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.

Not fair to make other people feel uncomfortable by asking this!

1. Phone the airline see what they can do. 2) Failing that try at check in to see if they can put you together.

Offering to pay someone on the plane should be last resort option 3.

Phone the airline and see what they can do.

If that doesn't work, prep your eldest for sitting him alone, tell him this is normal on planes that people are split up, he can come and talk to you when the seatbelt sign goes off etc.

Even if you do take money to pay another passenger, you're accepting that they might say no and your son might be sat alone anyway. So just do a bit of prep with him.

But really the obvious line of enquiry is directly with the airline, not the other passengers.

How long is the flight?

are you sure you can't pay to reserve seats now?

alternatively let the dc sit together

😁😁

I'd move, we never bother to pay to select a seat on flights (as DH aren't bothered about sitting together) so would happily make a bit of profit 😆. Tbh, I'd move for free if the seat you were offering was in the aisle.

That's really not correct but seems to have become a bit of an urban myth..

There may however sometimes be a restriction placed on movement between seats due to aircraft trim (balance) reasons.

Are you sure the 12 year old wouldn't be happy with the cash bribe being payable to him instead. In this circumstance dd12 would jump at the chance to take it and earn it by sitting alone rather than offer it to a stranger. I'd check with him first.

How much would you be willing to pay? I paid £70 to prebook my seats

The whole point of budget airlines is to remove the extras and make them optional.

Of course they make money from selling seat allocations!

The alternative is to do away with cheap seats completely, meaning instead of £100 you pay £200 but get free seat allocation, checked baggage, food, drinks, etc.

If you don't want to pay for extras don't use budget airlines, but you'll be paying more than just a few £ for an allocated seat.

It's not complicated, is it.

Just sit the children together? It's fine to be nervous though. Is it long haul?

She’s already paid to reserve but there was a mix up due to holiday changing due to covid and now there are no suitable seats to actually book

If you already have 2 seats together then that leaves either the window or aisle taken by someone else? Has your older child got a coveted window or aisle seat or a dreaded middle one? That could make a difference as the stranger in your row might be happy to swap like for like if you explain the circumstances.

If they paid for their seat? How does that make sense?

I think by not asking you have made the right decision. Talk to the airline.

its a great idea OP. So many think that they are entitled to free seats due to the fact they have children. If I paid for my seat allocations then I wouldn’t give it up for free.

just been looking and it says this in their info

“Self-reliant requirements

Each passenger must be self reliant by reference to all of the categories below. If not, then he/she must travel with an able bodied accompanying adult aged 16 and over who is capable of providing the assistance required. Otherwise, the passenger will be denied boarding.

Passengers must be able to fasten and unfasten their seatbelt when instructed to do so by crew
Passengers must be able to retrieve and fit a lifejacket unaided when instructed to do so by crew
Passengers must be able to don an oxygen mask unaided when instructed to do so by crew
Passengers must be able to understand the safety briefing and any advice and instructions given by the crew in an emergency situation”

so if you hadn’t booked seats would they then deny boarding to the disabled person do you think or would the same criteria be applied as is applied to under 12s where an adult would be sat near even if directly behind or over aisle? Seems abit discriminatory if not saying disabled people have to pay to book seats or they can’t board. I’d probably book seats anyway to avoid any hassle so it’s just a theoretical question really

Alternatively, could the younger child sit separately instead?

They didn't 'figure they could make people pay for it'. The point of a budget airline is you pay for what you want and what is important.

For example on a full service airlines you pay £200, can select your seat and get a meal and various rounds of drinks without paying more

People didn't like this so the budget airlines said okay £100 for the flight and then it's going to cost you if you want seat selection, meals, drinks and even access to the entertainment screen. It means people on a budget can forgo things not important to them.

If you don't pay for seat selection it means you think your seating arrangements are not important and the airline are happy with this and will seat you according to availability.

Can rules means children need to be seated 'near' you. Not all in a row or in touching distance so if that's important you pay for it.

What a fuss about a 12 yr old, I'd thought it was going to a 5/6yr old.
Instil some independence and resilience in your child, you'll be there he's not alone.

Yes, I’d be tempted to move if you offer cash. It proves you aren’t a CF and it is a genuine problem, not entitled behaviour.
I would never move else.
Its not the actual cash, it’s the thought process behind it. I might not even take the cash but I would want the offer.

I’d be wary of asking people on the spot. My daughter is autistic. She is going on her first holiday with her boyfriend and has prebooked her seats as it was important to her to sit with him and she needs routine to know what she is doing.

She is really worried someone will ask her to move to accommodate this type of situation as she would struggle to say no - she wouldn’t want to upset anyone even if it means her panicking!

I know it’s a old flight booking please take it up with the airline as they really should have honoured what you paid they may be able to shuffle people that haven’t prepaid?

I guess you can try but a 12 yo is more than old enough to sit on their own so I’d save your money.

I doubt you'll need to pay, if I had the choice of sitting next to an unaccompanied child or just moving to another seat I know what I'd choose!