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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:
IronMansIronButt · 06/05/2018 20:08

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

Good luck ignoring mine as she asks you for paw patrol 4 thousand times and pokes you in the eye until you listen to her, and then sits on your lap and blows her nose in your shirt.

altiara · 06/05/2018 20:48

We were in a similar situation this year, but I’m not sure if you have the option to pay to book seats in advance on BA except the exit rows.
When I checked us in- 4 adults, 4 DC, we couldn’t be next to DCs as they couldn’t go in the exit rows - which clearly no one wanted to pre book as you had to pay extra so we ended up with them. Wasn’t a problem for us as youngest DCs are 8 and happy to sit together but could hear it causing problems with other families as they had younger DC.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 07/05/2018 06:21

Good luck ignoring mine as she asks you for paw patrol 4 thousand times and pokes you in the eye until you listen to her, and then sits on your lap and blows her nose in your shirt.

IronMansIronButt Like I said, earphones and eyemask. It’s easy to ignore rude and out of control children who don’t know how to behave. You just don’t give them your attention; they soon get bored and move on. Maybe you should try it sometime.

User14789011 · 07/05/2018 14:34

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue

We were sat in the row in front of someone like you a few years ago. As soon as we got on with toddler DS she shot us evil looks and started complaining to her husband about toddlers on planes.
Then one of the cabin crew came over to tell her there was a child allocated seating away from their parents and she’d need to move so they could sit together. She argued but the cabin crew basically told her to shut up and move (phrased more politely). She was fuming. 😂
The kid they moved her for looked about 11 so didn’t really need to be with a parent imo. Horrible woman’s husband chatted happily to the kid the whole flight, think he was pretty happy to get a break from his miserable wife!

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 07/05/2018 14:47

User14789011 I don’t have any issue with toddlers or children on planes Confused It’s just not my job to ensure they’re seated next to their parents, nor is it my job to entertain said kids if their parents didn’t book seats together.

Like I said, I’ve been asked to move twice on planes and refused both times. It’s never been an issue.

Troels · 07/05/2018 15:07

My nearly 3 year old Ds was sat in the row behind me with a lovely 20 something man who opened his food for him and gave him the window seat, social little beggar had a brilliant flight.
I paid to reserve for Dd and I with Jet2 this summer, I have no problem with us moving so long as we are still sat together and not at the back.

HoldingTheLineWinston · 07/05/2018 15:08

I always pay to prebook seats (and I could do without the expense too) because I actively want to sit next to DH on the plane..It's part of the enjoyment of the holiday for me. I'm afraid I would be pretty cross at having to move to accommodate someone who was unwilling to pay to reserve a preferred seat.

User14789011 · 07/05/2018 19:38

Whattodo yeah you sound like you love kids! It’s very rare they have to tell people to move, someone almost always volunteers. I would and honestly dont know anyone that wouldn’t do this. In real life most people aren’t so horrible to think it’s ok to separate a small child from their parent on a flight just because they’ve paid a pointless fee to choose specific seats.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 08/05/2018 09:08

User14789011 Like I said, I have no issue with kids on flights. It’s just not my job to ensure they’re sitting with their parent.

The only person separating a small child from their parent is the parent who didn’t book a seat next to their child. You can’t shift that blame onto someone else.

Stopandlook · 08/05/2018 09:14

I had no idea that you could check in months in advance and choose seats then. When my DH and I checked in 24 hours in advance we paid for seats vaguely next to each other, hardly any left. It’s a silly system if you ask me, much better to have it done by the airline. Fair enough to prebook extra leg room etc.
Also, why do people pay for speedy boarding when everyone has seats allocated? Confused....

ilovesooty · 08/05/2018 13:27

People pay for speedy boarding to avoid having their hand luggage put in the hold.

IronMansIronButt · 08/05/2018 13:35

The only person separating a small child from their parent is the parent who didn’t book a seat next to their child. You can’t shift that blame onto someone else.

No its the airlines for bringing it in and charging for it and the idiots who not only fell for it but smugly promote it to everyone else.

HoldingTheLineWinston · 08/05/2018 13:42

Not true. You want as guaranteed a seat as possible you pay for it. If not you take your chances. It's not the fault of those who pay if you don't and come off worse because of that.

ShotsFired · 08/05/2018 13:46

I think Airlines should have started pricing their tickets including seat selection, with a "discount" for those who don't care (rather than unbundling and adding back as an option).

It's 2 sides of the same coin really - the end price for seat-choosers is the same, but the psychology is different. It makes people stop and think if they care enough about the seat or the discount.

Seat selection is already bundled in with more flexible or bus/first class ticket prices anyway, even though the latter are usually all pretty much fine seats anyway!

IronMansIronButt · 08/05/2018 13:48

Not true. You want as guaranteed a seat as possible you pay for it. If not you take your chances. It's not the fault of those who pay if you don't and come off worse because of that

It is true. We used to get guaranteed seats together, it came as standard. Then the airlines started this scam and some of you eejits fell for it and are now all smug and shrieky about everyone else having to pay or piss off, because you can't cope with knowing you've been conned, and worse!

HoldingTheLineWinston · 08/05/2018 13:53

No, I'm adult enough to be able to accept that whether I like it or not I now need to pay to reserve a seat of my preference. I'm not childish enough to moan about it, insult those who choose to pay, or expect those who have paid to move to accommodate me because I can't be arsed to put my hand in my pocket and plan properly.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 08/05/2018 13:53

IronMansIronButt You can call it what you want. At the end of the day, I’m happy to pay to choose my seats and will continue to do so.

Nesssie · 08/05/2018 14:02

My mum is terrified of flying, so we always book seats that mean she is in the middle of 2 family members. Means we have to prebook 3 seats every time we fly, which adds up to quite a lot. But we do it. And we don't moan about it because it guarantees us the seats we want. And we would not/could not move because another family could not be bothered to pay for their seats with the attitude that someone else will move for them.

We have been asked several times to move seats, but have refused each time and have never been made to.

ILikeMyChickenFried · 08/05/2018 14:37

Why would you be happy to pay to.choose your seats - an option that used to be free?

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 08/05/2018 14:44

ILikeMyChickenFried Because it was never guarenteed when it used to be free. While it’s written into the T&Cs now that even if you pay its not guarenteed, that’s mostly for safety concerns. I’ve been asked twice to move from a seat I’ve paid for and refused both times; it’s never been an issue.

I am happy to pay for the assurance of sitting next to my family (barring safety concerns, obviously, hence the clause in the T&Cs).

ILikeMyChickenFried · 08/05/2018 14:47

I always used to prebook seats for free when I booked the flight. They were no more of less guaranteed than they are now.

ScrubTheDecks · 08/05/2018 14:50

I'll move if asked, so that a family or couple can sit together (as long as it is a good set - not in the centre of a row of 3 over the wing), but if I have paid for my seat booking I would ask them to pay me for it.

Seems fair.

Actually, I once moved when I hadn't paid to reserve a seat and the cabin staff brought me a free bottle of champagne.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 08/05/2018 14:53

ILikeMyChickenFried In your opinion. Not in mine.

trixymalixy · 08/05/2018 14:57

Jet2 are pretty good with this. When we flew with them last year the kids were allocated seats together at the front of the plane and the adults seats together at the back. We were just going to sit one adult with each child no big deal, but when we got to the bag drop they had already allocated us different seats and put us all together without us even asking.

Incidentally I'm flying with Ryanair this weekend and our party of 5 have all been allocated middle seats on different rows. We're all adults so it's not a big deal if we don't sit together, but annoying nonetheless.

PeonyTruffle · 08/05/2018 15:01

We have seats booked for our next flight. So let’s hope TUI stick to their word and we get them.

A plane stranger will be making friends with my 3yr old otherwise and let me tell you, he can talk about Batman until the cows come home Grin