AIBU to book these seats on a flight?

[Deekaytwo]

We've got row 7A&C seats booked on our upcoming 4hr flight, the middle seat is blocked off and we always use it to put our DS(nearly 2) in after take-off and before landing.

We often get the first row and it really makes a massive difference when travelling with DS: the extra space at the bulkhead is invaluable for him, and to keep him contained to not bother other passengers.

We didn't manage to book early enough this time, however according to the seat map 1C&F are empty (usually just blocked for the comfort of the Gold member seated in the other seat), these usually open up just before the flight.

So: am I being unreasonable to move us to the empty seats in the front row and hope/expect 1A or 1D to move so that we can sit together? They'll still have their aisle/window and won't have to sit next to a baby, so I think it's win-win..

Not to drip feed, I'm also 5 months pregnant, so anything to make things more comfortable really.

YABU: Stay in you're current seats and let the fancy Gold members keep the empty seat next to them!

YANBU: It doesn't make any difference to them and will make your journey more comfortable (and probably everyone elses as DS will have more room to be contained)

You sound like a walking parody 😂

They are booked into row 7 and want to swap for row 1

@Tomorrowillbeachicken yes they are currently booked in row 7. The proposal is to change their booking to seats in row 1. The issue is they can't get their seats together in row one. They would be asking a passenger to move from one seat in row 1, to another seat in row 1. They would not be asking anyone to move to row 7. HTH

Also if they’ve booked 7 a and c they are already next to each other… only difference is extra leg room

Read the OP’s posts again

Yeah this should be filed under junk that cabin crew shouldn’t have to deal with as ppl like OP are CFs. Their original seats are fine

The cabin crew wouldn't give a shit if the passenger in 1c politely asked to swap with 1d

Agreed, based on last we heard..

As I understand it the OP already has a very decent pair of Club seats, 7A and 7C and is hoping that the cabin crew will kindly unblock 7B to allow the <2 year old some room.

However they want to gild the lily (well on second thoughts ..it’s BA Club…) by moving up to Row 1 to get the bulkhead in front rather than a row of seat backs. Problem is on current availability moving to row 1 probably means splitting across the aisle.

To solve that next problem they then want to ask for the other passengers in row 1 to swop so they can return to an A/C or a D/F arrangement, no doubt so that then they can then ask the cabin crew to clear the blocked seat….

Sounds like a right faff and potentially a source for upset… I reckon most would probably find the 7 A/C Club seats acceptable.

@Tomorrowillbeachicken why would cabin crew have to deal with anything? Literally all that would need to happen is someone stand up and shuffle to the other side. It's not a big dramatic affair.

I asked a couple a few weeks ago if they'd swap with us and they said yes absolutely no problem, and then I indulged them by listening to all the stories of their grandchildren for an hour while they coo'd over my baby. No one cried, no one died, everyone was happy.

But atm no one has to swap at all as all are seated together…

@Tomorrowillbeachicken

But atm no one has to swap at all as all are seated together…

Exactly.

This is fundamentally about the OP wanting the bulkhead row, it’s not a case of swopping because the family has been split up across the aircraft.

I’d understand the swapping if you’ve been split and can’t be put together as there’s nothing but split seats but this persons just a CF and if the person above deliberately put themselves in that position then they are too

Why so petty?

Assuming that you don't need to be on a particular side of the plane, moving seats will not inconvenience you whatsover.
And if you do, just say no.

I can assure you, as someone who has been allocated Seat 1A, I wouldn't be too amused at your assuming people would swap around for you. The seats you have are together. Why would you change them for seats that are not together? You currently are able to put your child in the B part. I would anticipate that may not be the case if you find yourself sat next to someone who has chosen to sit in Row 1. Unless you wish to end up as an Entitled Parent on Social Media for the next ten years, I would strongly suggest you keep the seats you have.

I wouldn’t move from prebooked and carefully chosen seat.

YABVU

When I get on a plane, I just want to get in my seat, pop my earplugs in, and go to sleep. Don’t ask me to swap! Don’t ask my family to swap! I don’t want to have a conversation with a random. I don’t want to explain why I won’t move. I don’t want to be spoken to unless it’s an emergency. I just want to do my journey in peace.

Leave us introverts alone. 🤫

I don’t think it’s ok to ask people to move in this situation tbh.

A lot of people will quietly feel unhappy about moving but feel obliged to say yes anyway.

If you were being seated separately from your partner or something then maybe ok to ask, but not just to get the bulkhead.

I have flown numerous times with babies and toddlers, in economy with them on my lap all flight, including long haul, and never in the bulkhead seats. We managed fine.

This is really not important enough to inconvenience other people for.

What’s going to happen if you get on and one of these is a single parent with a baby or a toddler?

Why would that make a difference? If I was travelling with my baby I'd swap from one side of aisle to the other because it would make no difference to me which side I sat on.

These blocked middle seats DO tend to show up on the maps though, OP. If you scroll down towards the economy section, does it start showing the 3-3 layout? In which case, you’re fine.

If not, you might be flying on an Embraer / RJ aircraft which has a 2-2 layout throughout the cabin.

Don’t think it’s anything 2-2 such as an RJ, I’m not sure, never been on one, but surely they are A-D across the row.

The seat plan as produced by the OP shows A, C, D and F across the row…that’s standard BA Club Europe Airbus configuration with the centre seats (B, E) not available for booking, theoretically not to be used.

I usually book the front aisle seat as I suffer from claustrophobia so, bear in mind when asking as people might have specific needs.

It’s BA. Gold card holders automatically have the seat next to them blocked. It only gets unblocked once a certain number of seats have been sold (not sure what the number/ % is).
Secondly whilst the seat layout in club (business class) is the same as economy, the middle seat is blocked (it has a table there that slots into the seat) to give club passengers more room. So whilst the seat technically exists, they don’t sell it. The only time I’m aware of it being sold was when e.g. they are helping to repatriate large groups of people and need all the seats.

Actually, currently row 1 isn’t available at all as it looks like seats are blocked (row 1 can only be pre booked by gold card holders until check in opens, and the seat next to them is always blocked unless flight is full).

They are now, but the OP is proposing to move her booking to the two empty seats in row 1. Then she would ask the passengers in row 1 whether either of them would mind moving to the equivalent seat across the aisle. This would allow the OP and her husband to occupy two seats on the same side of the aisle. This then means that the blocked off seat between them (which is a thing on BA, despite half this thread saying it isn’t) could be released for their child.

Personally, I think it’s a big risk that the other passengers will say no, and is very cheeky.

However, the concept is fairly simple.

Also fairly simple is using one’s imagination about why an individual passenger might prefer a left or right sided seat because of a (possibly invisible) disability.