Pre booked flight seats for 2 & 3 y/o's?

[doghelp123]

Not really AIBU, posting for traffic. Apologies for long post.

We are due to go on holiday in 7 weeks time and we have not paid for pre booked seats, the reason i have not paid is because our DCs are 2 & 3 y/o and the travel agent has advised its a £25 fee per seat, so looking at £100 all in for me, DH and DC's to be together - we have saved a long time to get this holiday and if I'm being honest it seems like a very large amount to be shelling out for seats. Me and DH are not fussed about being seated together obviously, but we would need the DCs to be next to either one of us so we did ask the travel agent if me and DH booked our two seats for the £50 would kids be guaranteed to be next to us but we were told me would need to pay the £25 for each of them as well, I then called jet 2 and they have advised that they would not split young children up from parents even if we had not paid for the seats but I have now been seeing things online stating that the DCs wouldn't necessarily be in the same row as either of us, but they could be put in the row in front or behind.

Can anyone who has flew before with Jet2 advise us? I would really rather not be paying the £100 for seats as IMO it is to much and it seems silly to be paying the money for kids that age if the airlines aren't actually allowed to split us?

So any frequent jet2 flyers, it would be much appreciated if anyone in similar circumstances could advise

Im fairly certain they will not be splitting us up so my problem is solved

Can't wait for the update after your holiday

The agent is lying. HTH.

I was told no, that jet2 always keep a set amount of seats free for this reason.

I think it's pretty well known that most airlines actually overbook flights. I don't for a second believe that this airline keeps empty seats so people can sit together.

@doghelp123 of course they wont deliberately split you up but they allow everyone to prebook flights so if everyone other than you does so (and I would be shocked if there is any monitoring going on) then you could be left with aisle seats. For example usually we prebook 4 seats in a row (with one across the aisle). This time after a huge argument about window seats I have booked two and two - leaving 2 aisle seats. These you could get with your child. And having paid for the configuration that suits me I would be loathed to have to switch around my children because you did not want to pay. And according to airline regulations it is fine to do so

So yes it may be ok but it also may not be - and all the airline can do is ask passengers to move it cannot force them

If anyone who paid has to move for you OP I hope you’re prepared for them calling you a thief, because in effect you have stolen the cost of their seat from them. And hope you’re not staying at the same place......

I was told no, that jet2 always keep a set amount of seats free for this reason.

And you believed that? Bless you.

I think on a holiday flight you will probably end up with aisle seats, as a PP said. On a scheduled flight, with mole solo passengers you would probably end up with middle seats because the aisles and windows go first.

More solo passengers!

at the airline keeping seats back.

This does not happen, never has, never will. Restaurants might do this, airlines certainly do not. Do you know how much it costs in fuel to get a plane in the air?

Three and a half years ago DD and I flew to Rome with Jet2. I decided not to pre-book seats thinking that it wouldn't be a problem. Jet2 kept emailing me to remind me to book seats, so two days before we flew I decided to have a look to see how many seats were still free on the plane.

There were just a couple at the back and one at the front. DD was 15 at the time and was suffering from anxiety. She would not have wanted to be at the other end of a plane from me, so I felt cornered into paying to book the seats at the back. For the return flight there were no seats together at all so I booked across the aisle seats for us as the other option would have been at different ends of the plane.

You just can't assume you will be seated together any more these days and have to accept that it is cheaper to fly in unbooked seats.

Ah, well, OP, hope you have as good a holiday as the person who has to move for you will.

If flying alone, I would happily offer to move so a child could be seated with their parent. Can’t really understand why others wouldn’t.

Because they paid for a particular seat, because they have an irritable bowel and want to be on the aisle, because it's long haul and they've booked a window so they can lean against it and sleep as they have to get off and go to work, because they get panic attacks if sat in the middle, because they are tall and book a seat that has more leg room for this, all kinds of reasons.

Now I'm worrying. I assume with a baby on my lap I can sit anywhere on a flight? I'm not bothered about sitting near dp (will be easier if not!)

Book seats, just factor it in as part of the holiday. That's what we do, and it'll remove any stress.

Not saying you're doing this but I think its cheeky of families with young kids to get out of paying knowing the airline will just chuck adults of their seats. That said, I don't think airlines should charge a party who book together to sit together at all

How many people on a Jet2 holiday flight are flying alone? Probably most people want to sit next to their families or partner. I would probably swap like for like, but I would never swap an aisle seat for a middle or window. I would swap middle to aisle but not middle to window. Never seen the attraction of being trapped at the window.

I assume with a baby on my lap I can sit anywhere on a flight?

DP was asked to move on a BA flight a few years ago, everyone had pre booked seats included in the price, because on person in our row of three was a person with a baby on their lap and therefore the airline needed them to have an aisle seat.

That said, I don't think airlines should charge a party who book together to sit together at all

They could put the price of each ticket up by £25 and let everyone choose their seat for free......

LarryGreysonsDoor I said that to Tui a little while ago. Their Twitter feed is full of people moaning about having to pay extra to sit next to the person they're travelling with. But an extra £25pp, probably as you say, wouldn't make any difference to a decision to book.

I'm howling at 'the good old days' being quoted when you didn't have to pay extra for a seat. No, you didn't but for a 7am flight you were out your bed at half 2 to get the car parked and queued up for check in opening at 4am to make sure your family got sat together. Give me pre paying any day of the week.

Never seen the attraction of being trapped at the window.
I love the window seat! On the aisle seat people accidentally bump onto you or they stand right next to you as they search in the overhead lockers for stuff out if their bag. In the window seat nobody wants to get past you, you can use your neck pillow to lean against the window and get comfortable and assuming you are not near the wing often have great views.

Travis1 I suspect that a lot of the complainers on here didn't fly in the "good old days" of expensive flights and getting up early to get the right seats. I remember it well. I am looking forward to rocking up to check in in three weeks time knowing exactly where I am going to be sitting on the plane.

I said that to Tui a little while ago. Their Twitter feed is full of people moaning about having to pay extra to sit next to the person they're travelling with. But an extra £25pp, probably as you say, wouldn't make any difference to a decision to book.

I was being sarcastic.
Knocking off the £25 for seat selection or £10 for food is exactly why the prices of the low cost carriers are so low.

I can see a time when there is a carrier that advertises itself as ‘all inclusive’ you might pay £150 more than a low cost carrier but you get hold luggage, seat selection, food drink etc included in the price. Just like they used to.

I don’t like the window because I always need to go to the loo and also get strange pains from my hamstrings if I can’t stand up regularly. If I’m in the window there is always someone who downs a large G&T, puts on their eye mask and noise cancelling headphones and starts snoring in the first hour of the flight (admittedly this is sometimes DH) who I then have to clamber over. Much easier in the aisle.

How would Jet2 keep seats "free"

They don't allocate all of them. If you're a last minute booker and check inner like we are, if you try to check in online they won't let you and tell you to sort it out at the airport. This gives them flexibility to seat families together while slotting in singles and couples.

They probably don't overbook either, most of the budget airlines that mostly do holiday flights don't.

I’m like you, TapasForTwo, I love knowing I can sit with my youngest in the seats that I’ve factored in on the price. I won’t be moving for any silly sod that thinks they can demand my seat. My youngest (adult) has SN but many think she’s just very young. Nah. They can bugger off.