Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3

AIBU?

CF Easyjet over seating

63 replies

Booboostwo · 23/10/2017 08:44

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.

OP posts:

Report

ninnynono · 23/10/2017 09:46

How did DH get moved on boarding? Did they just wait in his seat and tell him he couldn't sit there? Didn't one of your kids need to be moved too? Or had you gone for three seats together and then his on the other side of the aisle?

Sounds really unprofessional. I would have thought they would have explained at check in what the problem was. And the steward getting stroppy without any explanation is just so bizarre.

Definitely go to head office. And social media!

BarbaraofSevillle · 23/10/2017 09:49

You need a refund, not just for his seat, but for the extra your whole family paid. You paid extra to sit together. It didn't happen. You have the right for a full refund of the extra you all paid

^^ This is what you want and is a reasonable request, along with an apology and explanation. Write to them and request it calmly and factually. You didn't receive what you paid for, so require a refund.

They should have told you much earlier and refunded you automatically. They also shouldn't assume that you would just accept the change. They should have asked if you minded, and given you the chance to refuse, and then gone on to ask someone else.

After all, there could have been reasons, such as fear of flying or special needs, as to why the whole party needed (not just preferred) to sit together.

Floralnomad · 23/10/2017 09:49

Just ask for a refund , it's very annoying but so far you have not given them a chance to put it right . I've always found Easy Jet the best of the cheaper airlines for sorting out any problems .

Cantstanddisney · 23/10/2017 09:50

I had a similar issue with a different airline, but managed to get a refund for the seat reservation fees only.

2014newme · 23/10/2017 09:50

I'd just call them they are gene very helpful. I would not faff with letters at this stage tales much longer. I'd be phoning them rather than asking on mn. Follow up with email or letter if need be.

ArchchancellorsHat · 23/10/2017 09:51

Do as pp said - in writing, requesting a refund for all four of you, and if when they refuse, send the letter before action. If it does get as far as small claims, you can claim all expenses back including a reasonable amount for your time spent trying to resolve things with them (I mean like a normal admin worker hourly rate not £300/hour!)

ArchchancellorsHat · 23/10/2017 09:51

Agree it would be a refund for the four seat reservations not the whole trip!

BewareOfDragons · 23/10/2017 10:08

I swear, airlines are just becoming really good at theft. This really is stealing from their own customers: they take extra money insisting they need it to guarantee you can sit together, then say you can't but keep the extra money. It really is just theft.

I would take this further.

Ilovetolurk · 23/10/2017 10:30

Not all extra legroom seats are emergency exit

At the front it's typically only the LHS

I would start by email and keep copies then escalate as required

BitOutOfPractice · 23/10/2017 10:50

Were these extra legroom seats by the emergency exits? I'm confused.

coldweatherlove · 23/10/2017 11:14

OP, this happens all the time!Was your seat at the back? The new aircrafts crew seats for easyjet sometimes are inoperable and therefore the crew need the seats by exits to sit in for take off and landing (ridiculous I know!) you should be able to email cust services and get a refund for seats. Very frustrating for both crew, and also yourselves!

coldweatherlove · 23/10/2017 11:17

Just read extra legroom- were they at the front? V annoying but could have been for safety reasons! Definitely not the crews fault as everyone is suggesting on here
Definitely write complaint form, and I'm sorry you've had a bad year

Booboostwo · 23/10/2017 11:47

The extra legroom seats were on the front row. The two occupied by the DCs were available to everyone - the DCs were not moved. The one DH was supposed to be sitting on was for people who could operate the emergency exit (as were the two seats next to DH), but DH is an able bodied adult so able to operate the exit in an emergency. He was not told he had to move because he couldn't open the door in an emergency, he was told he had to move because a crew member had to sit there. I suspect the crew memember's usual seat may have been broken in some way as one of the fold down crew member seats was not used at all. Either way they should have apologized and refunded immediately at the very least, not told us to effectively shut up and put up with it.

When we boarded there was a printed sign on DH's seat which said "crew members only".

OP posts:

dratsea · 23/10/2017 11:49

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

karriecreamer · 23/10/2017 11:56

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.

BarbaraofSevillle · 23/10/2017 11:57

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.

Booboostwo · 23/10/2017 12:10

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.

OP posts:

Booboostwo · 23/10/2017 12:11

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

OP posts:

coldweatherlove · 23/10/2017 12:56

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

Jaxhog · 23/10/2017 14:37

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.

Jaxhog · 23/10/2017 14:40

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

Booboostwo · 23/10/2017 15:57

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.

OP posts:

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Email address

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

BarbaraofSevillle · 23/10/2017 16:01

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.

LurkingHusband · 23/10/2017 16:02

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

Jaxhog · 23/10/2017 16:16

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.

Flip

1 2 3

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.