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.

“They log it”

?.

I’ve never been aware of seat moves being logged when I’ve flown as a passenger (and on occasions moved seats with the OK of the crew) and when I was working on board was no requirement to do so except in some circumstances (sometimes it might have been required for on board upgrade, if there was a move of cabin, but no requirement for anybody on the ground to know whilst in flight).

Some airlines might do it but it’s certainly not a universal policy.

Said by someone who has clearly never been on a plane 😆

😂they really, really don't.

I've flown long-haul on half-empty planes several times - flight attendants actively encouraged people to move to a free row so we could lie down and stretch out - nobody monitored who went where - why on earth would they?!

My favourite flight was when we took the return journey of what was the first package holiday flight of the season so there was no one yet to come back (we'd flown out one way with a different airline). We all took our own row on the nearly empty plane totally ignoring the allocated seating then once the seatbelt sign was off so we're playing musical chairs - well rows really and ended up snoozing laid down at various parts of the plane. I of course too the extra leg room seats. No 'logging' or insistence that one must stay in their allocated seats.

That was meant to say DC playing musical chairs

People move around all the time if planes are not at capacity. Flight crew don’t run around constantly logging everyone’s movements 🤣

This sort of thing makes me shudder! A plane trip should be uneventful. A few years ago, we had to fly very soon after my DH had a total knee replacement. We deliberately booked and paid for extra leg room seats to best suit his condition. On boarding, his seat had been occupied already by an elderly woman with a stick and her younger companion . She refused to move when asked by us, stating that she needed the extra space. Air crew had to intervene and we eventually got our seats but knew everyone on the plane thought we were 'entitled arseholes'. It was uncomfortable 😬.

@niugboo

“They log it”

With who, 101?

Seating plan.

Must depend on the airline then.

I can only reiterate that when used to work onboard we usually had a Passenger Information List presented by the ground staff (but we could depart without one if it got delayed) and latterly a pretty seating plan on the iPad but FWIW there was no general requirement to log seat moves and passengers were generally allowed to move seats.

Contact the airline and explain - they may well allocate your seating with your kids anyway if they are under 11.

notimagain
Which airline did you work for Notimagain?

You're mistaken. They have a list of all the passengers on board, but not who is sitting where. What about the US airline Southwest? They have no assigned seating. When you board you just pick any available seat. They don't check who is sitting where.

If you'll forgive me I'll avoid the fine detail, but I was at one of the big UK based ones for more years than I care to remember.