Not selecting seats on plane... risky?

[Worriedmotheroftwo]

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!

That's never been the case for us. Flying to various destinations at all times of year and there's always been plenty of seats available if you check in as soon as online check in opens. Before we had DD and it was just my husband and I travelling, we always did this and never had a problem. So we'd always just pay for one seat instead of two.

Obviously it's risky with kids (DD is only 1 and still sits on my lap so we haven't had this with her yet). But I think you'd be surprised how many people don't select seats before check in opens.

They wouldnt ‘have to’
They would be asked if they didnt mind.
They dont have to agree to moving

We just flew with Malaysia air and I refused to pay to book our seats for 4 of us. TBH the principle alone pisses me off - we've already bloody paid for the flight! When I looked at the seat map to chose our seats about 5 days before, there weren't any together at all. Just individual seats available.
When we checked in, turns out we did have 4 seats together anyway, without me having to pick any seats or do anything. Which also made me realise if we had paid it would have been nothing!
Also for all those people saying that it's unfair that you have to make others move - then why don't the airlines make it mediatory for you to pay? Or just bloody allocate seats for free like they always used to. They give you option to not pay, and then have to make others move. That's on the airline, not you.

Additional leg room seats hardly ever sell out - I've been assigned one several times when flying alone and checking in the day before.

I have also been asked to move from a seat I chose and paid for in order to let a child with additional needs sit near a parent. It’s just not fair. Yes it’s expensive but it is for me too and I paid and didn’t even get to benefit. I also worked overtime for my holiday costs.
wizz air appears cheaper than others but you pay in hidden extras.
you need to pay fairly for what you use. Like everyone else.

One thing to remember its for safety reasons they won't separate parents and children. Airlines know if a plane needs to be evaluated parents will not leave their without their kids.
So they need parents to be with the kids.
It's not about comfort or sharing sweeties it's about life's in evaluation

Next to doesn’t always mean directly sitting next to a parent, can meant in front of, behind or across the aisle, which I guess is how Ryanair can allocate up to 4 child seats for one adult as not many planes have 5 seats together

I've wondered this question.... I always pay to guarantee me and my child sit together....

However once I was asked to move because a man had been separated from his mum and wanted to sit together.

I said so you want me to separate from my own child?

No way did I move!

Be aware that airlines class sitting together as in front / behind / across the aisle, so why you may be seated together that doesn’t necessarily mean next to each other.

Not necessarily next to the each other.
Ryanair doesn’t sit you together.
12 of us went once all sat completely separately.

Same. Flying is a ballache, mostly, wherever you're sat. Unless you're first class in Emirates or whatever - that makes a difference. Anything else, one itty bitty seat in a sardine can is the same as the any other.

I’ve been asked to move. I’ve paid for my seats so me and my partner can be sat together so there’s no way I’d move for anyone who hasn’t, we all know the risks by now and I just factor it in to the cost. Doesn’t matter if it’s morally right or wrong if I’ve paid I’m not moving because airlines don’t make it easy to claim your money back if you do sacrifice your seat for people who won’t pay. I’ve also seen families have tantrums because people won’t move and the airline has given them the ultimatum of sit where they are allocated or get off loaded. I think people have had enough of chancers now and won’t move so easily and equally cabin crew have probably had enough of trying to sort it out.

It's up to you if its worth the risk, but don't complain about it if it doesn't go your way

I have lost count of the amount of times I've been asked to move by a family who haven't booked together. I pay for my seat choice every time so, no, you're not getting the seat I paid for. And why do families who don't plan this out always expect everyone else to downgrade their seat? It's never, "Oh, I have a seat in 1st but want to sit with my family so please take me seat". It's always, "I want to sit with my kid so please give up your window seat in 12A and swap with my middle seat in 499B"

We have always paid and planned for our kids to be sat with us. It's just an accepted part of the cost of the holiday.

This. We once paid a lot of money to have extra leg room in a flight from China (which we boarded after a 13 hour flight from New Zealand, so I was already exhausted at this point), only to later been guiltied into giving our seats up to another family. Admittedly their child was younger than ours but I was fuming with the airline and my husband who too readily said no worries and agreed the swap. Don't do this. If you decide to save the 80 quids and end up being split, don't beg to be together.

Our flight out on Thursday and home Sunday, were both delayed taking off due to fanny's who hadn't booked seats and were throwing tantrums at wanting to all be sat next to each other. The poor crew had to then go through the whole plane asking people who had paid for seats to move. As you can imagine, people weren't happy and said no due to the way the other passengers were being so rude and demanding, so it took quite a long time to be resolved. Just bloody pay it. This was Ryanair.

Flying back from the US with Virgin around 6 years ago we hadn’t booked seats, its was just me and my husband on that occasion. We were allocated seats eight rows apart despite there being an empty seat next to me, and the flight only being half full.

OR either make paying manditory, or remove it completely. They give people the option NOT to pay, so of course some won't. And it creates this issue. It's on the airline, not the customers who take an option which is offered.

I've been asked to move before and said no because I paid for my window seat. If you sit in the middle or idle seat I hate when people keep needing the toilet and making me get up to let them past. I don't drink before my flight, don't need to get up to go to the toilet so would prefer to sit by the window. DH prefers isle seat because of his dodgy knee. So we pay for these seats to ensure we get them. On one flight I had a woman with a kid of about 6 sitting on the middle seat between DH and me and her DC was put in the row ahead in the middle seat. She asked me to swap with her ds so he could sit next to her in window seat. I said no, sorry but I booked a window seat. Then she turned to DH and asked him to swap with her D's to sit in the middle seat in row ahead so her D's could sit next to her. DH said no because he had a dodgy knee and needed the aisle seat. Then she went and spoke with hostess who came and asked me to switch with her ds. I said no what was the point of me paying extra to book my seat if I didn't get it. The woman said I was selfish for refusing to swap. I told her she was selfish for refusing to pay to get her DS a seat next to her and expecting others to subsidise her. Then a man and lady sitting across on other side of the aisle said they'd move so woman and her DS could sit together. I think she was very lucky this couple agreed to the swap.

Worth being aware, some airlines don’t have a family seating policy (looking at you Delta!!). We paid for upgraded seats long haul and they were going to sit us separately unless we agreed to downgrade. Even facing with my small DC who was howling at the idea of not being with a parent… and seated with an adult can also sometimes mean across the aisle, diagonally etc, not necessarily next to.

I’ve also been the person who had to move from the seat I paid for, for the dickhead family who booked a holiday they couldn’t afford and didn’t pay to sit by their DC… don’t be that person.

They aren’t going to sit minors alone. Save the £80 for holiday spends

And?

If you’re on a tight budget, considering your family’s need to sit together, you really should have factored this into the overall cost of your holiday. It may not be ‘right’ that you have to pay to sit together, but the reality is you want/need to. Airports can be stressful enough for seasoned travellers - delays getting to the airport, long queues at security, heavy bags, finding overhead locker space…Many people reach the aircraft frazzled. They don’t want to be begging other people to move seats to accommodate them or be asked to move to accommodate others. Boarding is an extremely busy time for cabin crew with all of the necessary checks that need to be performed, without having the additional job of trying to move passengers who have paid for seats for those passengers who haven’t paid for seats. Don’t make life more difficult for yourself, you’ll feel much less stressed if you just pay for the seats. I’ve worked on longhaul aircraft for 20 years, I don’t agree with the charge, but it is what it is.

Not just families who expect people who’ve paid to move so they can sit together.
Had a really entitled woman demand my husband swap with her friend 10 rows back so they could sit together on a flight back from Orlando. We’d paid for extra legroom ones, DS and I in a 2, with husband sat behind in window seat so he could rest his head to sleep. Not sure why they didn’t ask the person next to her friend but they had probably said no too. She huffed and puffed for ages.

I’m sure everyone hates paying extra to select seats, but that’s the game in town so we just suck it up as part of our holiday costs. If it was just DH we wouldn’t be fussed as I don’t care what type of seat it is and where in the plane, especially short haul, but whilst DS holidays with us and at an age he wants to be at with us we pay.

Caring for your son and his autistic needs means you need to pre-select and pay for your seat. Otherwise you might find he can't sit with you directly.

If I travel with the person I care for I always pay for seats to make sure we are together so I can care for them. If others can do this, so can you.

Surely that is responsible parenting for a child with additional needs? I wouldn't be moving seats for you and your child. Easy to avoid by simply explaining I need to care for the person I'm seated next to.