyone is a predator. However I do not know these people. I wouldnt leave my children with people I dont know. Also I do feel for people who have to sit next to kids who may need a drink, snack, bathroom visit etc.
Would you want to be in that position?

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest given I'd be comfortably reading my book, listening to music or snoozing. Why on earth would your child even be remotely anything to do with me or my responsibility?

araiwa before, everyone paid full whack to include every service possible, but now you only pay for what you want

My first flight as a child was long haul economy (early 80s I think). We got on board (in the smoking section, thanks M+D!). The cabin crew gave us hot cotton flannels, complimentary drinks before take off, and then fed and watered us for free throughout the flight, with the usual blankets and pillows on request. As well as giving us packs of cards and airline postcards - and you could give them the postcards at the end for them to post for you!

I wonder what they gave you in business or first class back then, as we were pretty well stocked down the back end of the plane!

It's not selfish, Roussette, it's thinking about the interests of the collective over individual choice. Which is the opposite of selfish.

For those of us who flew for 20+ years without having "extras" on tickets, of course it seems like a rip off to pay for something like sitting next to your kids when it was never an issue in the past. And hasn't ever been an issue for us flying even with the pre-booking system.

@ShotsFired it wasn't free though! It was just included in the cost of the ticket.

Now you have the option to pay less and just choose what extras you need, or you can pay more and get things like a meal, hold luggage and your choice of seat included.

Shots here's hoping you get the child from hell next to you on your next flight. Maybe with air sickness and a thirst for knowledge. Fingers crossed

What's wrong with individual choice though? Why should it be 'one size fits all'? I don't want to pay for hold luggage, I might or might not pay for a seat.

When my DCs were younger, yes we were sat together but my god we paid for it through the ticket price. £ for £ far far more expensive than now. I think people need to understand that it's just a different way of doing things, and it's not aimed at parents with children and I just mentally add on my seat price if I choose one, and so should they
I've just booked a long haul flight, I know exactly where I want to be sat and I'm happy to pay for it. If an adult decides to take pot luck and not pay for his/her seat, that's their choice but don't ask me to move!

I've just booked a long haul flight, I know exactly where I want to be sat and I'm happy to pay for it. If an adult decides to take pot luck and not pay for his/her seat, that's their choice but don't ask me to move!

Exactly this! I always pay to book my seat so I'm sitting next to DH and there is no way I'm moving for someone who can't be bothered.

OP I think the point shots is making is that your child is YOUR responsibility. It's down to you to pay to prebook, not the goodwill of strangers.

Seems to be a common theme here that people who pay to pre-book seats are those with young children or those with a disability/anxiety issue.

Can't you see that the airlines are cashing in on this? They are not offering 'discounts' to those who don't care where they sit, they are charging extra to those who NEED to sit either together or in a certain type of seat.

Life is generally that bit more difficult for those with small children and those with disabilities/anxieties at the best of times, so it does grate when companies use this to also make life more expensive for them too.

It would be just as easy for these airlines to offer a tick box on booking to allow anyone with a disability to request a particular seat and they should automatically ensure children are seated with at least one adult on the booking. But then, it wouldn't make them as much money would it?

OP if I was on your flight and saw you were not seated with your child and I was able to move, I would move for you. I think all decent people would.