Not to have given up my seat on plane

[Rainbowgoldover]

Just wondering ....

I flew home last night from holiday with a friend.

BA flights , flight out was dreadful, cramped seats , allocated at check in so we had last row next to the toilets ...

On the way back we learnt our lesson so paid to book seats, I booked an aisle seat, friend booked a window seat, flight about 70 per cent full.

The person in the middle seat , asked me if I would move so she could have the aisle seat.

I refused and said no I booked aisle and don't want to sit in middle seat. She said but I want to be near my family in the row opposite. I still politely refued to move.

Cue lots of aggro, she finally got the flight attendants to move her accusing me and my friend of talking over her , we absolutely were not, both had headphones on watching netflix.

If you really want to sit somewhere why can't you pay 23.99 and pre reserve a seat, don't make others feel bad for not giving up theirs ?

😂

I was flying business once and I always book a window seat. When I got to my seat there was a guy in it who acted all innocent when I pointed out it was my seat. Lots of mumbling that he was sure it was his and why don't I "just sit in the aisle seat opposite him" that was free. I explained again I had booked that seat and showed him my ticket. He then made a drama of looking for his ticket. Couldn't find it. He was "sure the window seat was his" etc etc. Anyway he eventually moved when he "found" his ticket.
Weird thing was his mate was a few rows back and between them they were both up and down the ENTIRE flight talking to each other. So if I'd have sat in his seat he'd either have been climbing over me to go to his mate or his mate would have been leaning over me chatting the whole time. So why on earth he wanted the window seat I don't know.

Believe me, when my husband and I try this, we never speak with each other. It’s not rude in my opinion. I hate the window and the middle and my husband hates the middle and aisle. If we’re lucky enough to get the three seats, that’s great but it doesn’t always work. Everyone may know what we’re trying, a lot may think it’s off but while it’s permitted, we will try to achieve.
We have occasionally booked separate rows too but once when we did this, I had a man ask me to move from the aisle because he wanted 5 across for his wife and children. I said no, I’m happy where I am and repeated this over and over again until the crew found a row for them. I’d paid and they hadn’t.

I don’t understand the obsession with ‘rude’ on mumsnet generally. You are allowed to do it and that’s it. Other people can book the seats they want too, or just check in earlier so they don’t get what’s left.

Ultimately if I check in late and end up sitting between the two of you then meh, it’s up to me 🤷🏻‍♀️. I won’t be ripped off by paying it, you choose to be.

The only thing that winds me up is the bollocks that parents with young children should have to book seats, that’s massively unfair and even at 12.50 a seat adds 100 onto the price both ways. When they are already paying more and subsidising everyone else by going in the school holidays.

I agree. I think if a booking includes children, then the family should be sitting together and there shouldn’t be a fee.
I’m not sure school holiday travellers actually subsidise the rest of us though. I read that hotels and airlines charge more because they can. They blame the need for more staff, more expensive airport landing/takeoff slots. Everyone is charged more because this is when all the players can make more money.
We try not to travel during school holidays but recently, my family went to on holiday in half term because of our grandchildren. The week before - £72.00 to Geneva. Half term week it cost us £570 per person!! That is outrageous. No wonder parents feel aggrieved.

I’m not sure school holiday travellers actually subsidise the rest of us though. I read that hotels and airlines charge more because they can.

If you look at the recent annual reports of the likes Ryanair, Easyjet BA etc you'll see averaged across the year they probably make less than £10 per passenger.

The higher fares charged during school holidays/weekends/for last minute bookings definitely offset the cheaper fares you see for off peak travel or for travel booked well ahead of the flight date....the airlines make zero profit and often a loss on many off peak travellers...

The only thing that winds me up is the bollocks that parents with young children should have to book seats, that’s massively unfair and even at 12.50 a seat adds 100 onto the price both ways. When they are already paying more and subsidising everyone else by going in the school holidays.

What if by the time the parents have bought their tickets, enough other passengers have already paid to book seats that there isn’t enough space left to fit them together? Would the airline have to refund people who paid?

Surely in this situation even if the family were willing to pay it wouldn’t help?

I also really don’t think most people do book seats other than for extra leg room. It’s a sun/ mumsnet phenomenon.

I don’t understand.

When I travel EasyJet and WizzAir and am autoallocated an aisle or window (which is usually the case) seat - ditto RyanAir (though it happens less frequently) - I would not move. Luck of the draw.

Why should the fact I haven't paid an extra premium for choice of seat mean I have to give up to someone else who also hasn't paid for their sat?

DH, to the people saying passengers only book seats for extra legroom, definitely not.

I much prefer the window and book that wherever possible.

If I have a checked bag, I will take a back of the plane seat, as I am not in a rush. But I prefer to be close to the wings. If it is a late evening flight (quite common) I will go further back in the hopes of peace and quiet and a snooze. But for safety reasons, I prefer to be close to the wings rather than the very back.

If I am hand luggage only, and especially if I am in a rush to a meeting, I will book as close to the front as possible. And depending on the tightness of time, the aisle seat.

The other thing about booking a seat, on the airlines I fly, you get onboard in the first group so have a better chance of your bag being overhead near your seat.

Well you aren’t most people are you? No one has no one pays to book seats.

Regardless of preferences here, the fact remains that it is a condition of carriage on all airlines that you can be required to change seats by the cabin crew for “operational reasons”. If this occurs and you have paid extra for your seat booking this should then be refunded.

The definition of operational reasons would be one for the courts.

You absolutely don’t have to and neither should you if you don’t want to. The point was that there is no harm in asking. If you had simply been allocated that seat and not paid extra for it, you might not mind swapping. If you do mind swapping you simply say no. Lucky you that you have been allocated a seat that you are happy with.

Fair point 😊

I always book my seat. The thought of being at the back of the plane, by the toilets and in a middle seat would fill me with horror. Yes, I know - first world problems but I will always pay to get the seat I prefer.

During online check in recently, Air France offered the option to pay to keep the seat next to mine free, as they were anticipating that it might not be a full flight. The amount paid would be refunded if the seat ended up being filled. I don't know why they thought it wouldn't be full - that route is always full. I'm just happy to get my aisle seat and a middle seat person who keeps their body to themselves. And hopefully isn't massively ill, like the person I sat next to yesterday who was shivering and had a productive cough. Same thing happened last time - the person coughed directly on my meal tray 😖

I would have been cheeky and said give me 25 quid and I will move 😆 🤣 😂

Not being unreasonable. If you paid for the seat, it's yours.

The op and her friend are perfectly entitled to book a window and isle seat. The woman should have booked the seat she wanted...simple. They may have done it in the hope that the middle seat would remain empty. I don't see anything wrong with that. Pays yer money n all that!!

We paid for a middle and an aisle seat on the way to Turkey a lady didn't, she had the window seat, we swapped with her so we could have the window and middle as her friend was on the aisle. It depends where your friend/family are sitting.

If I had been sat next to my friend no. But it really hacks me off when people book the aisle and the window seat on the premise that no one will book the middle seat which they don't then some poor sucker has to sit there. It only takes a few people on the plane to do this and those that would pay to book don't bother as all the seats together are gone.

Not at all unreasonable to say no. You paid to have that seat. I had the same thing happen to me - they tried to tug at my heart strings by saying that it was a small child who would feel intimidated by sitting between two strangers. But....It was a family of 4 with 2 adults and the children were around 8 and 11. It was the younger child they wanted to sit in my seat. I just suggested that one of the adults had the centre seat instead. They complained loudly to everyone until they realised there was just no sympathy. I do understand that families can be on tight budgets, I have no problem with them asking - but if you say no then that should be the end of it.

I do see your point. They have done what loads do -booked aisle and window and hoped middle would be left empty. It wasn't so they paid out on you. Not on.

Yes they would. Pretty simple 👍🏻