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

I thought they had to sit you with DC so you can help them fit their lifejacket etc if necessary?

puppy23 isn't it worth paying £50 to make sure you're sitting next to your DC to fit their lifejacket if necessary ??

Airlines will not sit small children away from a parent. What is peak CFery is parents who don't pay for pre booked seating knowing an adult couple like me and my DP will be turfed out of the seats we've booked and paid for because they can't sit apart from their 2 year old. Don't be a cheap CF !!!

The only time I've seen a family told to sit down or get off was on Jet2. It was a peak time flight to Mallorca which was full of families. These people kicked up a fuss at check in, then when we went through boarding and on the plane. The mum was doing most of the talking, and glaring at people at the front of the plane.

I definitely wouldn't risk flying without paying for my toddlers to sit next to me if I had any.

I think airlines need to make their fare structures more transparent and make it clear at the point of booking that you are only guaranteed a seat next to your family if you pre-book your seats.

Ah actually we don't ever go to peak family friendly destinations in planes with loads of other families. They are nearly all business routes, so lots of single seats (and therefore two seats next to them). So that might be why we've never had issues. I also have been known to keep an eye on the seating plan. So maybe I'm not as chilled about it as I thought. I have sometimes pre-booked for two of us too (younger DC and adult), but not the other two as older DC just reads her book silently or plays on tablet anyway. And we only do pretty short haul routes.
I suspect anything longer than a couple of hours I might change my tune on the prebooking situation!

I think airlines need to make their fare structures more transparent and make it clear at the point of booking that you are only guaranteed a seat next to your family if you pre-book your seats.

Do they? OP knows they should book seats, hence the thread. OP is just refusing to book them. It's no secret when you book.

M4J4 He's casual about it because he has never seen seating be an issue on a flight

I used to fly a lot on business a there weren't ever many children of the planes, so no issues. That usually isn't the case on flights to popular holiday destinations or charter flights.

I've only been on one flight where a woman was shouting and screaming about being separated from her "babies"'. They were teenagers.

I stopped paying to book seats together when DS was 10 as (apart from long haul) he's perfectly capable of sitting on his own. On all occasions - Easyjet, Jet2, Flybe - we have been sat together.

However am delighted that on current long haul trip, seats not only were included in the initial price, but we get to choose where they are. Having said that I was happy to swop one aisle seat for another to allow a couple to sit together as was on my own for the outward journey.

OP pay or don't pay, but if you do end up having to move someone else who has paid then do the decent thing and refund them their money as its highly unlikely they will get it back from the airline.

I’d not book the seats and hand their bag of crap to the man/woman they sit next to thanking them for the free babysitting and wishing them a happy flight. Then get back to my book

That's an unfair attitude. Why should you inflict your child on someone else who quite possibly has paid for their seat?

I actually agree and do the same. I tell the airline my ds is autistic.
The choice to sit him apart from me and with people who've paid £25 extra per seat is the airlines choice.
The airline chooses to advertise a cheaper price and offer add ons and they choose to separate people as they control the seating.

It's threads like these that would make me much less likely to swop seats.
Before I might have done so as a kindness to a family, but as most of those who don't pay think that those who do are akin to village idiots, I'd be less inclined to reward them for their views.

I think airlines need to make their fare structures more transparent and make it clear at the point of booking that you are only guaranteed a seat next to your family if you pre-book your seats.

They do. If you don’t want to pay the extra then that’s your choice, but it is make very clear.
On a flight to a family holiday destination in peak holiday time no one is moving for you. They all paid. It’s just part of the cost of the holiday. It’s like parking etc.

Seems like I am in a minority here but I would not pay to book in a million years. A few years ago the government slashed the tax on child air fares to make it cheaper for families to go on holiday. About two months later the budget airlines started saying that you would not be guaranteed to sit with your kids if you did not pay for seats....immediately taking the saving away. I just call their bluff...if they don’t sit me next to my kids then the stewardesses and stewards can look after them for the flight if they like. They usually rush to sort it out for you when faced with that. And there are always plenty of people on a flight (though you would not think it from this thread) relaxed enough to swap with you if the worst happens and you don’t end up next to your kids. Spend the money on something else. (I am waiting to get flamed now....).

The choice to sit him apart from me and with people who've paid £25 extra per seat is the airlines choice.
The airline chooses to advertise a cheaper price and offer add ons and they choose to separate people as they control the seating

What a horrible selfish attitude. Perhaps think about other passengers for a change.

You pay a cheap fare and 'add ons' are choice. Just pay the money and sit with your autistic child instead of making it someone else's problem.

rookiemare Totally agree.

I actually agree and do the same. I tell the airline my ds is autistic
The choice to sit him apart from me and with people who've paid £25 extra per seat is the airlines choice.

Surely that would be detrimental to your DS? Or do you not give a shit about his experience so long as you can piss off the airline?

I’d not book the seats and hand their bag of crap to the man/woman they sit next to thanking them for the free babysitting and wishing them a happy flight. Then get back to my book

Your bag of crap would be thrown back at you and with my headphones and eyepads on, your little darling would be completely ignored by me. If you're ok with that not sure what sort of mother that makes you.

I remember growing up thinking flying was glamorous, oh how that has changed (unless in business/first). Op I don’t have a problem swapping seats for a family/group who want to sit together if I was flying solo or with DH & have moved before. I wouldn’t not move because the other people didn’t pay the £25, that’s petty. As another poster said all the seats are shit so I couldn’t care less, can you tell I’m over flying!

I'm surprised the OP is believing the salesperson on the phone.

Won't end well. They can tell you anything, after all they won't be on the plane to complain to

(Ex travel agent here.)

Book 'em OP.

I just call their bluff...if they don’t sit me next to my kids then the stewardesses and stewards can look after them for the flight if they like. They usually rush to sort it out for you when faced with that.

So on a full flight where everyone else is sat with their dc what do you expect the staff to do?

@RollaCola84 I've never flown with my DC so I don't know why you're kicking off at me!

But maybe not all parents can afford an extra £25+ per head?
Airlines shouldn't trick parents into paying an extra charge which is a waste of their money entirely. Additionally though, they shouldn't turf you and your DP out of the seats you've paid for, I accept that.

Rousette I am thinking of the other passengers. I tell the airline my ds who is a teenager needs to be sat with me as he's autistic. Most teens could be separate.
They have to make reasonable adjustments by law. If they chose not to then that's their choice. No airline has ever refused to support seats together or charged me for it. Infact some have been so fantastic (Monarch sadly) that I got priority check in, pre boarding and priority luggage pre as well. I did not ask for it. I simply said I'm a carer for ds and we need to sit together.

But the fact they can accommodate a whole plane load of people sitting together at a cost means they can do it for free.

I know how it works from a previous life. So won't buy into it. The number of people on here panicking that a 2yo will be sat in seat 1A whilst they are in seat 26F proves that the scare tactics work and that's how they make money.
And when I've tested it (clicked to pre book where you pay after selection) EVERYTIME I've been told seats are X and X (together) and do I want to pay for sit together or choose actual seat.

It's not selfish to refuse to pay. I give the info. The airline can choose to act on it or risk pissing off already paying customers for free.

Like I said earlier - I’ve been with Jet 2 (last year) and it is their policy that no child aged 10 and under sits alone, they rearranged our flight to accommodate my youngest given we’d booked only a few days before and there were no seats left together for us to pre book. They sort it automatically on check in so there shouldn’t be a big deal once on the flight as you’d have your boarding pass. This was a packed flight, school holidays go majorcs

I agree there should be an age where no child is sat away from parents. Maybe under 12 as they pay child prices.

I have had to pay for ds as an adult for ever as we travel just the 2 of us.
If I'm told my holiday is £1000 when I book for me and disabled traveller I don't expect to be told a few weeks before it's an extra £50.
Tell me the holiday is £1050 then!

Price quoted should be price of holiday.

I went with a friend when ds was 5. It cost me same for us both as it did for her, her DH and their 11yo. I didn't call her selfish.
Even though they charge more per adult to offer things such as free child places to rein in the customers.

I’d not book the seats and hand their bag of crap to the man/woman they sit next to thanking them for the free babysitting and wishing them a happy flight. Then get back to my book

I go on holiday a couple of times a year (so maybe 80 flights as an adult). During those 40 flights I have had issues with the following:-

*Problem with luggage meaning a delay of several hours and everyone having to get off the plane to re-identify their own luggage before take off
*one lot of nasty turbulence - even I felt sick and (pre kids bringing awful bugs home) I was never sick
*sat next to an extremely unpleasant, slightly abusive drunk
*sat next to a man who was very pleasant but seemed to think that swear words were normal adjectives (“I can’t wait until we fucking get there”, “can I have one of those bloody gorgeous looking bottles of wine luv”, “it’s fucking boiling in here isn’t it”)
*a flight where something went wrong with the landing and after a 4 failed attempts at landing we were told that we were landing at a different airport (I assume to reduce casualties if the plane blew up on crash landing although they didn’t make it completely clear - most passengers suspected though and there were sobs going on)
*a medical emergency where someone took ill on the plane about half an hour before the end so rather than a nice gentle going down they put us down really quick - it felt like my ears were going to explode and I was 26 - all the kids on the plane seemed to be screaming the place down - presumably the poor sods were in agony.

So what is that? 6 out of 40 - so maybe 15% of something pretty unpleasant happening and your child being separate from you.

Maybe I’m just unlucky - but I wouldn’t risk it to save £100.

I just call their bluff...if they don’t sit me next to my kids then the stewardesses and stewards can look after them for the flight if they like. They usually rush to sort it out for you when faced with that.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahhaa
Bullshit. I'd like to see you try

I'd book them. I've been sat alert from my kids several years ago. Anything across the alien or behind in front is together. On paper my family DH DS 16 and DD12 could be sat separately or be asked to move . We wont be when you factor in two anxious flyers DH and DD and a chronic health condition exacerbated by stress that means DH needs somebody with him on the plane in case he goes hypo. Our seats are booked and if asked we would refuse to move even for small children. Sorry but if you want to be certain don't penny pinch. Many people have very valid reasons for sitting together. Just checked my July Thomas cook flight to Spain. 4 rows only left uncooked. Lots of odd seats. You where warned!