To wait to select flights seats til we do online check in?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

2x adults and 2x dc flying at the very end of August with easyjet. We've only reserved tickets, not specified seats, and added some hold luggage.

Aibu to think that there'll be time to select vaguely close to each other seats when I do the online check in?

We've a 7yo so one of us adults will sit as close to him as possible (hopefully next to), and the 10yo is happy sitting wherever - though of course if she is close to one of us that'd be good.

Does everyone pay the extra to get their seats allocated at the time of booking?

Suzy, even I know that would be impossible. Groups would never fit neatly into rows. We demand really cheap flight costs, Ryan Air is heaving yet we also want to sit where we like in groups of 2, 3,5,6….and let’s throw in free baggage costs as well.

People get so frothy about sitting next to whomever even for short flights. How on earth do they manage in real life. It’s almost like they are nothing without Mr X sitting next to them.

These days I am just pleased that a flight takes off on time (there or thereabouts) but I have noticed that they build loads of leeway in flight times. I have a long flight soon with a connection so thank goodness for that. A hour delay seems to be the norm bar the endless cancellation’s.

Even when I fly alone, I reserve my seat at the start of the process - like most people, I have preferences about where I sit. Being "near family" is not the only reason to book promptly.

Worst case scenario everyone thinks your a cheeky fucker for not paying like everyone else and no one moves

OP isn’t intending asking anyone else to move - how ridiculous.

@Threetulips I've been on planes where people haven't booked seats and wanted people to move.

Let's say her 7 yr old has a bad night or isn't feeling 100% are you saying that op or you having booked no seats wouldn't ask people to move so you could sit next to your child?

We fly easyjet a lot and never pay for allocated seats and I have never not been sat next to my daughter when there's just 2 of us travelling. If there's 4 of us they have occasionally put us in 2 2s or across an Isle but never far apart. It wouldn't bother us too much if they did but they do try to sit under 12s with a parent if at all possible.

Yep. And Martin Lewis has campaigned about this too. Surely an algorithm could quite easily pair each child up with a related adult and count them as one when allocating. Doesn't even have to be the whole group.

Never paid it (and I used to fly alot) and always got sat together

CFs !

This irritates me, so I pay to allocate my seats then have to sit next to your unsupervised 7 year old?

I'd actually rather the seat choice fee was built into the ticket price and everyone choose their seat and paid the right amount for the flight and I say that as someone who has flown solo quite a lot

We didn’t. I refuse to pay for seat selection. We were given a window and middle seat on our last flight at online check in. MN is obsessed with paying extra for seat selection.

Even if an adult sits next to a child that isn’t enough for some who want ALL of the family to sit with them.

I go on holiday a fair amount and it’s a lottery and such a lot of CF’s also fly too.

I include the cost of a seat with the overall holiday cost but I must admit I do balk at paying some of the British Airways seat costs but there are just two of us now and we have a choice. Pay up or shut up. As the rows in Economy are 3 I am always in the middle seat and almost always sitting next to a complete stranger who either smells, spills over into my seat or has a child on their lap.

Next time we go we are flying Business long haul and within the flight cost is free seat choice. Cannot wait!!

Don't understand why you wouldn't just pay the bit extra for seats next to each other ? You've already forked out a fair amount for flights, accommodation etc so why skimp on the little extra cost of having your family sitting next to each other ? The small amount of money you may save not reserving seats isn't the worth the worry imo.

In practice, despite all the angst you read on here, this very very rarely happens.

Blossom. Some people just cannot be parted from their group,

It's fine if you're not bothered about possibly sitting apart.

Because in almost all cases when travelling with children, you get seats next them anyway at online check in...it seems silly to me to pay the extra!

Then they pay 🤷‍♀️ We don’t care so we don’t, yet we’re always allocated seats next to each other.

It's fine OP. Obviously you all have seats if you all have tickets, so if you're not bothered where those seats are there's no need to pay to select them now; you can wait till they allocate you them at check-in. £64 is loads of money.

@Irisalexi I agree it seems silly to pay but that's the reality of flying with SleazyJet. But OP seems worried about whether she should pay for seats or not and for me, the stress of not paying isn't worth the money saved. I'm flying EJ in June and have paid so we can be together. Because I don't want to worry excessively between now and then. Yes I'm an overthinker... but no, It's not right that we have pay and I wish airlines weren't allowed to do this

I've never paid for seats with EasyJet and never been separated as a result but that said I probably wouldn't risk it for the sake of £64 if there was more than just myself and DP travelling.

@Blossomtoes I reckon those who fly often don't care so much but those who might only be flying with their kids once a year would like to be sat all together - for the 'experience'.

I work for said company. for ease id Book some seats
Unfortunately a 7/10 year old could be in row 4 and parents in row 25 it’s all done by random. It’s then a hassle for crew to sort out asking people to move If your not happy with what’s been selected. Especially as it’s in the school holidays it’s likely to be a full flight.

if you check in as soon as it’s open (can work it out, maybe set a reminder it opens 30 days before) you should be okay as some people forget. Least if you aren’t together you can then phone and see if anyway of phoning to be sat together. If you leave it until a week or so before your less likely to get seats together

hope this helps :)

Why do people keep @-ing me? What’s so special about my posts?

I fly very frequently (50+ flights a year on average, a third of those are on U2/FR).

EasyJet use a different algorithm to Ryanair. If, when you go to check in 24h before, there are still seats left together, they will allocate them consecutively to all four of you. Like you said, you can keep an eye on the app. They always allocate front to back, in order, so monitor rows 11+ (or whatever the number of the first row after the emergency exits in the middle).

If there are still seats left when check-in opens, you'll be together. On Ryanair you wouldn't, even if the flight was completely empty, because they use a different allocation system.