Paying for seat reservations on flights

[MidnightPatrol]

I have just booked a flight and as increasingly seems to be the case, they want me to pay to reserve a seat.

I have a young child so I can’t ’risk it’ on the day, and the trip will be more enjoyable (by which I mean less of a nightmare) if we are seated together in one row (me, DH, DC).

The cost of this? 66 euros.

I just want to ensure I am seated with the other passengers in my booking, specifically my toddler. Feels grating to incur an additional expense for this ‘privilege’.

It is, because the cabin crew and airline want bums on seats asap (and the bums sat next to the right bums) and so they can takeoff, as delays cost money.

It usen't be that way because they charged 10 times the price. I know which I prefer.

Ok
Ive never flown easyJet tbh

The budget airlines arrived in 1984, when I was 14. I didn't fly for the first time until I was 17. This is not a conicidence.

I don't think people realise/remember how expensive flying was when things were done "properly".

In my school only the "rich" kids ever went on foreign holidays.

Unless it was France by ferry. I could tell you the name of the one girl who went to Spain from my primary class. It was that unusual.

If they did that all the time no one would ever bother paying for seats.

People pay for seats and, as there’s always threads like this, people do not move for others and cabin crew honour that.
If cabin crew moved everyone about all the time to satisfy those that don’t pay the airline would be losing a lot of money and stuck on the tarmac for ages.

Its quicker for everyone to get seated if everyone pays for seats if they need certain seats and sits in their chosen or allocated seats.

Cabin crew want bums on seats and honour the bums that pay for the choice of seat.

Agree.
Crowded train then boat to a Ireland here in the 70s and 80s.

Never took flights it was just the wealthy ones at school. Andrea was her name….she learnt piano and ballet too!

But - I also think it’s unreasonable that people with very young children should be forced to pay extra to ensure they’re seated together

What about people with very long legs who simply can't get their legs into the space allocated? Dh has to pay extra for extra legroom. That's not fair either.
Even if I agreed it was unfair I mean.

Package holidays were around in the early 70s but flying abroad was still seen as pretty glamorous. The Martini and Cinzano adverts of the time reflect this! The girl up the road from me went to Palma Nova which seemed impossibly exotic to me!

Agree@WhatsUpNowThen there’s also
people who need carers
people who are scared of flying
people with anxiety and mh issues
the deaf etc etc etc

where does it stop.
If you have kids and want to sit next to them, if you want to sit next to your partner, if you have incontinence and want to be near the toilets there’s a price to ensure you get what you want or need.

Thats fare, everyone gets the same opportunities, everyone is treated equally.

They were, but "ordinary" people didn't go on them.

If cabin crew moved everyone about all the time to satisfy those that don’t pay the airline would be losing a lot of money and stuck on the tarmac for ages.

Which is why they don’t do it all the time.

But they do have to seat small children near one parent at least, so they’ll ask for volunteers first. And if no one volunteers they have to force people to move.

It is annoying and also they probably have a policy to not separate a young child and parents but is it worth it to risk it, also it might be that you get two seats together then one nearby, rather than all of you in a row. Personally I would definitely pay €66 to choose my seats if flying with my DC.
Most stressful flight we had was when DD was 2 (so needed own seat) and we couldn't reserve seats when booking, it was just a free for all. When we got on the plane there were only single seats left and nobody wanted to move! Had to get cabin crew to move people because obviously we couldn't have a 2 yo flying alone next to strangers, ended up being DH & DD together then me right at the other end of the plane in a middle seat, absolute nightmare- just pay the €66!

When is your flight?
For easyJet short haul for example you can check in a month before so as long as you check in early (as soon as available) I think you would be fine. My kid are older and we don't take long haul so we are willing to take the gamble that it may not work and we sit behind, in front across from a child but on the budget short haul flights where seat reservations are a massive percentage of the cost we have yet to not secure free early check in seats.

Wouldnt you rather just pay money to know in advance you are all sitting together?

66 euros is hardly break the bank is it?

Flying SHOULD NOT be cheap.

Long gone are the days where your airline ticket included your seat, meals and luggage.

Its no different to dynamic seating in theatres or cinemas.

Because they will just increase the individual flight cost for all. But also the old system didn’t work because people who needed the seats couldn’t get them, this way there’s a system that isn’t first come first served.

The airline would have to sit your child with yourself or your husband, but if the 3 of you want to guarantee to sit together you need to pay for it, simple.

Yes it is annoying though how much it adds to the price of the tickets.

I think you make my point very well. The airlines look at potential ways to increase revenue and come up with all sorts, including paying extra to reserve a particular seat. Then they put it across as the doing you a favour when the whole point of it is to get more money from you. If their business model means they don't cover costs from their core activities they are bonkers, that's a plan to fail. I have relatives who work in the industry, so speaking from a relatively informed position.

Which airline is it? I’ve never paid but Ryanair will almost certainly split you up. The others, worth the risk in my experience. We fly with Jet2 a lot, eight of us, always ended up seated together without paying to reserve.

Did you pay in the end? Yes, it is the way it is. If you want specific seats, and together, you pay.

Whatever you do, do not ask other passengers, who have paid for their own seats- to move to accommodate you. Please.

I'm loving all the indignation at the idea that airlines are out to make money. That is their single reason for existing.

This

I think it of it more that you get a discount if you are flexible about seating and happy to fill any gaps.

They make money by providing a service. Passengers paying to reserve seats are providing a service to the airline because that was traditionally done at check in, and airlines paid staff to do it. Now passengers are paying for the "privilege" of doing the airline's job for them. That's why I object to it.

YABU it is in effect discount for people who don’t mind where they sit. Before the « extra charge » was introduced it was part of the ticket price, now we have the option to not pay for it.

FWIW my kids are now just old enough to sit on their own, I don’t choose seats on short flights and we always end up together (easyjet).