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.

OP if you were sat next us no way in hell would we move for money so pray you’re not sat next us as I’d tell you to jog on. Seems a lot of adults have trouble being assertive without being arsey!

Wrong! When it comes to Ryanair, they are always the arseholes 😂😂

@NotABeliever I will try calling tomorrow thanks.

How much are you offering?

I remember years ago in the USA, when a flight was overbooked, someone from the airline offered ticket replacement on the next available flight plus extra money for volunteers to leave the plane.

On both occasions I have seen it, the amount got well over $500 before someone volunteered. So I would say everybody has a price but it may be higher than what you think.

Withdrawing the offer now @BanjoKnickers. Hasn't thought about it properly!

No harm in asking. If someone doesn't want to move they can always say no.

Me personally I'd have your hand off. Free cash to sit in an identical seat to the one I've already got? That's going straight into the 'night out in a nice little bistro' fund.

I had figured the cost of the reservation plus a bit. I paid £45 for three seats reservations so hadn't planned on a huge sum.

I think offering money is much better than just asking, but unfortunately, some people might still feel put on the spot and shamed for not wanting to leave their reserved seat. I'd hesitate to ask unless the child in question is very anxious about not being seated with family. If it's presented as a small adventure (something he can only do now that he's growing into a young man) rather than a problem, he might find it's a positive experience.

I’d move if I was on my own and the seat I was getting was still an aisle seat. If it wasn’t an aisle seat I wouldn’t move regardless of money because I’m claustrophobic and I’d hope no one would try to pressure me to do so.

But no, yanbu to offer people money.

Will you be offering cold hard cash? Suggest you take a big wedge of twenties and start a reverse auction. Film it as well and you could probably make the money back selling it to a tabloid.

If someone doesn't want to move they can always say no. That's what I thought.

I don't want to sit in an awkward atmosphere though so don't think I will ask

Let's hope this first minor fuck up isn't a pattern! I wonder what else I've missed!!! I'm going to go recheck passport dates!

Or tiktok. You could go viral OP! Get your kids to learn a wee dance now.

@rainbowmilk I never said £60 was too much to spend to sit next to my children. I can afford it, but why should I feel I have to because others do?

I will certainly not start to pay because the next couple next to me choose to pay for their seats... no parental entitlement at all. Why should I pay an optional surcharge to an airline because I travel with children?

I've done 70+ flights with my children (under 5), never paid and never been allocated apart or requested anyone move for us.

I did, however, say that I refused to pay to sit with my in-laws...

Just seen your update. It'll be fine. A fuckup would be not booking enough tickets or going to the wrong place. Even those types of things can be resolved though - look at Macaulay Culkin. His parents forgot him completely and he ended up being a movie star and making loads of money!

I'm wondering if I actually messed up when I checked in by choosing seats when I had been auto allocated seats. No way of knowing now.

@BlueTitSmilingAtMe you've just set the bar at a more realistic place.... as long as I don't lose a child we're good. Seat allocations are minor details!

@Mustbemagic You’re not paying a surcharge because you’re a parent, you’re paying it to guarantee who you’re sitting next to - same as anyone else on the flight. If you’re not bothered who that is then there’s no reason you should pay.

What you can’t do is decide not to pay and then try to oust the couple that has paid, on the basis that you shouldn’t have to pay and they won’t talk to each other anyway. Which is how I interpreted your comment.

You’re fine not to pay, as long as you’re prepared not to be sat next to your kids.

70 flights in 5 years?

That's more than one a month?! Is that a typo, if not what the hell?!

I do think Ryanair etc are the original arseholes for putting this policy in place tbh.

Definitely. Clever bit of psychology though. If they made it compulsory then everyone would be like "what is this bullshit, obviously I've got a seat if I've got a ticket, it's not like it's a fucking train". But by making it optional you pit people against each other and they do the job of getting each other to pay.

Are you asking in the real world or on MN? Because here you'd be voted totally U for even thinking of asking. How dare you offer grown adults to engage in a consensual transaction with no pressure!

If someone doesn't want to move they can always say no.

I touched on this upthread. I actually wouldn't be able to say no.

@rainbowmilk that was not my comment, so apologies if misunderstood.

I wouldn't oust people from their seats. If we were not allocated together, I would be more than happy for the paying couple to sit beside my whining 2 year old for a few hours.