CF Easyjet over seating

[Booboostwo]

I know you love a good airline seating tale, almost as much as a parking thread.

We booked our holiday six months ago and payed all the extras to have seats together, two adults and two children. The cost was 1,200 euros for short haul return flights, but fair enough we have young DCs and we wanted to sit with them in the extra leg room seats.

When we boarded the plane DH had been moved. The steward was very annoyed, but only because we had not been informed of this at check in. He told us there was no discussion and no changes, DH had to sit where he had been reassigned and that was that. A crew member, working that flight, sat in DH's seat.

I looked after the DCs, I am perfectly capable of looking after my DCs, but I don't want to pay for the priviledge of sitting together and then not get it.

Disclaimer: we've had a shitty year, with various problems and a very recent bereavement so I may be too sensitive over this, but I am fed up.

[Booboostwo]

It was row 1 so equally easy to get out of all seats. It was C.

I will call them when we're back from holiday. Currently it's 28 degrees and so warm I even dipped my toes in the ocean so I don't want my blood pressure to sky rocket due to easyjet!

[WeeM]

I would be raging too. As is so often the case, had it been handled better by the crew member a whole load of anger and resentment could have been avoided. I’d def be following it up with customer services but then I’m like a dog with a bone with these things!

[honeyroar]

It doesn't have to be the seat nearest to th exit to be a crew seat. One of our crew seats is in the cabin in front of the exit, there's a bulkhead wall between it and the exit row...

[Blueraccoon]

I travelled with EasyJet earlier this year with DS (9). I had paid to book seats together and by the window. When we boarded I could see people sitting in our seats so called the stewardess. She checked their boarding passes and guess what? They had boarding passes for the same seats as us! How is that even possible? Luckily the flight wasn’t quite full and seats were found for DS and me across the aisle from each other. It was fine but no window to look out, couldn’t chat the same and when they brought the trolley along I couldn’t even see him to ask what he wanted.

As soon as we got home I called EasyJet who told me to fill out the online complaints form. I did but didn’t get a reply. I didn’t follow it up as I could see it was just going to be a big headache and I would most likely never get a refund.

[Polarbearflavour]

But the seat was still in row 1? Which seat was it? 1 C or 1D?

OP - have you contacted easyJet yet?

[Karak]

Why would the crew member have been out in the exit seat? They'd have been out by the aisle so they could get in and out quickly. As happened here.

[Aeroflotgirl]

You need to be more assertive and ask for a refund. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I would have gone to the EasyJet desk and tried to get a refund for your husbands ticket, or phoned them up straight away.

[Booboostwo]

We wanted to sit together and DH wanted extra legroom, so we all paid for extra legroom. The plan was that I would sit between the two DCs and entertain the younger one and DH would sit across the aisle from the older DC and look after her.


It was NOT the seat closest to the exit, it was two seats (the window and the middle seat) away from the exit as it was an aisle seat. Fundamentally they were being stroppy. Had they been polite it might have been more pleasant, but the steward was rude to top it all off.

[Polarbearflavour]

If the crew jump seat was inoperative (for whatever reason) then one of the two cabin crew would have to sit in a passenger seat nearest the emergency door. The reason it had to be unoccupied during the flight is so the crew member could be seated in turbulence, decompression etc

The cabin manager could and should have explained this. OP should get a refund but will have to contact customer services.

[honeyroar]

I'm crew for another airline and it sounds as if that particular seat was a crew seat and shouldn't have been sold anyway? We usually let people sit in the seat during the flight, but occasionally you get a passenger who kicks off about moving when the time comes for the crew to use it so sometimes you end up with crews deciding to not put anyone there in the first place. Either way it doesn't sound like it was handled well and also you absolutely should get your money back.

[Karak]

I seriously doubt the crew member particularly wanted the extra legroom - he/she will pretty much only have been sitting in it for takeoff and landing!

[Karak]

So basically one of the crew seats was out of operation and the crew member needed to sit in one of the extra legroom seats (presumably to be able to get out quickly/be as close as possible to the original seat).

These things happens but the way they deal with it was inappropriate and of course they should refund (although I don't think you'll get very far with refunding the extra leg room for the people who had it).

One question though, if it was DH who needed the extra legroom why didn't he take your seat and you take the changed one? I appreciate that he may have preferred to entertain the kids than the extra room! We often travel standby and when there are three seats in business (i.e. adult plus two kids) and one in economy we are normally fighting over who gets economy :)

[Jaxhog]

BarbaraofSeville they didn't move the DCs just the DH! Moving an adult from the aisle seat is just bizarre.

I'm guessing this was a stroppy steward who wanted a decent seat.

[LurkingHusband]

Isn't this almost a textbook case of letter:wait 14 days:small claims court ?

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Passengers not crew are expected to open the door in an emergency.

That's why DCs can't sit there and they check that those sitting in the emergency exit seat can do it. They instruct whoever is sitting there at the beginning of the flight and I suppose if, in the crew's opinion, the adults sitting there wouldn't be able to open the door, they'd have to swap people around.

[Booboostwo]

coldweatherlove there were three seats by the emergency exit. The crew member took the aisle seat which was in fact the furthest away from the exit itself so none of your suppositions about safety make sense.

[Jaxhog]

Coldweatherlove if this was the case, then I'd expect an apology, an explanation and a full refund.

[Jaxhog]

A crew member, working that flight, sat in DH's seat.
This really adds insult to injury. It wasn't as if they would need to ask a paying passenger to move. Surely a staff member could sit anywhere?

I hope you get a full refund for not being able to sit together.

[coldweatherlove]

The crew member would have been required for safety reasons to sit there. Your Dh may have been able to operate the exit- this is not the point, the crew member has to sit by the door- even if it means moving someone who paid for their seat. Otherwise if there was only one spare seat in the middle, the crew member would not be able to run to the front to operate the door!
Unfortunately easyjet have such short turns, it's cheaper for them to do this as opposed to wait for it to be fixed 🙄
I agree the crew member should have reacted differently though, an apology at the very least and a full explanation as to why! As the manager would have been sitting at the front too they should have explained to you and your family OP

[Booboostwo]

DC1 is on the 98th centile for height though!!! Doesn't quite need the extra leg room but will do so soon!

[Booboostwo]

DH is tall and big, he needs the extra leg room as he struggles to fit in the other seats on offer. We also wanted to sit all together so we paid for extra leg room for everyone. DC2 is very fidgety so extra leg room by the bulkhead is a godsend as he doesn't kick anyone's seat, he can get up when allowed, etc.

[BarbaraofSevillle]

Maybe the adults wanted the extra legroom seats and the DCs just sat with them?

Maybe they were the only selectable seats available? Or some people like to sit at the front.

In any case, there might not have been a whole load of 'extra' legroom. The only time I have flown easyjet, I got one of the extra legroom seats for free because I booked very late and it was one of the only ones left.

There was no discernable difference from any other airline seat I have ever sat in and I usually just take what Ryanair, Jet2 or Flybe will give me for free. I would have been extremely pissed off if I had actually paid extra to sit there.

[karriecreamer]

Extra leg room for 3 and 6 yr old? Are they booked for 2024 olympic basketball/netball teams?

Whole rows are the same. If the parents want extra legroom, then of course, their kids will also have the same, unless they're sat on a different row. The motivation for the extra legroom will be the parents not the children.

[dratsea]

Booboo Extra leg room for 3 and 6 yr old? Are they booked for 2024 olympic basketball/netball teams?