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.

SIL just came back from her holiday and her 8 year old was seated in front of her.
Luckily a kind lady offered to swap

Eh? An 8 year old is very, very different to a 2 year old. 6 y o DS sat in front of me on a flight recently, small plane & complicated delay situation. He was fine, politely offered the old bloke next to him one of his sweets then listened to his yoto player. I just passed him forward a drink etc.

A toddler can't go to the loo alone, or sort themselves out with a colouring book, and could be upset/scared. An 8 year old will usually be fine.

Civil aviations rules don’t require it. The risk is others with pay and there won’t be sufficient seats left.

How does that make sense?

With Easyjet, you can check-in online 30 days before you fly and they issue your seat and boarding pass so there is no need to be stressed that you might not be seated together. If you check in 30 days before you fly and you find they have allocated you seats apart (highly unlikely I think) then you have the opportunity at that time to change your seat and, if necessary, pay for the one you want.

A lot of people here don't seem to grasp the concept of 'no frills' and understand how low cost airlines work.

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. 99% of the time you'll easily get seats together at check in. On the rare occasion this doesn't happen eg due to delays etc, they'll simply move other passengers and they will not take off until they happens. They cannot assume (force) a random stranger will take responsibility for a toddler and its simply not safe.

Don't pay. It's the airline's responsibility to safely fly you and your toddler to your destination, and that includes seating you with your children.

I think it should be mandatory to pay for seats together if travelling with kids under say 10 for example. Booking/check in will know ages from the passport details.

If anyone asked me to change seats I would say yes if you pay me the price I paid for this seat.

I fly with them regularly
Never paid
Never been split
Have a 11 and 6yo

I did this a few days ago… checked in bang on 30 days.

All 4 of us are sat together on both flights.

I thought easyjet tried to seat you together but Ryanair broke you up on purpose.

Civil aviations rules don’t require it.

They don't need to. The crew of the plane have a responsibility to ensure safety and with a child as young as 2, they will hold up a flight until another passenger agrees to move. I've seen this done a few times.

Just don't ask other people to move then. Unless you pay them, that is.

Standard price £100.
If 4 of you are booking = £400

If you choose to opt out of ensuring sitting together, reduced to £360

Single person booking also gets discount of £10 so pays £90.

Then it would be seen as an active discount, rather than an active add on.

If anyone asked me to change seats I would say yes if you pay me the price I paid for this seat.

And if the pilot/cabin crew said the plane isnt moving till someone moves?

Someone always moves. Maybe its not you but someone does.

Yeah, I'm a nervous flier and have had people expect me to move for a child as we're adults travelling together. A full blown panic attack on a plane is not the one. I wouldn't move away from my travel group for this reason.

TeenDivided

And plenty of people will opt out, and for safety reasons the cabin crew will still..... need to seat the 2 year old with the parent/guardian.

But they would just charge more on the fare price to cover it. The cost would be exactly the same… the same CF’s who don’t want to pay would remove the seating then still expect someone to move

So fuck the people who've paid for a seat and get told to move then?

I wouldn't move if I'd paid for allocated seating. Just pay the 20 for goodness sake. So cheeky to expect others to move.

Yes I know the cost would be the same!
I just think the psychology of booking would be different.
Instead of thinking 'no I don't want to pay extra' people would be thinking 'I want this really, better not go for the discount'.

BA are charging £54-79 to prebook seats on our flight this summer. I'm not paying that and am operating on the understanding that their policy does not allow a young child to sit separately from a parent/guardian. So I guess BA will just have to sort it out for us when we check in.

How many of these threads does there have to be.

Pay your money and take your chances and piss off every one else but hey who cares about them.

Its not being a CF.

Its understanding that the airline has a duty to fly its passengers safely, and its their problem, and if they choose to create this issue with their pricing model, its on them to resolve it.

The price op has paid is the price to be flown safely from a-b.

She won't get to choose a row, or a window seat etc, but she will be seated with her kids because the alternative isn't safe.

Just buy the seats for peace of mind. Recently flying out on holiday and woman on third seat of three wanted me to move so she could sit with her 7 year old. I wanted to sit in the seat I had booked and paid for beside my 10 year old so did not offer to move. She was mortified when we were in the checking in queue on the way back and the 7 year old asked if I was the horrible lady who would not move. I laughed and said yes. F#*k that for a game of soldiers just buy the bloody seats.

It is back to the fact that Next to doesn't mean next to, It means near to.

If someone is happy to be behind their 2yo or across the aisle from them, then go for it.
I wouldn't be.

I just checked in on Easyjet for a flight in 30 days. I didn't pay anything and I'm sat next to my 17 year old both ways. There was the opportunity to pay to select seats but i didn't bother as happy to sit apart.

I reckon they allocate seats together but if you delay checking in there's the possibility someone else could pay to select one of the seat you've been allocated. I'd risk it and check in as soon as it opens.

The person who has paid to select a seat may not agree to a swop. Be prepared for that.

Not everyone is amenable to swopping from their chosen aisle or window seat for someone who couldn’t be arsed to pay. Tough times for everyone