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.

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

Op is not fucking them, the airline are.

Her decision is separate from the airline's decision to sell those people a seat choice that in reality is never guaranteed as there are always safety considerations that trump choice. For example in most aircraft, babies on laps can only be accomodated in certain rows where there are additional oxygen masks to allow this.

It is easy to ensure children are seated with parents and the airline are choosing to overcomplicate matters in a bid to make more profit.

Hardly anyone reserves seats on easyJet so as long as you don't leave it until last minute to check in, you'll be fine.
I usually check in as soon as it opens, I've never had to pay and never been separated.

I pay because I want to sit by a window. If you want to sit by your child, you pay!

As I said, mandatory seat booking/payment for families with kids under 10 (say) would stop this messing around.

I think I would be that person who refuses to move. I've had enough of it now, on nearly every flight there is some entitled and penny pinching asshole demanding that I move.... because I am female and on my own, therefore fair game. I don't move. Someone else can and honestly the plane took off eventually in all cases. Some other sucker changed seats, but it wasn't me.

It's part of the cost of the flight. When we go away I want seats together and whatever luggage combination we need and I pay for that. When I price up a trip these elements are included.

However,the parent will expect that the other passenger will swoop seats rather that being stuck next to a young child. So,win-win for the parent (having paid no extra money) and lose-lose for the other person who might have paid extra to choose their seat!

Why should someone who has paid to choose a seat have to be moved around to suit you? If you don't want to pay, you take the risk.

This happened on my flight. Family hadn't paid and there was an announcement the flight wouldn't take off until someone gave up their seats for them. People did eventually move but the family were HATED by every passenger for the delay and being so selfish.

You will get offered what’s left and they may not be next to each other.

which means that they will then have to ask people (who have probably paid to sit together) to move around to accommodate your family

there is nothing more annoying

just pay the £20

EasyJet is good for this, check in the moment you're able. I've never been apart from my family even without paying.

Wouldn't trust RyanAir as far as I could throw them.

We never pay and we've never been split up on no-frills airlines - although the break would be nice - let someone else look after them (kids are 20 now!)😂
We were nearly split on a flight to Australia due to a booking error made by the travel agent, they put me in the seat behind my 5-year-olds - the passenger refused to move to the seat directly behind - would only move to business class - was so glad she didn't get her own way. We did end up sitting together, we all moved.

Is it the case that children (and parents) are placed between the emergency exits - somewhere in the middle, far from the exits - so they won’t impede passengers getting out in case of an emergency?

If I'm travelling alone, didn't pay to select a seat and it's a short flight, I'd gladly move to help a fellow passenger. I don't understand the mentality of refusing to move "out of principle"

But I'd be annoyed if I paid for an aisle seat and was asked to move

surely in the case of a two year old this means next to

Err, no.

Look up the regulations for what 'near' actually means. It could be the row behind it in front or on the other side of the aisle.

I'm afraid it really is a case of factoring this in to the cost of flights, unless you really can afford to be seated separately.

It is so incredibly entitled.

If you can afford to go on holiday, you can afford to pay an additional £20 to be certain.

Save yourself the potential embarrassment of trying to negotiate with other passengers about swapping seats.

It would be easy to have children sitting next to parents. Just ensure they have to be flagged up as under a certain age at the time of booking. Then put those children next to their parents - on payment of the fee. Don't allow the booking to be completed without the seat being paid for and secured.

This really annoys me. If you want specific seats just pay for them like everyone else!

We paid for our seats recently. A woman got on with her two children (guessing around 3 and 1ish), had not paid for seats and then we all wasted 20 mins whilst the air stewardess tried to persuade people to move so she could sit with her children. I felt under a lot of pressure to move but my son (who is 11 and looks older) has autism and it was his first time on a plane so he wanted a window seat and I needed to sit with him. I had the whole puppy dog eyes and whatever else. Nope I’m not moving. In the end someone did swap with her but for goodness sakes it wasted so much time and faff and we were late taking off. Really irritating.

I don't understand why the airline doesn't just kick people off the flight, or prevent them from booking as PP have said unless they choose a seat if they have children.

They consider across the aisle or in front/behind fine as sometimes this is the seat configuration on planes... I flew with my 4&6yos on a 2x2 plane for example!

For £20 I'd pay.

'Close to' can mean in the row in front or across the aisle. If you'd be ok with that then it's your risk. They wont give him anymore thought because he's 2 than they would any other child under 12.
My DD is the same age and there's no way she'd be ok on her own sitting in front of me.

How will you solve it if not, expect other people to move? Just pay the money!

Next to could be behind of next to or in front. Your choice to risk this for £20

Pay the £20 I'd say

Agree, I said the same earlier.

And as for those posters castigating people for refusing to move for the entitled families, well I ALWAYS pay for my seat, and it is the one I want, and need for various reasons. I will not move. Someone else's problem.