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Original poster

Would you pay for reserving a seat in advance?

68 replies

chefspark · 19/01/2018 16:08

Hi There,

I've booked a return flight with Emirates from London to Brisbane. We are a family of 4 and emirates want to charge about £25 per person per leg to reserve a specific seat in advance, so that's £25 x 4 people x 4 legs!

An extra £400 on the total trip is a lot of money. We can reserve seats for free 48 hours before the flight and I was wondering if there were any other families out there who had been faced with this dilemma??

My kids are aged 5 and 7 and we obviously don't want to run the risk of having them sit in seats away from us but I was wondering if most people reserve their seats when checking in online rather than paying for the privileged in advance?

Cheers

OP posts:
Shopgirl1 · 19/01/2018 20:43

I wouldn’t be over the moon to move, I hate flying, but have to fly a lot for work unfortunately. I always book an aisle seat as I’m more comfortable there for some reason, but I do move whenever asked in this situation.

The airlines have created this situation and the right thing to avoid all of it would be just allocate seats together to families with young kids flying together.

SavoyCabbage · 19/01/2018 20:46

I'd be more worried about ending up in a middle seat than I would being separated. It's bad enough as it is in an aisle or a window seat.

I'd either book all of the seats or book the two end seats on a row of four, sit in the middle of a block so you aren't near the toilets.

expatinscotland · 19/01/2018 20:48

'Seriously expat, you would “punch their lights out” rather than let them by to try and save their child’s life?'

I don't care if they're going to save their phone, or whatever their reason is, if they're obstructing everyone else's getting out, if I don't punch 'em, I can guarantee someone else will. No one cares about anything in a burning craft except getting out. Sorry, but no, I'm not going to sacrifice my own children or my life (I have kids, too, who need me and have had a great deal of hardship in their lives already). So I make them my responsibility and get seats together. We have been on fully booked flights that meant DD was in the row and seat directly behind mine and another time DH was across the aisle from DD1, but nope, I don't expect others to shuffle about because I'm entitled to their seat.

expatinscotland · 19/01/2018 20:50

'The airlines have created this situation and the right thing to avoid all of it would be just allocate seats together to families with young kids flying together.'

Customers have, too, by wanting cheaper and cheaper travel.

Thistlebelle · 19/01/2018 20:50

Shopgirl people in emergency situations don’t behave in a rational fashion.

expatinscotland · 19/01/2018 20:56

'Shopgirl people in emergency situations don’t behave in a rational fashion.'

Exactly! You can't breath, you're burned or injured, it's fight or flight.

ElanorGamgee · 19/01/2018 21:03

We never pay, always sit together.

CAA guidelines- Europe only.

OlennasWimple · 19/01/2018 21:05

Given how painful it is to get out of a plane normally, when everyone is going in the same direction in a reasonably orderly fashion, it would be nigh on impossible for someone to go in the opposite direction in an emergency situation unless they were able to climb over empty seats.

But apart from safety, being near your kids is more about keeping them entertained and under control, isn't it? It's not ideal to do that from the row behind but it's possible (and it means that you can tell them not to recline into your lap!)

DoubleLottchen · 19/01/2018 21:14

I wouldn't pay.

I don't really get all the angst about having to sit next to each other on planes, to be honest, especially on short flights - obviously overnight flights are a different issue.

I travel by train and bus with the DC a lot, often they end up seated a few rows apart from me if it's busy, and have since they were too big to go on my lap. Nobody seems to think this is terrible. I've never asked anyone to move, although occasionally people have offered.

I don't understand why a plane is viewed so differently.

Thistlebelle · 19/01/2018 21:30

Double I think because trains and buses are different from planes. On flights there are rules about staying seated during certain periods, about keeping your belt on, people are serving food and offering choices, seats are close together and kids often end up kicking seats.

There’s far more to deal with for a child on their own than sitting in a bus or a train.

Original poster
chefspark · 19/01/2018 21:43

I think expatinscotland needs to chill out and pour themselves a dram...

The question wasn't - Should i make someone who's paid for a seat move because I'm a selfish prat who has kids?

It was more - Do you recon if we wait until the 48 hours before the flight when online checkin starts there'll be enough spare seats for us all to sit together, saying I haven't flown long haul in a while??

OP posts:
Thistlebelle · 19/01/2018 21:52

The answer to your question OP is quite straightforward:

Possibly - but only take the risk if you don’t mind sitting apart from your five year old.

ElanorGamgee · 19/01/2018 21:57

OP I wouldn’t, never have and we are always sat together, never book budget airlines.

It is note in their interest, I hope the CAA common sense advice prevails wherever and whoever you fly with.

Indianamanor · 20/01/2018 18:03

We fly at least 4-5 times a year, have never and will never book to reserve seats and have never been separated from our child. I wouldn’t even mind if DH and I were separated, but that has never happened.
People saying pay or accept you may be separated from your child are just wrong. The only time you’d be allocated seats separated is if the plane is full and you are one of the last parties to check in. In this case they move people on the plane so children are seated with parents. Some people may not like this, but it IS what happens. We’ve never asked anyone to move for us, before crazy people rage at us.
if I was travelling without kids I would happily move so a child can sit with their parent. What kind of person wouldn’t? (A very cunty one)
A few years ago all airlines allocated seating for free and nothing really has changed in that process except that now you can pay lots of extra money for it if you —are a mug— want to.

Reallycantbebothered · 20/01/2018 18:53

I think it's (most ) airlines way of thinking you're getting a good deal with them when you first book with them , before doing research beforehand regarding hidden extras
Obviously Emirates pricing was competitive for this holiday...before adding on this 'extra'
Funnily, If you fly business class with Emirates you don't have to pay this premium Hmm
I personally wouldn't be willing to take risk that you may not get seats together , so I'd pay the premium...
and please don't complain or expect others to move because you didn't pay the extra!

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 20/01/2018 21:04

In this case they move people on the plane so children are seated with parents. Some people may not like this, but it IS what happens.

Incorrect.

I’ve been asked to move twice now for families who didn’t book in advance. Both times I refused, as did others on the plane. The cabin crew can’t make people move as the seats the family were allocated complied with the CAA (the children were seated next to their parents - next to in airline terms covering the row in front or behind).

FartsMeanHearts · 20/01/2018 21:09

No way what a waste of money.

Just check in online early

jellybeanteaparty · 20/01/2018 22:24

If you have 4 flights could you just pre book the seats on the longest legs and risk 48 before on the shorter legs. This would half your costs.

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