Page 28 | Asking someone to move seats on a flight? Aibu ?

wearejustfriends · 2022-04-18T13:31:27+00:00

Last week I was travelling to Gran Canaria with TUI. I had booked mine and boyfriends seats when we booked and paid £22 for both. I had the window and he had the middle. A lady sat on the end and her daughter was in front. She asked could they have our two seats and we have hers /daughters or my boyfriend switch with her daughter. I politely said no. Which she wasn't happy about. We got "what difference does it make" "Your adults,my daughter is sacred of flying and is a minor" Anyway we wouldn't move. Was I in the wrong ? Surely if she was that bothered she could have paid like us.

crispsandnuts · 08/09/2022 04:55

Old thread...

However I would have swopped saying 'no problems, however my boyfriend does tend to shake and vomit violently when his routine/seat changes, I'm sure you don't mind...' whilst patting him on the arm..

honkeytonkwoman38 · 08/09/2022 04:57

I would have said sure for £54 because that's what I've paid plus a £10 last minute fee!

BadLad · 08/09/2022 05:08

New here, but I am a man I want to point out.

And with the first sentence you ever post on this forum, you succeed in pissing off most of its members.

NiceCupOfTea2 · 08/09/2022 05:10

I hope you told her you'd paid to sit together? I'd have said "didn't you see the option to select seats? You'll know next time won't you" 😏. Not unreasonable to refuse.

ShandaLear · 08/09/2022 05:25

RobotValkyrie · 18/04/2022 15:13

Not unreasonable. Just uncharitable.
You're allowed to be mean. People are allowed to judge you for it.

Personally I would have swapped for the sake of a child. My partner is an adult and can survive a whole flight without me holding his hand.
You value money and the entitlements it gives you more than a stranger's child's feelings. The privilege is all yours. Own it.

She wasn’t mean at all, and she wasn’t uncharitable. Don’t be ridiculous. The kid was seated in the row in front, not the other end of the plane. The mother had the opportunity to pay for them and chose not to and expected somebody else to foot the bill. She could have asked the cabin staff to move them if she’d really wanted to move. It was not the OP’s problem to solve.

youlightupmyday · 08/09/2022 05:37

Moviemusic1984 · 07/09/2022 22:40

New here, but I am a man I want to point out. I do not have children, hope to someday, but I care about and think well of children. While I agree that the mother should have already booked seats to sit with her daughter, I at least hope you and your boyfriend felt compassion for the child, she is only ten years old after all, imagine if that were your child. While you were in the right not to give up your seats, you could have at least provided some comfort.

OMG, a man. With his different brain and default correct opinion.

Thank the Lord.

MrsRhodes · 08/09/2022 05:52

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/04/2022 14:38

How old was the child?
Teenager... no way
9-12... maybe
8 and under.. probably because we know TUI says they sit children with parents but don't make it clear together might be in front or across an aisle.

This. We have never flown and I would have assumed that together for parent and child would mean next to each other not in front or across aisle.

Hastingsontheup · 08/09/2022 06:04

Trudij123 · 18/04/2022 14:34

She wasn’t unreasonable to ask and you weren’t unreasonable to say no.

I’m not sure it’s as easy as that though - don’t you have to sit where your ticket says so you can be identified if there’s an accident? ( might have made that up though - but it’s just popped into my head) have a great time!!

I hope not coming back from Greece on Saturday we were seated all over the plane ( 3 adults and 15yo), there was a free row of 3 so we sat down together.

Pyjamagame · 08/09/2022 06:09

I would have offered to swap in exchange for the fee you'd paid to be seated together.

WalkingOnTheCracks · 08/09/2022 06:15

Trudij123 · 18/04/2022 14:34

She wasn’t unreasonable to ask and you weren’t unreasonable to say no.

I’m not sure it’s as easy as that though - don’t you have to sit where your ticket says so you can be identified if there’s an accident? ( might have made that up though - but it’s just popped into my head) have a great time!!

Yes, you just made that up.

BigHoots · 08/09/2022 06:30

The lady is a disorganised CF.

FWIW I never pay for seats but always check in online as early as possible and we’ve never not had seats together. That said, my kids are fine with sitting alone so it’s a risk I’m happy to take.

If sitting together was important, she should have paid the extra.

BigHoots · 08/09/2022 06:37

youlightupmyday · 08/09/2022 05:37

OMG, a man. With his different brain and default correct opinion.

Thank the Lord.

Show quote history

Hey presto! Problem solved.…..We can all stop nattering and go back to our motherly duties now.

QuebecBagnet · 08/09/2022 06:51

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/04/2022 14:38

How old was the child?
Teenager... no way
9-12... maybe
8 and under.. probably because we know TUI says they sit children with parents but don't make it clear together might be in front or across an aisle.

Yes, I’ve been caught out by this before. Believed the airline would follow CAA guidelines saying kids will be sat with a parent due to safety issues (ie in a crash/turbulence a parent not with a kid might run the wrong way to get to their kid and delay everyone getting off). But they sat my 6yo quite a few rows infront of me.

Hesma · 08/09/2022 07:01

This seems to be a thing for entitled parents right now. No way should you move. There was nothing to stop her doing what you did and paying to have seats together.

GetThatHelmetOn · 08/09/2022 07:02

In this time and age, when we are short from having to pay to use the toilets during flights, it is very cheeky to ask people to move unless they are on their own AND you are swapping equal seats nearby (window for window, aisle for an aisle… not sure about the middle seat as that depends on who are sitting around you)

Jumpking · 08/09/2022 07:04

Google keeps bringing up similar "news" stories for me on this exact thing.

Why is it news? Why does it matter? Always going to be CF. You can say yes or no to their requests. If they kick up a stink, it's for the stewards to sort.

Nachobutt · 08/09/2022 07:13

We had something similar happen, except the "child" in question was a teen. The mother pronounced loudly that the "child" suffered with anxiety. The child was in fact sitting with her mum but they wanted the father to join them too. When DP pointed out that he had paid for his seat in order to sit across the aisle from us they started talking loudly about how selfish he was. DP struggles with confined spaces (hence him paying for a seat) and couldn't cope with the atmosphere that they were all creating, so moved and had a quiet panic attack. Now I'm the person that sits on the "4th" seat as I'm quite happy to say no and deal with the CF fallout.

If you need to sit in a specific seat you pay. You don't not pay and then expect those who have to give up their paid for seat (with no refund) to accommodate you. Entitled twats.

Darbs76 · 08/09/2022 07:16

People can ask but they are so rude when they get annoyed when people say no. Was she going to repay you the money you spent reserving your seats? No sure she wasn’t. I’d have said no too. Her problem not yours or she could speak to an air hostess

iBrows · 08/09/2022 07:23

Moviemusic1984 · 07/09/2022 22:40

New here, but I am a man I want to point out. I do not have children, hope to someday, but I care about and think well of children. While I agree that the mother should have already booked seats to sit with her daughter, I at least hope you and your boyfriend felt compassion for the child, she is only ten years old after all, imagine if that were your child. While you were in the right not to give up your seats, you could have at least provided some comfort.

What a strange post. Don’t move but do “provide some comfort”. What does that even mean?

Commenting on an old mumsnet thread, randomly announcing that you are a childless man and then speaking on behalf of a little girl is a pretty weird thing to do.

HarleySq · 08/09/2022 07:46

I wouldn't be moving. I'm scared of flying too so have to pay for my seat.

I am always ready with that as my answer - ‘no, sorry I can't move, we paid for seats because I am scared of flying”

Littlebluedinosaur · 08/09/2022 07:48

I might have offered to sell the seats to her

BeesKnee · 08/09/2022 07:49

I have always found saying “yes I’ll move, if you give me the €45 for the seats”
mid they want the privilege of booked seats they should be willing to pay, I do.

Littleoakhorn · 08/09/2022 07:50

Those of you saying that the mum should have paid extra to sit with her daughter are completely wrong. Airlines are supposed to allocate seats to children that are next to their parents at no extra cost. Lots of airlines say this on booking but then make it impossible on their online check-in system. The mum was just asking for some help, so while ultimately it’s the airline being unreasonable, you were being selfish not to help her out. I’m surprised that you need to even ask to be honest. Paying for something doesn’t absolve you of a little decency and kindness.

notimagain · 08/09/2022 07:57

@Littleoakhorn

Airlines are supposed to allocate seats to children that are next to their parents at no extra cost.

From UK CAA Guidelines:

www.caa.co.uk/Passengers/Before-you-fly/Making-a-booking/Airline-seating-allocations/

Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults.

Individual airlines are free to have their own in house, more restrictive rules, but certainly as far as UK airlines goes there are no national hard rules...

Scianel · 08/09/2022 08:00

I book specific seats due to my autism and anxiety. I wouldn't buy a flight that I couldn't get seats of my choice on. There is no way I could swap. And someone being confrontational with me about it wouldn't be great either.