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.

So you should just get what you want without having to pay for it like other passengers have to?

Ryanair is crap, but you're being entitled. Pay for your seats if you want to sit together.

I think if people have paid extra for an assigned seat, it's not unreasonable for them to expect that fee back to agree to move. You may find that people have paid extra because they're in the same boat as you, travelling with children, and won't be in a position to move.

I'd move for you anyway because I don't usually mind where I sit, but then I don't pay for an assigned seat.

Yep, I can imagine that for several reasons many cabin crew at many airlines wouldn't want to be actively involved in any way, shape or form with this.

She was a teacher who asked him if she could move next to him. Sure she would have moved away if needed.

Why are they?

I would be very unlikely to consider the request of a stranger. If a stranger then offered me money to move I would stand my ground, and involve cabin crew. As a pp said, you’d look like you were dealing.

I would happily move for someone who needed it without expecting payment. I'm lucky that I don't have any caring responsibilities, not an anxious flyer and just want to sit and read my book till we get there. We never prebook unless we were doing a long haul where it's probably nicer to be together but I'd still move for someone who asked me nicely.

12? Get a grip!

Fair enough if the plane is full but Ryanair (and other airlines) delibartely have algorithms to sit people apart to try and force them to pay to sit together to make money....I'm sure they could default it so people are together more often if they wanted to.

I wouldn't like to be asked. I'd feel it was a no win. Refuse altogether and I'd feel mean to a mum with 3 DC, accept the money and I'd feel that I should have done it for free, refuse the money and feel resentful at losing what I'd paid for.
I know it's an annoying oversight and we all make them, but I do feel sometimes people can feel a bit held to ransom to do things that benefit other adults 'because of the children'.

everytime ive booked a flight, the option to book seats has been presented to me multiple times. Are you sure? REALLY sure? SURE SURE?
Then reminders by email. How on earth could it be an oversight? Did you book them?

id consider moving if someone paid me to move, unless it was a much worse seat,

I'd just ask. Nobody's ever said no when I've asked very politely and apologised.

Cabin crew asked if a single traveller was willing to move so I volunteered. Settled in seat and asked if I’d like a free drink, Coke as I don’t drink alcohol. Earphones wouldn’t work in new seat so no movie for me. Told I’d normally get a free drink to compensate but I’d already had mine….. one Diet Coke.

You could just try asking the cabin crew to put the question out there.

Exactly.

I think that's built in to the system though. I recently booked flights to the UK and to book 2 seats doubled the price of the flight. There are zero circumstances under which i personally would pay that much.
However, generally i pay for an aisle seat on long haul (for loo breaks) and a window seat on short haul (i like photographing clouds). I may change to an aisle seat if someone asked nicely (and reimbursed my booking fee) but only for short haul.
(I once swapped - aisle for aisle - on a long-haul for a cute Korean pair of grandparents, and they kept sending me sweets and drinks as a thank you.)

Completely agree.

So you got what you paid for. Which is how the world generally works. Of course, if Ryanair had known you were a special family they would no doubt have arranged for you to be wafted to the airport on a cloud of unicorn breath and fed hand peeled grapes by cherubs. You really should let them know next time.

Mine are a similar age and I expect exactly this (or to be seated as 2 and 2) when we travel together and don't pay for seats.

No airline is stupid enough to seat an under 5 alone (or across an aisle/behind their parent) as they will also anger the passengers sitting next to an unattended child so young.

I am happy with the risk all 4 of us wont be together as I am confident each child will be seated with an adult (or an adult with both children) so I am quite happy not to add an extra £100 onto my holiday for the privilege of all being seated together for a short time. When older, I will judge based on the child whether it is something we should pay for

@prescribingmum All of which is fine, as long as you're prepared for the airline to be stupid and won't be pestering other people to swap for you if it does.

I mean this really kindly but give your son everything he needs (snacks, money if he needs to buy extra snacks), headphones, tablet etc for the flight. I get that 12 is a tricky age, you're either super confident and don't care if you're alone or you're nervous. He'll be fine though.

I'd have paid someone to sit net to my children so I could have an uninterrupted couple of hours when they were younger.

@IWasFunBeforeMum I can't believe your post is serious.

Seeing a lot of comments from people saying that they'd be OK if they didn't book seats and needed to swap because the person they'd be asking would definitely want to swap to avoid their child.

Firstly - how freaking entitled is it to decide that you won't pay to reserve a seat but someone who has will be so uncomfortable with your decision that they'll have to give up what they've paid for to avoid it, and you're absolutely fine with that?

Secondly - don't count on it. I'd stick my headphones on and ignore your child. At most I'll press the button for the flight attendants and ask them to sort them out. I'm certainly not going to be providing warm and loving free babysitting for you.