To expect Easyjet to help me?

[amprev]

We fly on a 4hour 15 min flight on Sat with our two dc's aged 11 and 8. The holiday was a last minute decision, and I booked it last Sat with Tui. I was aware at the time that the flights were actually with Easy jet and not Tui. I wasn't particularly bothered by this either way. Reading through all the booking details in full this evening I learned that it is online only check in for EJ flights so I checked us all in.

Turns out we have been allocated seats randomly all over the plane - there are ten rows separating two of the seats from another two, but no two seats are in the same row. I realise this is because many people have obviously checked in before me. I would pay the extra for seats together if I could but this isn't an option, the plane is just full.

I'm gutted and I know the Dc's will be when I tell them. We are downloading films to an iPad for them and they watch it together using a headphone splitter. This obviously can't happen if we are all separated. I'm not expecting they can magic us all together but do you think they could at least have the dc's together with either me or DH less than 10 rows away from them? My eldest suffers with bad ear pain on flights and I normally have to do some soothing at take off and landing because she gets upset.

Any tips from anyone who has been in this situation? We only booked it so late because we didn't think we would get away this year but decided we would last minute.

I'll ring customer services when they open but I'm expecting them to tell me that I'll just have to persuade someone to move when we board. According to the civil aviation authority, airlines have to take reasonable actions to ensure a child is near to their adult so that it is less disruptive in the event of an evacuation. Not sure what EJ can do if there are no seats though? I realise some people will have paid extra for their preferred seats.

Morally I would bring some cash to give to any poor sod turfed out of a seat they had paid extra for. You might get lucky and there will be someone not fussed about moving.

If you asked politely, I was travelling alone and you were offering me the same or a better seat i.e. I wouldn’t move from the aisle to a middle, then I’d absolutely swap with you and I’ve done so several times before under similar circumstances. The sick bag manipulation nonsense which is especially ridiculous given the ages of the children would also be guaranteed to make me say no. If the call to customer services doesn’t work out (fingers crossed for you) then do frame it positively for the kids so they don’t worry and on board your best bet is to ask nicely and be honest; DD gets very painful ears, would you mind swapping seats so we can sit together.

Good luck and have a great holiday

Some useful points, thank you. I've already got surprise bits and pieces for the dc so that will entertain for some of the time and apart from the ears, they are pretty confident flyers thankfully. Will get the earplanes too.

It did occur to me if I don't get any joy on the phone that I would offer to reimburse anyone who had paid to reserve a seat but in all likelihood if anyone is going to offer to move then I would expect this to be someone who hadn't paid to reserve a seat. I'm even confused about which of the seats I try to get moved because they are literally just allocated so randomly based on what was left. Will aim to be as close as poss to my dd8 for starters and see if we can get dd11 moved nearer to us - just seems so unlikely! I don't really enjoy this bit of the journey as it is without knowing I've got hundreds of eyes glaring at me, willing me to sit down and cursing me for not having reserved seats (which I would have happily done).

The return seats are heaven sent - two sets of 2 in rows one behind the other!

What a pain. Hope EJ can help.

See what they say when you call them. Hopefully they can sort a compromise.

They will move you op. Maybe not until you are at the gate but they (or rather the computer) will - safety is more important not everyone will have paid for allocated seats and even if they have they will move someone / so you will end up closer most likely in adult /child pairs (perhaps not altogether).

Maybe they can do something at check in. It's possible that most people have paid for their seat choice as when you book an EJ flight there are various options regarding seats, baggage, fast track etc and as far as I can remember it's cheap to reserve your seat.

This is nothing to do with it being a budget airline. The situation would be the same with any airline if all the seats had already been reserved by other passengers. We're flying long haul later this year and booked our flights last year - we struggled to find seats together as well.
Good luck OP - I hope it works out for you.

There was a newspaper article a while back on some budget airlines which purposefully had passengers with the same names spread throughout the aircraft to "induce" people to pay for seating together. It was found when reporters were checking in, each one had a different "taken" seating configuration to try and get their family members seated as close together as possible. It was possible for two different reporters to put their group together with the other reporters group and then change seats once on the plane (i.e reporter 1 found no seats free except singles here and there; reporter 2 found the same but that seats near where reporter one showed taken, their screen showed vacant).

I've just read your post (can't sleep!!) and leapt out of bed in a panic as I hadn't checked in for our flight next week.
I've just entered all our passport details and found out we've already got 3 seats allocated. I now remember choosing the seats when I booked the flights in June. So, why TUI didn't do that for you is strange!
Also, our last flight we went on as a family was a last minute booking and we didn't manage to get three seats together. My child is 7, and very shy and would really struggle if he had to sit away from us. I explained this at the EJ desk and they didn't seem too worried and said to tell one of the flight attendents when we got on the flight. As we boarded I went to speak to one of the cabin crew and she told me to sit in one of our seats and when everyone had boarded she would help me find two seats together. I thanked her profusely and sat down with my child and my OH sat in his seat rows and rows away. The lady across the aisle immediately jumped up and said she would swap (I didn't even ask!) as she had been in this position herself with a small child, and someone else also offered as they overheard this lady offering to swap. In fact, EJ found us a row of three so we could all sit together which we never expected. We only wanted our child to be with one of us. So all is not lost yet.
I think the cabin crew have a list of who has paid for a seat and who has not and they move those that haven't paid, first. Anyway, good luck!

I would try phoning TUI since they are who you booked through and see if they can do anything. Otherwise hope someone will move.

We’ve just got back from hols and I thought we would be separated, booked through TUI and flight was TUI. I refused to pay to be sat together and my boys are 12 and 10 so wouldn’t be the end of the world. Although DS2 is scared of flying so not much fun to sit next to.

Anyway we were all together in a row and DH was across the aisle. He offered to move for a couple with one small child. Hopefully if you
Make it clear to other passengers how spread out you are they may be kind people like my DH.

Love the comment about ba. the worst airlines I’ve flown recently was virgin. Thomas Cook, RyanAir, WestJet all been much better.

As for op have a crack with the easyJet staff at the airport. Never booked seats personally and also never been sat apart. Just that look of the draw I guess. Even when travelling with three families we all got consecutive rows on separate bookings. But did check in at the same time.

I've flown with EJ several times and not had reserved seats until online check in. I have moved seats once when a child ( teen) was sat away from a parent. It meant that me and DH sat apart, but that was fine.

If I were you, I'd turn up at check in very early and speak to them, they may well be able to move you around at that point with someone who has been allocated seats without paying for reserve seating. You may not get all 4 seats together though. If you get two together, you sit with the youngest for take off then sit the 2 children together so they can share the iPad. However, I'd not risk it, and take another iPad and earphones. BTW, I wear over ear noise cancelling headphones, much better for my ear pain on take off!

I think you're right, not everyone will have paid to sit in the seat they are given. Some will just be sat in the seat allocated for them. So someone might move if asked nicely. I would maybe get to the airport early and asks at the check in/bag drop desk.

I know when I booked DH an easy jet flight I'm sure I read that they only release a certain amount for pre-booking (but I could be wrong).

Now my son is a teen I don't bother to pay for seats together, but just remember to check in online ASAP.
I'd be happy to move to help out someone in your situation.

This is exactly why I've just booked TUI but didn't press pay until it came up with select your seat as extra. The Easyjet and BA flight options said allocated at check in. The Norwegian Air flight said select your seat I have a 13 year old and no legal obligation for him to sit anywhere near one of us

I was flying alone once and checked in online. When I went to board the plane I found my seat number had been changed so other people could sit together. So it's worth trying again at the airport if you need to.

Not everyone will have paid a supplement. We use easyJet and Ryanair all the time and never pay the extra to choose a seat, as we both just listen to music/read so aren't bothered about sitting together. For what it's worth, I would happily swap seats with you and hopefully someone will on your flight. They are unlikely to be able to do anything ahead of time though, so you'll have to wait until you board. Good luck 💐

As you booked it last minute, it’s no surprise that there are no seats together. I wouldn’t be happy if I paid for a seat and as asked to move for someone who booked last minute,

Just come back from an easy jet flight (3hour flight). The cabin crew offered free drinks and snacks to anyone that would move so someone could be sat by their child. Not sure if this is standard practice

I was separated from dd when she was 7yo on a flight back from the canaries. It was before you could pay to reserve seats back when it just used to be a scrum to see who was on the plane first. We were first at check in but sadly due to dd getting the shits in the airport last on the plane. Nobody offered to move even though dd was sobbing. She was over the aisle and quite a few rows in front.

Plane staff obviously couldn’t give a rats arse about CAA guidelines so I wouldn’t bank on that.

I usually fly with EJ, honestly this situation drives me mad, we flew home on Xmas eve last year, and it was total mayhem, families split up, people asking to move, wouldn’t sit in their seats, delayed take off etc.

Not exclusive to EJ, Ryanair are another culprit, all to generate extra revenue, if it’s important to sit together ALWAYS pre book seats, otherwise you will be no where near each other, I could guarantee it.

I can’t find the article now but in think it may have been in the Telegraph the gist was you are more likely to win the lottery than have randomly selected airline seats together!

They may help you swap seats for the 8 yo, but may not be so helpful with the 11yo, can you book seats for the return?

It’s an unacceptable situation IMHO, no way would I have wanted my DC to sit next to strangers at those ages, hopefully the other passengers may move to help you, but this problem is the creation of the airline themselves and really shouldn’t be putting pre-booked seat passengers and cabin crew to this hassle.

I hope you get it sorted OP, I find traveling stressful enough with DC as it is.

Given easyJet open check in a month before travel I don’t think everyone will have paid. Are your seat middle, window or aisle? I’m travelling alone on an EJ flight in a couple of weeks and have been allocated a middle seat. I’d happily swap for an aisle or a window. There are some nice people out there, hopefully one of the (at least) 4 people you are sat next to will help out. I’d also probably start at the back first, as many people prefer to be further forward on the plane (and therefore are more likely to have paid for their seats).

I completely agree with you, and would move for you. I would be reluctant if it were for a worse seat - i.e. moving from an aisle to a middle seat, or from the front of the plane to the back. I would still do it it though (whilst having a bit of an internal grumble). What position are your seats in? - someone might be happy to move if you can offer them a 'good' seat!