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

Snuffalo 😂😂😂

@PineapplePatty Yes absolutely anyone I’m this thread who says they saw a toddler seated next to strangers rather than next to at least one of its parents, or saw parents begging for people to move so they could sit next to their own small child, is lying and that apparently includes you. What exactly do you get out of this?

PineapplePatty I work for a very Big Airline. I like to think they are mostly decent but judging by the slating we frequently get on MN we must be lousy.

Really. That's nice for you dear 😂

@exLtEveDallas apparently calling you what you are is against the rules here. So, how does that contradict anything I’ve said? I work in airline IT, and I was a bit of a late-bloomer, career-wise. I’m not ashamed of my past (and was sharing it in that thread to be supportive and to show that you can still be successful with a difficult start in life). Why in the fuck do you think it’s ok to drag it in here?

I'm with Snuffalo. I hate hate hate when MNers trawl through the past posts of someone trying to grab something to dispute or belittle them. As a long timer on here, it happened once with me and I felt it was a total invasion.

unless of course it's an obvious troll and then it's OK

Apropos of nothing much - I thought this story was shocking, especially as TUI refused to admit it happened (ohh this never happens) until contacted by Rip Off Britain

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/13/family-forced-sit-plane-floor-airline-allocated-seats-didnt/

Snuffalo

Do you work for Jet2? Because what you’re saying is completely contrary to information I received from Jet2. I have documentation from them to say if we’ve paid for seats we categorically won’t be moved. I had already booked and paid for seats at this point so no reason for them to do so.

That said I’m not “guilted” into booking seats, as far as I’m concerned I should pay for what I want

I’m clearly not going to say which of the UK budget airlines I work for especially as there are some absolutely nasty people lurking in this thread, but check out what Jet2 says about seat selection in section 14.1 of their terms and conditions at jet2.com/terms- they can move you whenever they want for operational or safety reasons even if you’ve paid. Other airlines have the same conditions.

Well a) trawling through someone's old posts is considered MN bad form isn't it? and b) nothing in that post you have dragged up proves that that poster doesn't work in the airline industry does it?

This is more of a good news story - it clarifies some of the airline policies. It also has some 'hacks' for getting the seats you want without paying (whether or not a Daily Mirror article could be used as proof is debatable though - but it would be worth a try)

www.mirror.co.uk/money/do-pay-sit-child-flight-11987214

(I'm one of those 'liars' who has seen families split up, and has also been asked if I would move to accommodate another family - although in my case it was easily sorted when I pointed out my own child and laughed when the steward asked)

Ooooops taxi for Snuffalo

I'm one who must be lying....for what reason? Why would I be bothered to do that? I wanted to share my experience to save other families their embarrassment and concern at flying without their DC beside them. It was awful for everyone.

I would have hated to have been the parents who, although they started very sweetly, ended up embarrassed, cross, angry at all of the other passengers. It was the usual when things get awkward 'just don't make eye contact' cue family walking the aisle, passengers with heads down, not engaging.

This family DID have to sit behind their two year old.

Reading this thread, I can only think that for them a combination of events happened; aviation guidance states that 'near to' can be infront, behind or across an aisle' and this was followed, perhaps a last minute booking, last on a full plane, many other passengers who had paid and a crew who tried but didn't insist on moving anyone.

I also find that ground staff reassure when you ask before boarding and 'move you on' without dealing with things, usually with a 'just ask the crew once you are on the plane' - then the crew are backed into a corner and left to try and deal with it.

I’m clearly not going to say which of the UK budget airlines I work for especially as there are some absolutely nasty people lurking in this thread, but check out what Jet2 says about seat selection in section 14.1 of their terms and conditions at jet2.com/terms- they can move you whenever they want for operational or safety reasons even if you’ve paid. Other airlines have the same conditions

Clearly....

However I raised that issue with Jet2 and they confirmed that they would not be moving people who had paid to book seats, absolutely and without question. Obviously they don’t class “not bothering to book a seat” as operational reasons. There was also no concern regarding safety etc as we weren’t in anything other than a standard seat.

I’ve been asked to move for a small child (looked about 3/4 to me) and I refused.

@user1472151176

If someone else wants to sit beside my 2 year old whilst he screams they're welcome to.

FFS no one wants to sit next to your child, they want to sit in their own seat that they may have paid to reserve! I don't know why people keep banging on 'you're more than welcome to sit next to my child', no one is choosing to sit next to their children.

I’ll sit next to your child if that’s where the airline seats them.

But. I’ll have my headphones in and reading my book. I won’t be checking on them, telling you when they need the loo, or put up with being kicked, poked or otherwise annoyed.

I’ve paid for my seat. For a good reason. If you’re too tight to pay for it then that’s your look out.

@Snuffalo

Yes absolutely anyone I’m this thread who says they saw a toddler seated next to strangers rather than next to at least one of its parents, or saw parents begging for people to move so they could sit next to their own small child, is lying and that apparently includes you. What exactly do you get out of this?

But no one said toddler Snuffalo People said children.
Airlines are going to be more strict about seating a 2yo next to an accompanying adult rather than, say, a 10yo.

As people have said, they have seen children split from their parents. You keep taking that to mean toddlers.

If someone else wants to sit beside my 2 year old whilst he screams they're welcome to.
Why wouldn't you care if your child was distressed and screaming?
I would have thought most parents would get upset if they couldnt comfort their child and try to take away their distress.
I call bullshit in the posters who come out with clap trap such as ' I would hand you my autistic kids bag and say get in with it" really? You would really distress your already anxious child?
If the answer is yes, well, there are not enough words to describe you as a parent.

We tried to book a last minute EasyJet flight last year during the bad snowstorms. We paid for selected seats but the only ones available were all over the plane, so our 3yo and 6yo would have to sit entirely on their own (there were no two seats together to be found on the plane at the online selection bit). So I paused the booking and called EasyJet who said those were the seats available and it was a take it or leave it choice. We traveled on another day, on another flight with more choice.

Book them. You can’t later expect somebody who has paid to prebook a seat to move to accommodate you wanting to sit with your child if don’t want to shell out for the expense.

So I paused the booking and called EasyJet who said those were the seats available and it was a take it or leave it choice.

Well, they weren't wrong; they were the only seats available. But did you ask whether you would be able to swap once you got on the plan, in line with their apparent policy (according to the stewardess we had on our recent flight) that they aren't allowed to fly with children separated from their parent/carer?
I don't care what policy these airlines have, as long as they're bloody consistent about it!

Single mum of two
Never paid
Always seated together

Thompson (email they sent me below as i have just booked first package with them. Otherwise I wouldn’t have even bothered ringing as so confident)
Ryanair
EasyJet
BA
SA airlines
Virgin

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