AIBU to offer cash to other passengers for their seats on flight

[Blewitagain]

I am going on holiday and have discovered I haven't pre booked seats on our flights. I'm traveling with two children. This was an oversight. I can get two seats which would leave eldest sat alone.

Would it be weird to take cash to compensate anyone willing to move seat? No one might be willing to move but I'm hoping.

I once travelled last minute in an emergency and no one was willing to move seats.

I think it's a great idea. If someone has paid extra to be in that set (say, an aisle seat, which is what I would pre book as I need to get up often), they would want to be compensated for what they paid. Ridiculous for people to suggest they would be a 'tight arse' for wanting what they paid for, given the cost of some of those seats!

*want what they paid for or get a refund in the form of OP paying them, is what I meant to say...

Eh, not unreasonable to ask, if you have the chutzpah to do it. I nearly offered someone cash to move from their seat, which was preventing me getting a three seat economy flat bed.

I would swap on request. I would accept the equivalent of a gin and yogic. I am assuming the flight is less than 3 hours. More than that, I might be less accommodating. Sheesh people- be kind!

that Was stupid - why would RA sit you together ? They make their money through splitting people up / giving them middle seats unless they pay for a seat . It’s the way they operate

Can I please petition mumsnet to ban #bekind? It’s almost exclusively now used as a way for people to make other people do what they want by shaming them.

I'd like to second this. Completely agree.

Nonsense!

If that was a thing then flight attendants wouldn't allow, even actively encourage, passengers to move to other rows when a flight isn't very full. And what about airlines that don't have assigned seating? They have no idea who's sitting where.

Plus, let's face it. If you're on a plane that crashes then almost certainly everyone on board will die, and they know exactly who is on the plane. Where they were sitting is irrelevant.

I thought if you’re a family and all booked together they have to seat you together? Surely they can’t split kids from parents?!

“With” is defined according to CAA guidelines which includes across the aisle or row in front or behind. It doesn’t mean next to. So no, they don’t have to sit children next to parents.

These guidelines are for airline seat allocation procedures. The trouble is most airlines now are attempting to move much of the seat allocations away from automatic procedures to self selection which may or may not be included as part of the price of the ticket. If you can self select you are taking a risk if you are selecting a seat for a child and you are not happy with how close they are to an adult. In this case the OP has now self selected seats.

Also it doesn’t have to be both parents so often one will be seated nearby and the other miles away

My child is autistic and can’t cope with sitting in a seat that is not his allocated one, he is very fixated on rules and if you are allocated a seat that’s where you sit. He’s never flown but we’ve had issues in the cinema where he refused to move so a family could all sit together when there was a spare seat the other side of us so we could have just moved along one.

Best of luck OP, I would move for you without taking the money as long as it wasn't a middle seat.

Ryan air charge you to pre book seats. If you don't precooked and pay, you can only check in 24 hours before flight and get a random allocation. I am sitting apart from my husband (I wanted this tbh!)

If I was on my own I would move too (I have in the past) as long as the seat being offered was very similar (on my own I really prefer aisle seats).

If though I was in an aisle seat with my family the other side of the aisle I wouldn't move regardless if money was offered. Hence if I was the OP I would have booked a middle/aisle seat together (would assume the person in the window seat was on their own) and a separate window seat as close as possible to make it an easy swap if the person was 'kind'

If you don't move just because you resent being asked, I wonder if that uncomfortable feeling is your conscience!

Reading that makes it obvious you do expect someone to swap unless they have a ‘good enough’ reason in your mind.

They don’t need a reason and I think that’s the point your missing and why your coming across as entitled. Good to see your update about the kids deciding it’s not the end of the world sitting together without you. Mountain out of mole hill springs to mind 🙄

I would accept to swap but my answer to the meal deal offer would be: I am happy to accept if I can find someone who wants to buy my sandwich off me.
I’m a penny pincher and always bring food and a bottle to refill.

@Regularsizedrudy OP wasn't suggesting she'd walk about the plain purse in hand 🙄

Whether you’re reasonable is irrelevant it’s not permitted. You have to sit in the allocated seat.

No, you don't.

Whether you’re reasonable is irrelevant it’s not permitted. You have to sit in the allocated seat
Who told you that baloney!!
Of course you don't.
Three weeks on a flight DH had a seat in the emergency seating. The plane didn't look full so I asked the cabin crew that if there was a spare place could I sit with him. I was told that once they said Boarding complete I could move.

In January I was on a quite empty flight and by coincidence I bumped into a friend. Again once the boarding was completed he came and sat with me for a bit and then later moved to a row that had three empty seats so he could have a sleep.

Whether you’re reasonable is irrelevant it’s not Whether you’re reasonable is irrelevant it’s not permitted. You have to sit in the allocated seat.

niugboo what are you talking about? That’s not correct. Do you actually fly?

They log it.

@niugboo where do they log it? I’ve never noticed computers onboard that they go back to and update every time someone’s moves seats but I don’t fly that often so maybe it’s something that I’ve just not noticed