What if I can’t get on the plane?

[Northerngirl345]

My best friend and I are due to be flying long haul on Friday. I am a terrible flyer, it terrifies me, but I decided that if I booked fancy seats (business class) and could natter with my best friend the whole way - I’d be fine.

Well, today was the day to book seats and we can’t get two seats together. I’ve spent 2 hours on the phone to the airline and they say they can’t help. I even thought about upgrading to first class but this was going to cost £8k and they STILL couldn’t promise we’d be sat together as I’d have to pay before seeing what seats were available. I don’t actually have a spare £8k but I was tempted until I realised it wouldn’t solve my problem.

Now I just feel like I don’t want to go. I was already super nervous and this has pushed me over the edge.

My best friend flies alone all the time and can’t see the big deal. She thinks we’ll “laugh about this one day”.

Has anyone got any ideas to help me here?

YABU - suck it up and get on the plane
YANBU - cancel the trip / find a way to get 2 seats together.

Also, thought I’d mention as there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing over this - they have indeed switched the lights off. Which is surprising given that it’s day time in both London and New York.
Thank you for updating that! Nice to know that the claims I was "talking bollocks", "quite mad" and "making things up" weren't accurate after all when I said that would happen.

Take sleeping pills or wait until boarded and ask someone nicely to give up their seat next to your friend. Generally in business class people don’t care, it’s all nice.

Yes but you're in a metal tube 30000ft in the air with nothing beneath but fresh air! A few Boeings crashed recently - one of them involving faked safety records, not to mention the turbulence on that flight from Singapore. Who could forget the air crash in the Andes where people ate their dead friends to survive.
All the people on here saying they're scared of flying but they have to do it. No you don't unless it is mandatory for your job. Why put yourself through it? I've been on a plane once when I was 12 years old. Hated it, was terrified as was my mum. Both of us cried on the plane and couldn't wait to land. I'm now 60 and haven't flown since. Made no difference to my life. So much easier not to bother. We weren't born with wings so not meant to fly.

@PandoraRocks That was a bit of an insensitive post given OP is on the plane right now!!

OP don't worry you're doing brilliantly - have another glass of wine

I apologise, I have never experienced this in many flights but obviously I stand corrected!

OP will be catching the QE2 home 😂.

We weren’t born with wheels either but doesn’t stop us rolling down the motorway at 70mph.

Thank you. I've also backtracked upthread saying I should have said it was a strong possibility rather than a certainty.

Maybe it's a new standard thing. Last week was my first long-haul in 12 years and my first time ever in BC so I was somewhat extrapolating!