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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not want to pay for seat allocation on a short flight

119 replies

PookieDo · 08/04/2018 15:44

This isn’t a thread about the rights or wrongs of seat allocations on flights in general. I want to know if you think AIBU to my 16yo DD.

I have booked a short domestic one hour flight this year with my 2 teenage DC. I got an absolutely grear rock bottom price for return flights within the U.K. I hate flying and have never flown with my DC but they have flown a lot with their father. I can’t afford holidays usually to be honest but I’ve budgeted this one on a small scale. I flew recently a very short flight to see if I could do it at all and although I hated every minute of it (not just anxiety it makes me feel ill) I can probably tolerate it for a short period.

I did not reserve the seats on the plane when I booked because it’s £25 for all 3 of us both ways and it is 1 hour! I think this is a silly extra price that’s only worth it on a long flight or small DC. We will be in the airports longer than we will likely be on the plane. My DD16 thinks that I am being unreasonable, as she might have to sit next to a stranger 🙄 and I think she’s lucky to be going on a holiday and that we might all get lucky at check in/when we board and I can ask that at least the DC sit together. If not then just put headphones in and ignore the stranger next to you.

AIBU?

OP posts:

user1483390742 · 08/04/2018 19:54

So, Ryanair will charge me to entertain my own kids on a flight, but if i don't pay, someone else will?!?!

MrsTylerJoseph · 08/04/2018 19:56

I know I think it’s amazing I get to dump dd on someone else.

Infact once someone offered to swap seats with me so I could sit next to dd and look very puzzled when I politely refused and sat down happily reading my newspaper on the row behind.

Weedsnseeds1 · 08/04/2018 20:29

You can't allocate seats on a plane row by row, on a first come, first served basis. It has to be balanced for take off and landing.
You can generally move to an empty seat once airborne, but move back for landing.

maddiemookins16mum · 08/04/2018 20:40

Leaving aside (to an extent) the anxiousness, the age of DD, the (minimal) cost, the length of the journey etc...what I don't get is who goes on holiday together as a family and thinks that sitting apart is part of that experience.

witchofzog · 08/04/2018 21:02

This is a situation she will encounter on a regular basis and an hours flight is good practice for getting used to sitting next to strangers. As others have said if she goes to the cinema, on a train etc she may need to sit next to strangers. When she starts working she may end up sitting next to someone she would not choose to sit near ordinarily.

When my step dd was 18 she used to say she was too nervous to catch a bus to the next village. This caused a huge argument one year because dp insisted on driving her 3 miles to the next village on a Saturday afternoon when we were supposed to be going somewhere for our anniversary because she needed to be somewhere and "Didn't do buses". 6 months later she was in a long distance relationship with a boy from the west country she had met at a festival and lo and behold her fear was cured as she needed to catch national express coaches every 3 weeks.

Your dd will get used to this situation, she will survive and will find out it is nowhere as bad s she imagines it will be

GreenTulips · 08/04/2018 21:16

what I don't get is who goes on holiday together as a family and thinks that sitting apart is part of that experience

Same could be said for a lot of things!

Imagine going to a restaurant and being charged an extra £5 per coarse to sit with friends? Or be randomly placed at various tables? Outcry?

Same for say the pictures - extra £10 to chose your seat!! You'd stop going!

Yet you all happily play the cheap airline ploy for you to part with extra cash for something as basic as sitting with those you arrived with

I don't pay as I said earlier and my kids have been fine with this since they were small because well it's no different to getting on the bus into town and having to squeeze in where there's room!

bridgetreilly · 08/04/2018 21:18

At least one of the three seats is likely to be next to a woman. Don't worry about it.

Original poster

PookieDo · 08/04/2018 21:22

Going on a plane for 1 hour is not my holiday experience. My holiday is ROFPMSL

OP posts:

gateto · 08/04/2018 21:24

depending on the airline, if you check in at the same time it's likely you'll be together. even ryanair have seat numbers now. I can understand from an anxious person point of view but when I was 16 I was flying alone, and next to strange men! I'd just reassure her that you're on the plane. All she needs to do is stand up to see you really

whyohwhy000 · 08/04/2018 21:30

gateto As has been said before, Ryanair automatically split people up if they don't pay for reserved seats.

HildaZelda · 08/04/2018 22:10

Doesn't matter whether or not you check in at the same time, if you don't pay for allocated seating Ryanair WILL split you up.
Myself and DH had a short flight recently (about an hour). We checked in online together. He was sitting 16 rows behind me. Got chatting to the lady sitting next to me. Her boyfriend was sitting 16 rows behind her, next to guess who?

BertieBotts · 08/04/2018 22:14

Yeah but Green, a budget airline is more like a train/coach than a restaurant or similar.

I'll pay to reserve seats on a longer train journey but I wouldn't for a short one. Same for flights really.

bryheresse · 09/04/2018 12:53

I didn't pay for seat reservations on a flight from London to Amsterdam when my dc were a lot younger than yours - 10 and 8 I think.

We ended up sitting together anyway as we were the first at the gate so first in the queue to board the plane.

CuboidalSlipshoddy · 09/04/2018 13:09

We ended up sitting together anyway as we were the first at the gate so first in the queue to board the plane.

There aren't any airlines operating without seat allocation any more, are they? Easy stopped doing race to the seats boarding some years ago, Ryan have stopped, is there anyone else?

Morphene · 09/04/2018 13:10

op whatever you do with seats, make sure you check in online! I got stung for 55 quid because I had no idea you HAD to check in online.

Americantan · 09/04/2018 13:13

I find it odd that families with kids considered too young to sit by themselves wouldn’t pre-book seats to ensure they are together rather than delay a flight by refusing to take their seats and asking other passengers to swap. On flights to holiday destinations there are rarely solo passengers

Yokohamajojo · 09/04/2018 13:18

I have never paid the seat allocation and have never been split up either! if we did so be it, but no I don't agree with having to pay extra to sit together! I can get the pay extra for more legroom but not just to sit together

Want2bSupermum · 09/04/2018 13:43

I have a big issue with the budget airlines and their pricing policies. If you tell me it costs extra for food I'm ok with that. Likewise with anything more than one suitcase. Paying to sit with your family is insanity. I have two DC with ASD. After 10mins the other passengers would be swapping seats anyway.

Cath2907 · 09/04/2018 13:49

YANBU - people don't talk much on planes. Tell her to stick her headphones in. you'll barely get off the ground before you'll be heading back down if it's an hours flight.

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