Plane seat drama

[itstoohotnow]

Just returned from a European break, booked 4 plane tickets for DH and 2 DS (19 &16) and I, eldest DS decided too old to go away with mum and dad so stayed at home. I contacted the airline as cheap non refundable ticket but said I can use it as a spare seat between DH and I so all good.

On return flight, only 2 hours long and we have seats A (me) B (spare) C (DH) and D (DS) then a couple with a baby in E & F

Couple with baby realised we were together and pretty much demanded DS moved to seat B - I politely pointed out it wasn't a random spare seat but a booked and paid for one, now I have 2 kids so appreciate it's hard to travel with a little one and would have offered the seat but they were so bloody rude and entitled. I pointed out we had paid for 4 seats and they had only paid for 2 - so asked for a contribution towards cost £30 (by this point they are just demanding the seat because they have a child)

They got pretty rude and offensive (called me a fat b**ch) so I said no, stewardess said was up to me

Should I have given them the seat?

So, as per airlines instructions we had checked in online for all 4 passengers online prior to the flight and told staff at gate that we were only 3 with 4 seats and that us this particular airline procedure, we also mentioned it at bag checkin

You cannot bring any carry on baggage for the additional seat

I would have sat on her. Cheeky cow.

I paid for myself and my two children to go away. One of them couldn’t come but it was too late to change the name on the booking without a massive fee.
i had paid for seating together and was worried about the seat being reallocated so I checked us all in online and when we got to the airport to check in our bags, I told the airline that me child wasn’t coming.
the flight was packed there and back but my child and I had a row of 3 seats to ourselves. I paid for them and I wanted to use them.

No, rude fuckers can fuck off

No it isn't. They paid for it, offered to sell it. It's a transaction. Not sure how that is embarrassing.

Which airline is this? I didn't realise that you could book extra seats. I might do that next time we need to fly.

I think in the OPs case they got the spare seat by accident, so to speak.

BA certainly allow you to book an extra seat that if you want or need more space, I’m sure a lot of other airlines allow similar..you can usually find details on the websites.

No, if only to dissuade them of what will inevitably be years of thinking they can just take other people’s stuff and be rude to them, because they have a child.

Asking for money tho🤔

Grammatically either can be used but it depends on the situation.

The easiest way to decide is to put in into a sentence without DH or DS as follows,

Me had seat A
I had seat A

Obviously you would say I had seat A so using I would be grammatically correct

So astonishing that someone thinks it’s a good idea to call someone a “fat bitch” when they are going to be sitting in very close proximity to them for several hours. How awkward. What is this woman like when she’s at home on her own turf? What a horrible woman.

OP ; no you didn’t have to give up your seating arrangements. Technically your son’s no show seat might have gone back into the pool of seats but that was just the one seat. If the flight attendant said it was up to you, it’s up to you, and of course you’re not going to move for someone who’s abusive to you.

EasyJet - just live chat them as even if you don't have a spare passenger line I did they will talk you through what you do to book the spare seat as it's quite common now.

Lots of forums with instructions too so I'm surprised at all the airport staff on here who are not familiar with this

You can definitely book a spare seat. I’ve done this for baby who needs to go in lap. You have to put the passenger name as EXTRA INFANT SEAT.

Lots of forums with instructions too so I'm surprised at all the airport staff on here who are not familiar with this

TBF to staff, former and current, there are lots of differences in policy and differences in procedures between all the various airlines and pretty much all the airports….

On every airline seat thread I have read, countless posters state people who have paid for their seats should ask for payment when faced with demanding CF"s demanding their seats. Yet now the op has actually done this it's frowned upon

😣

Agreed..

I still think what’s being missed by some who think the OP was being petty is this isn’t just the common or garden case of the OP being asked to swop out of a seat they chose to sit in to move to another one.

What was happening here was that they were actually being asked to give up entirely one of four seats they had paid for and which the airline agreed they could still use.

No it's me. Imagine if it was a we or us situation. You wouldn't say between him and we. But really that is quite beside the point of the thread and I'm going to go away now.

That’s not how airline seats work. If your son hasn’t checked into the flight by the time check in closes, then he looses the seat and the airline can and will re sell it or put standbys into it.

No, demanding the seat is embarrassing. Asking to reimbursed is completely reasonable. Why should the OP be out of pocket?

@Peony15 I book an extra seat (because I am fat) and pay for it. So it shouldn't be given away! I've only done it with easyJet, maybe different on other airlines?

This! I would perhaps have been more accommodating if they had been polite.
That kid has no hope with potty mouth parents.

Another no from me. Good for you :-)

If you're a larger person, isn’t it the done thing to buy an extra seat for comfort reasons.

i have traveled tons of times with my babies and a 2 hour flight w a baby on your lap is really not such a hardship. If they wanted 3 seats, they should have booked another seat. I had chunky DS on my lap for 2 hours when he was 1 year and 11 months and we survived 😂 but I wanted to save the money on the extra seat.
sorry they were rude to you OP.