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Original poster

Seating of families on flights when haven't pre-booked seats

46 replies

GoingVerySlowlyMad · 12/06/2013 22:17

We are due to fly with thomson fly in just under 3 weeks. At time of booking I didn't pre-book seats as had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to seat my 5 and 8 yr olds on their own anyway, so it would be a waste of money. Am now starting to panic after hearing a few horror stories, should I try and book seats together or just wait and see what happens at check-in?

OP posts:
skylerwhite · 14/06/2013 13:30

Interesting - the last few Ryanair flights I have been on, there has been a row blocked off near the front of the plane in case there is a family/parent with small children who need to sit together. It was used on one occasion by a frazzled mum + dad with 2 kids; on the other it was left empty and DH and I nipped up there after the doors had been shut so we could sit together. Perhaps that's a company-wide policy on Ryanair's part, after having complaints and delays caused by seating families with young children separately.

ShinyPenny · 14/06/2013 13:31

Blimey, why wouldn't people move for two year old twins? Or a crying six year old?!
You can't believe there'd be a plane full of such miserable souls!

SavoyCabbage · 14/06/2013 13:37

If they have paid £40 to book their seat so they don't have to have a middle seat or sit next to the toilets then they might prefer to sit next to a child. That's why they paid and booked a seat. Some people hate window seats as they are scared.

drivinmecrazy · 14/06/2013 13:50

This thread has reminded me of a particularly bad flight with Ryanair some years ago. I often fly with my DDs solo. This particular flight DD2 was just over 2 so had to have her own seat. All fine till landing. She screamed and had the biggest tantrum I've ever seen cos she didn't want to sit in her seat. The cabin crew were awful, other passengers equally unhelpful. DD1, aged 7 even more so. she turned her head away from us saying 'you are embarrassing me' despite my pleas for helping DD2 into her seat for landing. Finally resulted in the pilot putting a message through to the whole plane stating that we could not land because the child in seat X would not take her seat safely so he could not land. eventually, DD2 cried herself into submission and we landed after 30 minutes of circling the airport.
This really wasn't the worst part. A week later we were at a party where the whole conversation was centered around how EVERYONE had heard of this horrendous fracas that had delayed a flight, and 'can you imagine, what an awful family!!' Needless to say I kept my mouth shout, occasionally offering a sympathetic nod to a retired Colonel who's Tee-off was delayed cos his partners plane was late.
All it would have taken was a sympathetic cabin crew, who knew not to inflame a 2yo's tantrum.
Even more amazingly I still fly solo with my DDs , and completely envy DH who always flies solo, even if a day or two either side of when we fly. I wonder why????

twooter · 14/06/2013 13:53

Just out of interest, if you expect people to move for you, would you reimburse them? Or do you expect them to take the hit because you didn't want to?

twooter · 14/06/2013 13:56

But drivin, could you not just pin her to her seat long enough to do up the belt?

BlueSkySunnyDay · 14/06/2013 15:14

Yeah that's always been my point twooter - I've paid £52 for the family to sit together - shame you cannot sit with your family but you had that option too.

I think in the case of the bus type services, where you cannot book a seat, it would be a case of making sure you are at the front of the queue and first on the plane (so survival of the fittest basically)

If my child that was having an abdab and wouldn't behave for landing it would be back to the car seat meltdown technique of knee in their lap and pinned in whilst whispering in the child's ear that "teddy will be confiscated and you will be left at home next time" if you don't behave now

I would be mortified if my badly behaved child had delayed our plane landing, cost the airline money and delayed other take offs.....the entire plane would know the child's behaviour was unacceptable to me (even if I couldn't stop it)

VivaLeBeaver · 14/06/2013 17:07

Brian - I emailed both the caa and Ryanair and never heard back from either of them.

Coconutty · 14/06/2013 17:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Groovee · 14/06/2013 17:48

You may find you are sat behind your child as that's classed as not separating.

I've paid £160 for us to sit together to go to Florida.

I did see a Thomson flight where a family were split up and the cabin crew told them to sit down and they'd sort it. They shut the doors and off we went.

Original poster
GoingVerySlowlyMad · 15/06/2013 11:26

I'm not paying to pre book seats and I don't mind sitting behind the 8 yr old as long as someone can sit next to the 5yr old, the holiday is already a stretch for us. The person I spoke to said that when all the pre booked seats have been allocated, families who have not pre booked are then given priority for the seats that are left because of the CAA guidelines. I will get there early in order to be able to get seats together. I understand others pay to pre book but we just couldn't afford it and there is no way I would ever expect people who have paid to give their seats up for us. I am fully expecting myself and DH to be split with a child each and really don't mind that.

OP posts:
junkfoodaddict · 18/06/2013 05:59

Always pre-book our seats but only get charged either £5 or £10 per person. think the latter for a return. I would NEVER risk not sitting next to a member of my family/friends.
What's more important - begrudging to pay the extra (which I can somewhat understand at the prices some airlines charge) or sitting next to your children? For me, I'd pay £100 to ensure my LO was next to at least one parent.
Also, seething for those who have experienced the worst side of people on planes, i.e. refusing to move. Be tempted to highlight the bad behaviour of passengers AND stewards in the press!!!

Trazzletoes · 18/06/2013 06:25

I've been on flights before where I have paid to pre-book seats and then been moved because a family had not pre-booked and otherwise could not be seated together.

It's really bloody annoying when you pay for a service which is then retracted because someone else decided that they didn't want to pay because they would get it regardless.

And of course the refund comes through by way of a voucher of your next flight with a contender for worst airline ever that's Continental by the way

BlueSkySunnyDay · 18/06/2013 15:01

Trazzletoes I hope you insisted on a cash refund.

I saw in the paper someone was complaining about being asked to pay for her seat with her husband on her honeymoon - TUI did say they had a policy of not separating children from their parents, I would still always pay to be sure (whilst gritting my teeth)

It cost my party over £100 to pre book our seats so I am afraid if some bleating cheapskate necessitates us being split up I am going to be thoroughly pissed off with them.

BlueSkySunnyDay · 18/06/2013 15:04

sorry it's the Sun Blush here

Trazzletoes · 18/06/2013 15:13

Blue no I was so thoroughly fed up with it all in the end. They did it both ways. And didn't ask, just informed us of a change to my allocated seat and here's your new boarding pass to accommodate a family of 5 sitting together.

To be honest though, coming back they wouldn't let us board until some people had agreed to travel back on another day because the flight was overbooked and everyone had turned up so there weren't enough seats.

I won't be flying Continental again. Clearly didn't use my voucher!!! But yes, ultimately they won.

fedupwithdeployment · 18/06/2013 15:19

We are flying Easyjet to S of France in a couple of weeks. I haven't pre-booked seats. We'll see what happens. The 8 yo will be fine on his own, and the 6yo would be if bribed with ipad....but obviously I would rather sit with my little darlings.

I refused to look at Ryanair flights, and BA were about £300 more.

CelticPromise · 18/06/2013 15:24

The last flight I took I was asked to move for a family. I wasn't bothered.

I'd always prefer to sit all together, I like an aisle seat etc but I don't care enough on a short haul to pay for it. DS is three and yes I do rely on the airline not allowing him to sit alone and hopefully putting him with DH.

If nobody paid for this 'service' they'd have to go back to the old system and most people would get to sit together...

AmericasTorturedBrow · 18/06/2013 15:40

I can't believe the whole plane is full of people who've pre booked seats though. I get the argument that if you've paid more for your specific seats the you shouldn't have to move from them but I'd warrant the most miserable fuckers are cheap AND move refusing.

In all honesty if I was asked to move so a young child wouldn't be separated from their parents, sibling as I wasn't being separated from mine, I wouldnt care. Which is why I don't bother prebooking

HairyPotter · 18/06/2013 15:42

All it would have taken was a sympathetic cabin crew, who knew not to inflame a 2yo's tantrum

Seriously? What should the cabin crew have done? Your child wouldn't sit in her seat for landing? Should they have said 'oh never mind, let's land anyway'

Sorry for being unsympathetic, but I would be cross at being delayed for 30 mins because you couldn't get her to sit down and be strapped in.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 18/06/2013 15:43

*so long

And should caveat that mine are 18mo and 4yo but as long as one parent was with each child, or DH and were traveling without DC, I wouldn't be bothered about us being split up

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