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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu re booking sets on the plane

234 replies

Yeaididthat · 06/05/2018 07:29

We (2 adults and 3 kids) are due to travel with jet2 for the first time for a family holiday in just over 3 weeks. When I tried to reserve seating this morning it appears as though all seat except exit seats are already booked, and these can only be booked by 14 years+. DC are 10, 8 and 3. As cheeky as it is, surely Jet2 aren't going to turn us away over this? I'm aware that this is expecting others to take seats they didn't chose and have paid for Blush but it is the front row etc which is still available. Aibu? Do airlines provisionally allocate children seats and this doesn't appear?

OP posts:
ilovesooty · 06/05/2018 09:37

So according to you tea families subsidise other people. Single people have to pay supplements which subsidise groups and there are people who aren't travelling with families who travel during the school holidays.

I don't see that any argument about the school holidays is relevant to people paying to secure seats they want.

CoffeAndCream · 06/05/2018 09:39

"It's not as though it's last minute"
Sorry but I would consider this last minute!!! I booked flights in September with Jet2 for our holiday in August, I reserved seats straight away to be sure we can sit together as one of our children has autism and learning difficulties.
You need to ring customer services and see what they can do rather than turn up and expect it to be sorted. There is no way I would give up my prebooked seats.

HappyFeet1212 · 06/05/2018 09:45

I paid extra for me, DH, 10, 5, and 1 year old to sit together.

I was really shocked to be asked to move for a family 2 adults with a 8 & 10 year old to sit together because they hadn't paid to pre-book seats.

Yes it's a scam, but if I've paid extra, I am not moving. Otherwise, what's the point in paying extra?

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 06/05/2018 09:45

@BrightonCalling I don't think it was need in the strict sense, but it was a 10 hour trip and they had a shared bag of snacks / books etc between them and given that the seat the woman was being asked to move to was identical in every respect except that she would have been sitting next to another random woman instead of the man she ended up with, it just seemed nonsensical that she wouldn't do the decent thing and let the couple sit together.

MinnieMul · 06/05/2018 09:50

pifftlife people like you annoy me so much. People actually book and pay for their seats in advance and then have to move because you were too cheap/lazy/entitled. You don't always get moved to better seats either. I had to move on my last flight and the family I moved for were so rude too.

MinnieMul · 06/05/2018 09:50

I meant pfftlife

worridmum · 06/05/2018 09:54

all seats on planes are not equal if i paid for a widow seat in the middle of the plan and a family demand i move to a aisle seat by the toilets i would not do so. I would move to a better seat aka an upgrade but i will not move to a worst seat espically since i have paid unless the parents then and their pay me the money.

Teateaandmoretea · 06/05/2018 10:48

I don't see that any argument about the school holidays is relevant to people paying to secure seats they want.

It is relevant to overall costings. Single people don't have to pay flight supplements and no holiday company gets more revenue per room from single people.

AnnieAnoniMouser · 06/05/2018 11:00

I had paid for an aisle seat near the middle of the plane. I was asked if I would move so that a boy could sit with his Dad. I moved because I didn’t want to upset a child not able to sit with his Dad. The ‘boy’ was at least 16, strapping, healthy looking lad who certainly didn’t look nervous or anything. (Yes, he might have SEN or hidden disabilities, but he looked well able to sit by himself). I felt a bit conned, but I had another aisle seat so it didn’t matter too much. But I don’t get why they didn’t book together if it was important to sit together?

I pay to book seats together if I’m travelling with someone I want to sit with. You shouldn’t have to though, it should be free to be sat with people you book with. Windows, aisles etc should be ‘first come, first served’ but any chance to make a few extra quid.

Pfftlife · 06/05/2018 11:02

MinnieMul simple solution to that, don't pay for seats. It makes no sense at all to pay for something that you aren't guaranteed to have

ilovesooty · 06/05/2018 11:54

Single people may not have to pay flight supplements but they pay supplements overall for package holidays and there are many cheap deals they simply can't take up at all. As a single traveller who pays to book seats I'm not feeling obligated to move out of a seat I've paid to reserve unless ordered to by one of the flight crew for safety reasons.

IronMansIronButt · 06/05/2018 12:12

I pay for my seats, I won't move for anyone. Good luck

you will if you are told to by airline staff, or you'll be removed from the plane.

IronMansIronButt · 06/05/2018 12:13

people like you annoy me so much. People actually book and pay for their seats in advance and then have to move because you were too cheap/lazy/entitled.

People like you annoy me so much, you fall for the seat booking scam and because you do , other people are forced to pay as well to avoid being split up. If nobody fell for the bullshit, the airline wouldn't bother charging it!

paxillin · 06/05/2018 12:16

I have never paid for particular seats on Easyjet, but all 4 of us have either sat together or sat 2 and 2. Complete scam, no point paying unless you have strong feeling on sitting in particular seats.

SharronNeedles · 06/05/2018 12:17

Would you really refuse to move to allow a parent to sit next to their child? Even if you are incredibly selfish and don't give a crap about the child or parent, then just think, you could have the joy of sitting next to a scared and upset toddler/child for X amount of hours! Lucky you!

Some families are only just managing to afford their holiday and can't afford to book seats on the plane as well and just have to hope that someone will help them out

MinnieMul · 06/05/2018 12:23

I always move for families when needed and have volunteered so I'm not rude or inconsiderate but when the family are so rude back to me offering my sit yes I get annoyed.

IronMansIronButt · 06/05/2018 12:25

If Jet2 want to sit me away from my toddler this summer, they can have at it. Whoever they put her next to will be begging me to swap in ten mins flat!

Pfftlife · 06/05/2018 12:31

MinnieMul you should have taken your grievance out with that family not others on here. People who don't book seats aren't selfish, they just aren't daft to fall for the seat booking offer.

It's crazy to spend £280 on seats you've no guarantee of getting!

crispysausagerolls · 06/05/2018 13:14

"Some families are only just managing to afford their holiday and can't afford to book seats on the plane as well and just have to hope that someone will help them out"

This is very entitled though - if you can't afford to go on holiday without inconveniencing other people then don't go! It's not on to think "fuck it; someone will just have to move so I get what I want". It IS ridiculous that people have to pay to sit together, but that is the way it is. If you don't pre-book then why should someone who did be penalised, just because you have children?

marcopront · 06/05/2018 13:28

@MyOtherUsernameisaPun
I don't understand why the only possibility was that woman to move. Couldn't anyone sitting in two seats have given up their seats to let the couple sit together?

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 06/05/2018 13:46

you will if you are told to by airline staff, or you'll be removed from the plane.

IronMansIronButt You can say that, but I’ve twice refused to move and there’s never been an issue.

Would you really refuse to move to allow a parent to sit next to their child?

SharronNeedles Of course I would. It’s not my responsibility to ensure parent and child are sitting together. Just like I ensured DH and I were sitting together, they should have done the same if they were so bothered. They’re quite clearly not, so they have to take what they end up with.

I would be fine with some random toddler sitting next to me. I would put my earphones in, put on my eyemask and happily ignore them for the duration of the flight.

NotSoSureX · 06/05/2018 13:55

Recently travelled with Jet2holiday. I had the same fear but they allocated us seats next to each other when we checked in. I didn't have to ask.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 06/05/2018 14:05

I always pre book seats as I want to sit next to DH. There is no way I would move to accommodate someone who couldn't be arsed to pay, other peoples' kids aren't my problem.

Saying that, we've started booking exit row seats so at least children aren't an issue!

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 06/05/2018 14:24

I think every person on the bus just loathed that woman for being such a dickhead and showing so little compassion.

And yet no-one else was prepared to move so that the couple could sit together? Hmm

JustPotteringAround · 06/05/2018 19:33

The pregnant traveller doesn’t seem all that odd to me. I suffer terribly with travel sickness as does one of my children. I need to be near to DH so he can help out if needed.

Being pregnant makes it so much worse. DS1 also has a habit of waking up and vomiting without warning - I wouldn’t want to be the stranger sat next to him which is why we pre-book seats!