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Original poster

Not selecting seats on plane... risky?

752 replies

Worriedmotheroftwo · 08/04/2025 00:13

Flying with Wizzair. 2 parents 2 children. Not selected seats. Selecting seats for all 4 of us would cost us £80 total. Their policy is to seat a parents with a child...

We will obviously try to check in and get seats sorted at first opportunity. Happy to be split up as long as each of our children is with one of us. But what if the plane is full of people who have booked seats though and there's not 2 pairs of seats available for us? Would we not get to go on the flight?

On one hand, £80 is a lot of extra money. On the other hand, I don't want us to not get on the flight at all!

We haven't travelled much with children so not sure how risky this is. Would welcome opinions. Many thanks!

OP posts:
HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:15

I've never paid for seats and we've always been seated together. Unnecessary expense imo especially as like you say you aren't bothered about being seated 2x2.

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:16

Other people would have to be moved. You’d look crappy and disorganised. Just pay to book seats - it’s part of the cost of going away. Don’t be those people!

kittenkipping · 08/04/2025 00:17

Book seats. £80 is nothing. The alternate is being a twat where you force people who HAVE paid their money for a seat to move in the name of kindness because you couldn’t be bothered to pay to sit with your own kids. Don’t rely upon the kindness (and financial support) of strangers to ensure your children travel with you. It’s a dick move frankly.

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:18

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:15

I've never paid for seats and we've always been seated together. Unnecessary expense imo especially as like you say you aren't bothered about being seated 2x2.

Don’t be this person, OP.

McSpoot · 08/04/2025 00:19

How old are your kids?

Blueskybird · 08/04/2025 00:19

It is a lot of extra money but the bottom line is if you want to sit together you have to pay for it. If everyone else has paid to sit together on the plane it’s really not fair for crew to ask them to move to accommodate you is it? Usually only children under 12 will be placed with a parent but this might be a cross the aisle in front or behind. Just pay in future and avoid the stress!

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:19

kittenkipping · 08/04/2025 00:17

Book seats. £80 is nothing. The alternate is being a twat where you force people who HAVE paid their money for a seat to move in the name of kindness because you couldn’t be bothered to pay to sit with your own kids. Don’t rely upon the kindness (and financial support) of strangers to ensure your children travel with you. It’s a dick move frankly.

Agreed. Although I don’t understand why airlines even allow this - if you’re flying with kids you should be required to book seats.

kittenkipping · 08/04/2025 00:20

I am biased as I have been “asked” (read forced) to give up the seat I paid for because “they are a family “ or “he’s only 8 he should be with mum”. I didn’t want a fucking aisle seat next to the fucking toilet, I paid for a window in the middle because that’s what I wanted. If you want to sit by your kids- fucking pay for it!

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:21

Wow these responses are surprising to me. I don't think I know anyone who pays for seats. It's not like you won't get one if you don't pay - it's a plane, not a train; they're not going to have you standing throughout the flight. Or sat on the wing.

MrsPerfect12 · 08/04/2025 00:22

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:21

Wow these responses are surprising to me. I don't think I know anyone who pays for seats. It's not like you won't get one if you don't pay - it's a plane, not a train; they're not going to have you standing throughout the flight. Or sat on the wing.

They don't pay to ensure they're able to sit next to their children?

PerfectPennyKilledMyHusband · 08/04/2025 00:23

If you check in as soon as check in opens online, even if you get 4 seats separately hopefully 2 of you will have empty seats next to you. Then you will only need to move 2 of your party to those seats and pay for 2 seats instead of 4.

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:23

MrsPerfect12 · 08/04/2025 00:22

They don't pay to ensure they're able to sit next to their children?

Show quote history

No, they don't, because it's not necessary.

Springee · 08/04/2025 00:23

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:21

Wow these responses are surprising to me. I don't think I know anyone who pays for seats. It's not like you won't get one if you don't pay - it's a plane, not a train; they're not going to have you standing throughout the flight. Or sat on the wing.

On a train they don't charge for booking a seat

MrsPerfect12 · 08/04/2025 00:24

You should pay. Together doesn't mean next to one another, it can mean one row behind same row but both window seats at opposite ends - are you okay with that?

TheDogsMother · 08/04/2025 00:24

It’s just the two of us and ok to be split up if necessary. It hasn’t happened so far though I understand that’s no guarantee. The cost of seat selection is also the price of a couple of nice lunches so happy with that. I understand it would be a different decision with kids.

Tetchypants · 08/04/2025 00:27

We’ve never paid for seats and always been sat together on Jet2 but never on Ryanair (who I once witnessed put a family of 5 all in seat B one behind the other).

Not sure what Wizzair’s policy is and it depends whether your kids will be ok on their own. If not, book seats. What you do not do is leave it to chance then moan if you’re not together.

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:28

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:18

Don’t be this person, OP.

Show quote history

What person is that then? The one who doesn't hand over £80 for no reason? Airlines sell as many tickets as there are seats. So when you buy a ticket you buy a seat. You can't buy a seat twice.

BreadInCaptivity · 08/04/2025 00:28

Depends on how you define risk.

Do you realise “sitting next to each other” may be a row in front/behind or across an aisle (depending on the child’s age)?

Also depends if you don’t mind risking being “that family” whose not booking means other people who have get moved and are rightly pissed off.

I don’t book seats anymore as our “children” are now young adults and we are all happy to sit apart if it comes to it.

However when younger we put our hands in our pocket because we didn’t want to risk either situation above.

If you can afford the holiday you can afford to book the seats.

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:29

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:28

What person is that then? The one who doesn't hand over £80 for no reason? Airlines sell as many tickets as there are seats. So when you buy a ticket you buy a seat. You can't buy a seat twice.

Show quote history

The one who expects other people who have paid for seats to move.

BreadInCaptivity · 08/04/2025 00:30

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:28

What person is that then? The one who doesn't hand over £80 for no reason? Airlines sell as many tickets as there are seats. So when you buy a ticket you buy a seat. You can't buy a seat twice.

Show quote history

You are buying a specific seat(s). All together.

Thats the reason.

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:31

cakeandteaandcake · 08/04/2025 00:29

The one who expects other people who have paid for seats to move.

Show quote history

Everyone has paid for seats. Everyone gets a seat.

samarrange · 08/04/2025 00:31

PerfectPennyKilledMyHusband · 08/04/2025 00:23

If you check in as soon as check in opens online, even if you get 4 seats separately hopefully 2 of you will have empty seats next to you. Then you will only need to move 2 of your party to those seats and pay for 2 seats instead of 4.

Probably most people will have booked seats, and most people will be in couples (or more). And the plane will probably be close to full because that's what happens during holiday season. There will not be a lot of pairs of seats left at check-in time, and the chance of getting two next to each other by random assignment is very small. So OP wants to sit together with a DC then they will have to pay, whether that's when they book the ticket, or at the moment of checking in, or any point in between. You can always go into "Manage my booking" and add a seat.

OP hasn't told us how old the DC are. If they are 12 or more then it probably won't kill them to not sit next to a parent for a couple of hours, but they might get asked by the person next to them why they aren't with their Mum or Dad, at which point OP might want to have them primed with an answer that isn't "because Mum and Dad wanted to save money".

On Ryanair if you book with children who are under 12, the child gets a free assigned seat but the parents are required to pay for one next to them at the time of booking. We occasionally get threads here saying how that's a violation of the parents' human rights or something.

user1477249785 · 08/04/2025 00:32

How old are your kids OP? Bottom line: if you are fine not being seated next to them if that’s what it comes to then go ahead roll the dice. If that’s a deal breaker, you lay the money. ‘Next to’ in airline terminology dyne a side by side. It could be one row in front of the other.

PyongyangKipperbang · 08/04/2025 00:32

Tetchypants · 08/04/2025 00:27

We’ve never paid for seats and always been sat together on Jet2 but never on Ryanair (who I once witnessed put a family of 5 all in seat B one behind the other).

Not sure what Wizzair’s policy is and it depends whether your kids will be ok on their own. If not, book seats. What you do not do is leave it to chance then moan if you’re not together.

I have a friend who is cabin crew. When I told her I was thinking of taking DD abroad for a holiday she said to never fly Ryanair because its known within the industry that Ryanair deliberately sit families who dont pay close enough to each other to follow the rules but make it so difficult for all involved that they pay next time. Dont know how true that is but I trust my friend and have heard enough horror stories to believe it. Especially give that prick that runs it.

HauntedBungalow · 08/04/2025 00:36

PyongyangKipperbang · 08/04/2025 00:32

I have a friend who is cabin crew. When I told her I was thinking of taking DD abroad for a holiday she said to never fly Ryanair because its known within the industry that Ryanair deliberately sit families who dont pay close enough to each other to follow the rules but make it so difficult for all involved that they pay next time. Dont know how true that is but I trust my friend and have heard enough horror stories to believe it. Especially give that prick that runs it.

Show quote history

Pretty sure that's an urban myth.

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