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.

Check their policy; I checked Ryanair’s policy is to do that. DH wasn’t sat with us and me and him swapped with each other during the flight to take equal turns with them and by ourselves.

This happened to a woman and her young daughter (around age 6-8) on a Ryanair flight that I was on recently and it delayed our departure because it took ages to get people to agree to swap 😤 Yes it's a pain, but just pay the money, it's not fair on the other passengers.

Absolutely no guarantee. They could be seated across the aisle or behind you. It entirely depends on whether there are unbooked seats together and you check in early enough to get them.

I wouldn't take the risk with a 2 year old. You can afford flights, you can afford to pay for seats

Honestly, I'd just pay! Then you can be certain!

We fly in August and my son is 9. I am quite a nervous flyer so wanted us all together. I just paid for the seats and chose what we wanted.

If I didn't pay, I wouldn't 'expect' anything. I would accept that I may not get what I wanted.

Just pay the money. I have spent a lot of money getting four seats together for my family at the front of a plane with extra legroom because I wanted to sit with my family. I hope no one asks us to move. Actually I almost hope they do as I will no compunction in giving them short shrift.

I agree with you in spirit, it's mean not to be able to ensure this without having to pay, but if you know this is a possibility then you need to prepare, either by paying to ensure the seats or prepping for whatever other eventuality you and your child might be facing.

If you check in as soon as it opens, you'd probably be fine and be allocated seats together. But, if a lot of people have pre-booked you could be across the aisle or in the seat behind. Unless someone who could be bothered to pay to book a seat would swap with you.

On a recent flight I was on there was a huge fuss about people having to be moved to accommodate two families who hadn't booked seats next to their children. The flight was full of families and it took ages to sort and delayed our flight. People weren't happy!

For the sake of £20 you should definitely pay to be sure they'll be sat right next to you.

If you want to be all sitting together then pay! Or are you planning to cause a problem if you're not. Why should other people pay and you not if you're choosing to travel with two children?

Ha, ha. I always find this hilarious. “They’d never not sit you together.”

I remember flying years ago, before you booked seats yourself. Got stuck in traffic on the way to the airport so didn’t check in as early as we’d like.

My husband, myself and our 2 year old were all seated in separate seats.

I sat closest to our child and could see him 2 rows in front on the next row over. He was seated between two older people. No one wanted to swap seats, so he spent the flight tossing his teddy around, as well as swinging a lolly the flight attendant thought would be a good idea to give him.

I’d pay nowadays.

You might be fine, you might not be fine. It's a risk, and depends on how many other people have paid to reserve particular seats.

Choosing to take that risk, and then assuming that other people who HAVE PAID to reserve their seats will "have to move" to accommodate your sprog and their tightfisted mother is an absolute dick move.

It could be across the aisle or in the row in front/behind

Yes, you want it, you pay.

It is annoying that the airlines charge to select seats….but they do. It’s not going to change so we have to get on with it.

and if every family on your flight has paid to sit next to their young dcs, there may not be anywhere to move you to and you risk being placed near but not next to your dc.

just think of it as an extra - a bit like if you pay an extra £2 for a booster seat at the theatre. Yes I know that’s not the same. But the principle being someone with an older child will in effect get their seat for £2 less.

if you are travelling as a single person or other adults then you may benefit from not wanting to purchase the extra. so your seat will be cheaper. consider that as the absolute basic lowest price. anything else you want or need (extra luggage, snacks or choice of location) - you pay an extra fee.

All airlines except ryanair will automatically sit you together on check in (next to or across aisle) however that's only if seats are available when you check in. If the only seats available at check are single seats you'll be separated. For this reason check in as soon as it opens, usually 28 days in advance I think, don't leave it till you get to the airport! I've been on flights where parent and child were separated and tbh I found it unreasonable that they expected someone else (who may have paid for their seat reservation of be sat with their own party) to move because they didn't pay or plan properly to ensure they were together.

EasyJet let you check in 30 days before the flight. Last time I was in this situation (with 2 5-10 yr olds) I didn’t pay, checked in early and could see they had seated us together. The flight was 1.5 hours and I would have been happy with one across the aisle, but if I hadn’t been happy I am sure I could have paid to choose within that 30 a day window.

I think £20 for peace of mind makes it completely necessary tbh! Why try and save £20 and risk not being sat with your toddler? Honestly just book it and have the peace of mind you're all sat together where you want to be.

I wouldn't want someone who had paid to have to move - I agree that would be a dick move and inconvenience everyone while some poor sod was found who would move. I guess I was wondering if the easyJet booking algorithms would pre-allocated us seats together in advance as he's so young (for instance, hypothetically four years and up could sit across an aisle but three and under are next to the adult) even if they don't tell me that!

For the reassurance of knowing your together surely it’s best to just pay?

It's only £20. Just pay it.
I wouldn't move for someone who hadn't paid and I did.

No - it's pot luck.

By all means don't pay, but then you risk that your 2yo will end up behind you, across the aisle from you, diagonally from you or in front of you.

Just pay it. I am not a good flyer, so always pay to book specific seats that I’m comfortable with and so I can sit next to people in my travelling party. I would not be moving because somebody was too tight to pay £20. It is frustrating having to pay for these extras, but that’s how budget airlines operate unfortunately.

There was a huge kick off on the last flight I was on because a family had checked in late for a flight, hadn’t paid for seats next to each other and so the entire flight was disrupted until they managed to seat them together. They were incredibly rude and demanding and basically made a fuss until they got their own way. I personally wouldn’t risk it with a child as young as 2.

easyJet are fine and allocate seating sensibly (unlike money grubbing Ryanair).

Unless you're checking in last minute the chances are high you'll be allocated together.

The company I work for books thousands of easyJet flights a year and it's vanishingly rate that people aren't allocated together, unless as above they're checking in last minute.

Check in opens a whole month before, do it as soon as possible and in the unlikely event that you're not seated together (you'll know from your boarding passes) then call them.

With Ryanair when you check in for random allocation there is an option after to book seats together and pay if you don't like the allocation. Easyjet might be the same?

It's a shame they don't price with the 'sit together' price and then a group has to actively opt out and a single person gets an automatic discount.