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've travelled loads with Easyjet and never paid to be all together, and we always are! Most recently at the start of this month. I think it helps if you check in as early as possible online.
Don't feel guilty about not doing it either- how mean is it for a company to design a computer system that deliberately splits families up.....
Ignore the people on here telling you to pay; in my experience you will be together even if you don't.

Absolutely. Make it mandatory for parents of young children to pay on booking to sit next to each other, as @keyboardkat said.

the problem with kicking people off is that their baggage has to be offloaded too - which takes time on an already delayed flight, then you miss your take off slot, have to wait for another, deal with compensation claims from the rest of the flight...

I can see why that is a last resort. Having some sort of mechanism on the website which forces you to reserve seats when booking with children under a certain age would be sensible.

It's not the family being selfish, it's the airline.
In any case, if there was a crash and the plane was on fire and people were rushing to get off, if you have parents rushing the other way to get to their children it's even more dangerous.
I've never paid- and never been separated from my child. Ever.

Huh? How can the computer system split families up and simultaneously put them together?
Also if it's capable of 'splitting families' (as opposed to just groups) it can very well charge them extra which is a win-win.
Not shuffle people around ON flights and delay everyone else.

Or everyone just pays £90 unless they want to pay extra for a seat.

And they invariably make a beeline for the line female traveller, presumably because it's assumed we've been socialised to 'be kind' and too bad if that interferes with our own comfort. There are very good medical reasons - two separate ones in fact - why I need an aisle seat, which I'm not inclined to explain to any entitled stranger who cares to ask.

I'm sick of the expectation that I can be shunted around like luggage to suit other people's convenience.

'No' on this occasion is a complete sentence. If more people gave this as a default response, the CFs will stop asking, and the expectation will stop that other passengers will pay for their seat choice.

Don't feel guilty about not doing it either- how mean is it for a company to design a computer system that deliberately splits families up.....
It isn't a system designed to split families up.

It is a system that allows passengers, regardless of their travel companions (or lack of) to book seats according to their requirement and then those who choose not to are slotted into the remaining seats.

It doesn't matter if it's your children, your spouse or a group of friends. If you want your group to be together, book seats.

I like PP suggestion that in the event of a booking containing an under 12, parents should be forced to book seats to make the booking. Why should everyone else be held up or inconvenienced in situations where a chancer's gamble didn't pay off?

Don't risk it. I was on a flight with a mum with 2 children the same age as yours. 2 year old was a few rows away from mum. People did offer to swap seats but they had to stay in the allocated seats for take off and landing.

Computers are clever- they can do a lot of things!
I'm no expert, I just travel a lot. Happy to be corrected, but I've always presumed it's a 'fear charge' ie Easyjet put everyone with kids together anyway as 1) it's safer in case of a crash and 2) no faffing around at takeoff but if they can rip some people off and make a few extra quid with the fear of not being put with their kids, of course they'll try it on.

It's only £20 ffs

Computer systems can quite easily split up most group bookings as the default but apply criteria (such as the age of a passenger) and in that case sit the party together. It’s the sort of thing computers are particularly good at.

Those taking the hardline stance of no freebie seat allocations for children…

where do you stand on children getting a free luggage allowance, free buggy/car seat/travel cot allowance?

Do you think they should be forced to pay for those, or are airlines allowed to waive some fees for families travelling?

Just pay. Don’t be one of those mothers who expect people to move seats for them.

That could be two hours' wages for the OP.....

To lighten things a bit, I pay a very small amount for the seat I want on Ryanair which is my preferred airline, never had a problem with them and all good for me.

It is the last row at the back on the right hand side. Yep, beside the two loos, near the crew if I feel sick or have an episode of my illness (haven't yet but it's a comfort!), beside the exit doors for the steps at the back, which in case you don't know are wider and less steep than those in the front!

Most people book up from front to back, so there is always room for my carry on in the overheads. I have it licked, but I still won't sacrifice my seat 😂

At 2, they will be either next to you, on the seat in front, the seat behind. Or if you have an aisle seat they could be on the other side of the aisle.

They're not allowed to seat the 2 year old further away than that.

So you could pay, and get exactly the seats you want. Or not, and know they'll be super close.

Travelling with D.C. is stressful enough without amy anxiety about whether you will be seated together. £20 is a small price to pay for piece of mind.

Not necessarily. They might ask me. I'm not bothered where I sit and I won't have paid extra for it. I can cope not being seated next to my travelling companion.

Also £20 a seat usually. So £40. And that is likely the charge one way. So £80. It adds up!

I wouldn't pay for the seats, but would do my check-in as early as possible.

We flown with easyJet in May, group of 5 adults. When I did the group's check-in, it suggested 5 places in one row.

Which is crazy if an airline operating from the UK or EU as that is not allowed.

yes this is true about the lone female traveller. I had this (I was younger then and would not do it now) but the parent in question was kicking off big time.

The airline gave me 2 glasses of prosecco as thanks. That was nice. Doubt it happens now though.

Anyone pay not to sit with their kids - let someone else look after them for a while!😂

Its £20. Why would you take the risk and stress of not being sat together? Flying with a baby and a toddler on your own is going to be difficult enough as it is without adding an extra aspect to worry about. Just pay for the peace of mind.