Easyjet, allocated seating and children

[Fresh01]

Looking for some advice now Easyjet are trying to encourage you to buy allocated seating. We are travelling this summer with 4 kids, ages 7, 5, 3 and 18 months. The baby is on my knee.

My questions are:

• with allocated seating do they still allow families to board after speedy boarding people?
• if we don't buy the allocated seating (expensive for 5 seats each way) will they still give us seats together or at worst 1 adult with 2 kids each?

I don't want to have to buy allocated seating but the children are too young to not be seated next a parent, so what are Easyjet doing with families?

Many thanks.

I don't get it. When you check in online you are allocated seats. Do it early enough and you're all together?

You choose your seats when you check in online so unless you left it very late you had a chance to amend in advance. Heard a piece on radio earlier about Easyjet overbooking flights and bumping 2 out of a party of 6 off at the airport. But if they had checkin online I don't see how that could occur.

We want to sit together when we fly with easyjet so we've paid, I wouldn't swap with a family that hasn't paid even though my children are not little. I don't agree with having to pay to sit together but that's the way it is!

HVe you tried online check in?

Otherwise easyjet is actually quite civilised and boards families after the speedy boarders. There are five of us and we usually manage to sit together or in close proximity with an adult next to a child.

I never pay for allocated seating and I have flown domestic flight easyjet and Ryanair with young children for the last decade.

I don't get it. When you check in online you are allocated seats. Do it early enough and you're all together?

Not if everyone else has paid extra to sit where they want.

Correct. If everyone else pays, you do not get seats together. Early boarding with kids makes no chge (assuming they call it).

We did notice and asked check-in staff what to do. Answer was to ask the crew, no reallocation possible at desk (easyjet system would have had on file that 2 children where allocated away from adults in party though, which is odd).

In practice - true - we could have paid. But i do not see why i shld. I do not care about sitting close to DH. I care about being able to parent kids on flight for their own sake and that of other passengers sitting nearby.

Anyway not really seeking advice, even less looking for wee scoldings of what i could have done. More interested of putting this out there for the folks who may be worried about all that shitty business. For the other who are happy to pay extra, knock yourselves out, it may save you a stressful seat shuffle!

According to this Easyjet will guarantee that children will sit with their parents:
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2015/04/mse-calls-for-airlines-to-scrap-family-tax-and-guarantee-parents-are-seated-next-to-children-for-free

We have flown with Easyjet many times and we check in online and have always had 4 seats together.

Maybe if you fly with Easyjet again make you you check in online as soon as you can and then if you find you aren't seated together you can phone up and ask what to do or if neccessary pay to change the seats so you could sit together.

I really don't see why families should have to pay to sit next to each other. It is completely unacceptable for a small child not to be sat by a parent and why should an stranger have responsibility for someone else's child.

Staff at the airport told us crew would help. Sadly, the crew was aggressive and unhelpful. First time I ever experience this, having flown with them 2 to 4 times a year, for 6 years with kids.

Bad luck + bad crew (trip is to visit relative in hospital - last minute shit does happen). Should not cost extra for the privilege (an actual requirement) of seating next to young kids.

If you do online check-in as soon as you can (a month before the flight I think) you get your seats allocated all together then.

I would be HIGHLY unlikely that an entire plane load of passengers checked in a month before.....

Easyjet is £4.95 to choose seats when checking in, not too expensive. You pay more for extra legroom. I wouldn't risk it for that money.

Sorry just realised its a zombie thread and was answering the OP

Flew with Ryanair this year and they asked people on both inbound/outbound flights to move seats to accommodate a family. No one would move as everyone they asked had paid for their seats. They then got desperate (outbound) and asked families with older children - 10+ to move to accommodate them! The family were split for take off and landing. Similar thing happened on way back with a big family and young children 5-9 ish were separated from adults.family got vet go by about it which put people off helping them. I never used to pay but after a horrible experience I do now!

As of 2018 don't trust Easyjet. Just booked 2 adults and 2 year old son when there where plenty of seats next to each other. Then went 2 days later to pay for seats - none left. So the system knew there was 2 year old on the plane. And decided not to keep a seat next to his mum. Despite hours on phone Easyjet they won't do anything. The law actually says airlines "should" keep family's together but legally they can seat your 2 year old in the front row whilst you are on the back row. At least Ryanair froces you to pay £4 to sit a child next to their mother or father. Rather than Easyjet who sits your child elsewhere and plays on your fears that maybe you should just buy another airline flight.

I have never ever paid for allocated seating but we've always been automatically seated together . Just check in bang on when check in opens .

I can see how if as soon as Easyjet online booking opens (30 days) you will probably get seats together. My point is that legally once the child is over 2 they don't have to do this (it's only a recommendation). And that they have written their computer system in such a way they make no effort to sit a 2 year old right next to their parent - they prefer to make more money (1.09 Billion last year). Also on the phone they define next to as (remember this is a 2 year old) as including across the aisle (so who is responsible if the air masks drop and what happens in the trample that would happen in an emergency). None of this is written into a warning when you book - unlike Ryanair who force you to pay £4 and not to gamble.