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Original poster

Paying extra to book seats

15 replies

gingermary · 19/04/2016 18:26

We live overseas and travel to uk once a year to visit family. This year have booked with BA and after booking tried top rebook seats as have fone previously to discover there is a charge for this. Is this common practice now on all airlines? Our currency exchange is terrible at the moment, the flights have cost much more than last year so the extra charge makes a difference and annoys me a bit.?um traveling alone with a 5 year old and 2 year old, I don't mind where we sit as long as it's a row of three by the window- should I just leave it and hope we get decent seats at check in? Surely they won't split us over an aisle.

OP posts:

Notsoskinnyminny · 19/04/2016 19:07

I know Lufthansa and SAS have started charging, it added £50 to DDs last flights just to select her seats for the longhaul legs. I'm flying out with Air France next month and didn't pay as they give you the option to select your seats 30hrs before departure for free so hopefully BA will have a similar deal.

BikeRunSki · 19/04/2016 19:09

KLM do this, but Jet2 didn't.

MadisonAvenue · 19/04/2016 19:17

There was a thread about this not long ago and I'm sure that people were saying about how they'd been split up around the plane, and not just across an aisle. We're flying long haul with Virgin later in the year and to prebook seating will add £200 onto our total cost.

Akire · 19/04/2016 19:21

The problem is if most other people book rows or a window seat you could well end up with a two and a one across the asile. Are you willing to pay someone else the £50 to have their window seat or would you expect them to swop for free?

SoupDragon · 19/04/2016 19:23

You've e had to pay with BA for years. You didn't have to pay before as you were travelling with an infant though.

holidaysarenice · 19/04/2016 19:26

They can and will split you over aisles. I flew home recently and as there were so many kids on the plane and others had prebooked there were no options but to split across an aisle.

I would swap an aisle for an aisle as I was alone and don't prebook. But if you choose to run the risk to save money I wouldn't swap to disadvantage myself or if it put me near a potentially annoying passenger.

It's up to you whether you risk it or whether it's work paying. It's a cost of the flight in my opinion.

Hulababy · 19/04/2016 19:41

Also bear in mind that 'seated together' when it comes to children can also be row in front or behind, not just across an aisle.

I wouldn't take the chance with children that age - I'd pay to guarantee seats together

budgiegirl · 19/04/2016 19:58

We flew with BA over Easter, didn't pay for seats, and we were all sat together (over an aisle, but there are 5 of us).

If I remember correctly, I think BA say that they will sit children 11 or under with a parent . They allocate seats 5 days before the flight I think, although ours were allocated earlier than this. It might be worth checking your booking details to see if your seats have been allocated yet.

mumofblueeyes · 19/04/2016 20:02

I've just flown from India with my young son. When they open the online booking (24hrs or so before) you just get online and book the seats in a row, you don't need to pay extra. Different for shorthaul but that's how longhaul works.

mumofblueeyes · 19/04/2016 20:02

budgiegirl · 19/04/2016 20:04

From the BA website
If you are travelling with children (between two and 11 years), we'll allocate your seats five days before departure. If you can't be seated together, we'll make sure each child is seated with an adult from your group

So I would think you'd be alright. You may not get a row of three by the window, depending in the aircraft, so if that's important , I'd pay, but otherwise I'd chance it. I guess you could be across an aisle.

Original poster

gingermary · 20/04/2016 08:34

Thanks for all the replies, makes sense that I hadn't realized this was fairly standard as the last few years I have either had an infant or we have gone the long way round with Emirates. Think I might just bite the bullet and pay, will be a much easier trip if we are three together on our own little row. Just have to remember to budget for it next time.

OP posts:

Hulababy · 20/04/2016 16:54

If you are travelling with children (between two and 11 years), we'll allocate your seats five days before departure. If you can't be seated together, we'll make sure each child is seated with an adult from your group

Seated together may, however, mean separated by the aisle or on the row in front/behind. So, it depends how much you want to risk it.

SJane45S · 11/05/2016 08:52

So read this thread about an hour ago and thought I'd better check if we (me, my husband and our DD) had allocated seats for our August holiday to Costa Rica with BA. We don't.

As Hulababy says, one of you will definitely be sitting next to or opposite your child. On a long flight though it does help if there is 2 of you to help entertain/manage your DCs. I just know in that scenario that we were split up that it would likely be me both flights doing the childcare and emerging from the plane stressed and stained! Online booking opens 24 before and there's free seat allocation. However, I'm worried that it will be a busy flight peak summer holiday time so just decided to book the seats. They are not cheap! The front seats and last 2 rows at the very back of the plane had gone and for both flights, about 1/4 of seats had already been booked. The window aisle was £36 per seat (£38 for very back) and £31 per seat for the middle row.

Reality is that we may have got seats all together with a window if we'd checked in online 24 hours before but equally it could have been a bun fight! It's just added an extra £200 to the flight though!

bojorojo · 20/05/2016 02:35

I hate seats at the back near the Loos. I round not pay for these. We rarely pay and usually check the seats the minute online booking opens at 24 hours before the flight. If we do not like them, we move them and print out the boarding cards at home. I think though that I may pay in your situation and choose the seats in advance. Some will be gone already but at least you can see what the position is and get the best you can. Seating also depends on which aircraft they are using so check that before you book. Avoiding the toilets is my main goal so mid cabin or near to the front is ok. Def minutely not the back!

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