To not pay to choose seats but expect to sit together?

[Peachpicklepie]

I'll be flying with easyjet on a short flight (just over an hour) soon. It will be me, my toddler (2 years 4 months) and my baby (four months). Baby will be on my lap. According to the website they will sit children near an accompanying adult - surely in the case of a two year old this means next to?! I really don't want to spend another £20 on choosing seats if it's unnecessary.

I was told by BA and EasyJet recently (flew with both earlier in the year) to call up and say you are traveling with and infant and a 2 year old. They can manually override the automatic seating for free to ensure are seated together. Better to do that than wait until you are at the airport.

I had exactly this dilemma last year when flying on my own with 2 DC (my children are a little bit older). I risked it because sitting over the aisle or sitting behind me wouldn't be too much of an issue but we were sat in a row together.

I wouldn't bother paying as realistically they aren't going to separate you (and good luck to the passenger who gets seated next to your 2 year old!

OP has now paid for the seats, but has to forego a few G+Ts and a day or two kids club.

And watch while those ultra cheap air fares disappear before your very eyes!

Crazy how many people on this thread have been conditioned to accept that paying to sit next to your family is in anyway acceptable..... it's a shady, dangerous business practice as in the worse case scenario it impedes the swift evacuation of a crashed plane. I've never paid it and never been separated from my child....more fool people who do!

It's only Ryanair I think that make a point of deliberately not sitting groups together (it's one of their simple ways to grab a bit more cash per booking, fair enough) - all other airlines will attempt to, and it would be very unusual for them to split a toddler from their accompanying adult.

I've given up paying for selected seats. I get in there a soon as check-in opens and secure suitable seats. The fear used to get the better of me when my kids were young, but then I realised I've only ever once seen cabin crew asking passengers if they'd swap with a mother and young child.

Exactly. And I would not "accept responsibility" for someone else's kid. I'll be reading my book as planned.

I always reserve an aisle seat, I don't mind people climbing over me to get to the loo but I hate asking. Also hopefully quicker to get out in case of emergency landing 🙏 I would always be prepared to move to an equivalent seat (i.e. aisle) but otherwise would request a financial incentive from the "asker" I usually have a sum in mind in case I am asked, 100 euros for a flight to europe, maybe only 50 for a shorter flight and in cash of course 🙂

There are lots of posts on here about people not paying and being separated across the aisle/behind… don’t be that person. Pay the £20.

I don’t get it, just check in online if your flight is soon and you will immediately see if you’re together. You don’t have to worry then as you’ll know immediately.
on easyJet, I have never paid, check in 30 days before (you can see how empty the plane is before you make your decision) and you will all be together. Genuinely nothing to worry about. If you leave it to the last minute that’s when you risk being apart.

On a low cost airline yes! That's how it works! The reason you benefit from cheap air fares is because you don't get all these perks as standard.

If I fly with my family we are all adults, it doesn't matter if we sit next to each other or not, and we get nice cheap flights.

You cannot reasonably expect to pay rock bottom prices and get club class service!

I know how computers work thanks. I'm a programmer.
But @pleasehelpwi3 was implying that the companies deliberately split families . At the same time, puts them together. That's wrong. It can only be one or the other as a binary choice.
Either families are deliberately split, in which case OP should pay or be prepared to faff around asking others to switch seats.
OR they don't, in which case OP shouldn't pay, which is what PP was reassuring OP happens.

I suspect the reality is more complex. Perhaps in a flight with few seats chosen families get put together anyway. In a flight full of families who have already chosen seats that may not be possible, even if they wanted to. So they have to rely on passenger goodwill.

I’ve paid so we can sit together on our forthcoming flights. My kids are teens so it’s not essential, but I’d prefer to sit with them, hence paying. If anyone wanted me to move, I’d consider it, but only if they paid me. Why should I pay to sit somewhere I don’t want, while they sit where they do want for free?

I've done this before and they always seat us together. It's just common sense and they know at the time of booking everyone's ages so seem to plan accordingly

Also @pleasehelpwi3 there's a simple solution if you disagree don't fly a budget airline.
A holiday abroad isn't a human right. If you can't afford it don't go.

Im flying alone with my 11 yr old with aer lingus and when I asked about us sitting together I was told by the travel agent that as he is under 12 we have to sit together by law. I questioned whether that would mean in the same row side by side they said yes. Im quite happy to pay the extra for peace of mind that my ds is beside me. No way would I chance a 2 yr old not sitting right beside me.

I don’t have a child but I’ve been sat next to other people’s very small kids before. Parents were behind and 2 along so not that close at all!!

I never pay and have always been sat with my kids. They're 8 and 10 now so I suspect it will change but it doesn't matter much now as they're OK by themselves.

I always pay. If the plane crashes I want to be holding my children’s hands as it goes down.

Pay for the seats. Others pay for the seats to be near a window, be in the aisle for all sorts of reasons like fear of flying, being sick on plane (by the wing is better less rocky), back issues (need to stand up often), needing to be close to the lavatory…. You are going to hold up a flight of people cause the person they randomly sat you or your 2 year old and specifically paid for that seat you now want? Having 2 kids is needing an accommodation and it can be planned for so do so. I doubt you would want anyone next to your 2 year old if you are not of the other side of them. Good thing one over 2. I didn’t think they would sit 2 under 2 in the same row. Pay the 20, well worth being able to put the worry out of your mind.

*A lot of people on here don't seem to grasp basic safety.

No UK, US or EU airline/pilot will depart with essentially an unaccompanied toddler.*

FWIW what the UK official guidance says:

"Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.
Whenever a number of infants and children are travelling together the airline should make every effort to ensure that they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adults"

Note "ideally" and "make every effort"..........

https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/before-you-fly/making-a-booking/airline-seating-allocations/#:~:text=Families%2C%20children%20and%20infants&text=Young%20children%20and%20infants%20who,seat%20row%20from%20accompanying%20adults.

An astonishing amount of entitlement here, I can only assume that many of you have no fucking idea how mind-numbingly expensive flying was not that long ago, before EasyJet and Ryanair.

DS and his GF are always flying off for weekends in Dublin, Lisbon god knows where. I could never have dreamt of doing this in my 20s!

I have no problem with people taking the risk of not paying, but the incredible smug entitlement that you refuse to pay, that you are being ripped off, because you assume that people who have paid for their seats will just move out of your way so you can sit next to your ghastly snotty-nosed brats on a super cheap flight makes me feel quite cross.

I used to move for families (lone female traveller, always asked) as I assumed that they’d been ignorant as to how it works or caught out. But then I discovered MN and saw how many parents do it on purpose knowing that someone who has paid will be moved - I don’t move anymore, unless reimbursed in cash (which is never offered).

And no, I won’t “look after” or accept responsibility for your child - I stick my headphones on and ignore them. Anything they need, I press the call button so you can be located by the steward.

If you’re too cheap to pay for seat reservations for something which is so important, why should I care more than you do?

It's 'should' not 'must'. Guidance not law.

I wouldn't want to, but I would if it meant I didn't have to sit next to someone else's kid!

It's time airlines were stopped from doing this nonsense anyway. By all means charge for the premium seats but if you book together you should be seated together.