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!

And that is totally fine if you can sit anywhere. When I go away in groups of adults we don’t always book seats, because we don’t mind if we’re all separate or in middle seats or whatever. It’s not going to impact anyone who has paid for a specific seat. However I agree with the majority on here in that you should pay for seats with your children. No, you don’t HAVE to but, if you don’t, people who have paid for their seats may have to move to accommodate you. That’s the distinction. It’s selfish. Just think of it as part of the cost of the holiday.

Does a couple of holidays a year (fortunate i know) count as not fly much?

We never pay to select seats. The kids are nearly always placed with the lead passenger. Never behind or in front always either side of him.
Most of the time the second adult is across the aisle.

Occasionally we get placed 2 and 2.

I've even had the same people beside me on the return as on the way out!

I have never seen or heard anyone being asked to swap seats. Airlines need to be able to evacuate a plane in 90 seconds. They don't have time for parents to faff trying to get to their children.

We had that dilemma with our upcoming holiday with jet 2. Online check in was 28 days beforehand (big difference from yours!?) and in the run up I kept checking, starting to book to see how many seats left. A day or so before check in loads of seats seemed to go, as if cracked! Going home was more booked up than going out, so make sure you check both! So we did pay as I only counted about 4 places all 4 of us could sit together on way home, and not many more 2s. I'll never know if it would have worked out or not bit that check in opening time would have been nerve-wracking!

Last time went abroad with TUI we did risk it and it was fine. Loads of space left when we checked on online as soon as it was open.

I don't think you can compare groups of adults to flying with children.

I always pay to choose seats. If you don’t, that’s on you, just don’t expect others to move for you and your kids.

Wizzair will sit you next to your kids according to their website: Wizzair

We stopped paying for seats and have luckily still sat next to each other . It's a gamble but I can't see the point of throwing money away .

You are forced to pay for at least one seat next to a child on Ryanair now during booking.

this is actually the most sensible policy I’ve ever seen.

We’re the same. Fly 2-3 times a year, never had an issue. Paid twice in that time due to the flight map looking almost fully booked but otherwise been fine. Never seen anyone moved from their seats. The worst we had was myself and 2 children in a row of 3 and husband one in front on the aisle.

We have paid for 4 middle aisle seats together on our long haul flight later this year though as it will be more convenient.

It does feel like a family tax but it’s working with no challenge as is clear from this thread with most people being more than happy to pay it despite ever increasing flight costs.

We travelled with Wizzair last week, 2 adults 2 kids, no selected seats and we checked in exactly 24h before the flights.
On both legs they gave us seats near eachother :
13B/13C and 14D/14E and on the way back 30B/C/D/E.

The person who forces other people to move from their pre booked and pre paid seat so the op can sit with their children. Yes, everyone is guaranteed a seat, but not together. Which means if the plane is full, others will be asked to move to accommodate the op's family. I would not be happy at this. I pay for a certain seat for a very good reason.

I've never paid for seats! Check-in together and seats always allocated together. Whether ive been on work trips, girls trips or family trips. We've never been split up around the plane if checking in together. Maybe I've just been super lucky though?

Agree, this from the Easyjet report for 12 months ending 30 Sept 24

Profit Achieved "£6.08 per seat, a positive step towards our £7-10 target".

That sort of number isn"t atypical across the industry, margins are thin.

You can ban charging for seat choice but the airlines will have to claw revenue back by either raising base ticket price and/or increasing other charges (e.g. for fhecked bags).

No, but you pay more for more choice. Just like you pay more for hold luggage, or a meal, or speedy boarding, or business class or first class.

We fly 4-5 times a year. Actually away at the moment. We don’t pay for seats and we’re always seating together as a family of 4. I set an alarm for the exact time that check-in opens, making sure that API has been added in advance. Check in straight away and you’ll be fine.

That said, I have seen families not sat together so can only assume we’re always lucky or they don’t check in immediately. The only time we’re frequently sat at opposite ends of the plane is when my husband and I travel alone so I assume it’s some algorithm that keeps you with your kids if possible to save the hassle of passengers whinging and demanding to be moved (which I would never do, I take the risk, I’ll deal with the outcome). But plenty of entitled folk do.

I must admit, we have not been on an aeroplane since pre-covid. On that occasion we were flying long haul to the States and my OH, being over 6 feet tall decided we should book our seats with extra leg room - all well and good until we got on the plane and were sitting mid-cabin right next to the bloody toilets! The stench was dreadful and all our extra 'leg room' was mainly taken up by passengers queuing for the loo...........complete waste of money imo!

It’s easier to think of it as part of the cost of the flight rather than as an add on. Years ago flights used to be much more expensive but you had everything included like luggage, seat allocation etc. Now airlines have been forced into having a low headline price and charging for extras that weren’t previously extras.

You’re the one that mentioned your Ds was autistic. If his needs are such that he would find it extremely difficult to not be sat directly next to you or DH, then reserve your seats. If he’d be ok sitting in a seat in front of, or across the aisle to a parent, then why mention autism at all?

4 and 6?? You are a CF for considering not paying. Really hope no-one moves for your convenience the day of.

Interestingly, we booked the baby bassinet service in a China Southern long haul at Christmas with our (at the time) 4 month old DD. When we rang up to book seats they told us we couldn't. They said the passanger with the infant ticket attached would definitely be sat with the baby but if we wanted to guarentee my husband and I sat together we would have to cancel the baby bassinet service. I think it was because the check-in staff don't know which bassinet station cabin crew are going to put the crib at, so they can't select 2 seats together for us? Anyway after much panic and upset, they sat us together when we checked in both there and back, thank goodness!

So what does together actually mean?

Anyone who’s hard faced enough to ask someone else to move because they couldn’t be arsed booking seats together is either disorganised, cheap or just downright rude.

It means in front, behind, to the left or right or adjacent across an aisle.

I resent paying for booking seats too. We used to when the kids were younger though because they would have hated being separated. When youngest got to around 9 we agreed as a family that we'd risk not booking and also agreed that if we were seated separately we would just sit in those seats and not ask to move. (My eldest is now 19 and doesn't always come with us.)

Since then (from what I can remember):
Seated 4 together (Tui)
Seated 2 + 2 and fairly close (Tui)
Seated 3 separately but all in aisle seats close enough to talk - we all loved this (Easyjet)
Seated 3 together (Easyjet)
Seated 4 together (Air Canada)
Seated 3 together and 1 separate; originally all together but son got bumped to another seat once we were at the gate (Air Canada).
Seated all 4 separately though husband and I also got upgraded and both kids got a window seat and didn't want to move even though both middle seaters offered to swap (United)
Seated all 4 together (United).

Haven't flown Wizz yet though will do next month but again happy to gamble especially as it's short haul.

Basically, it's a risk and you need to be willing to take it. We would never ask anyone to move. We don't mind being asked but will refuse to move to a worse seat.

I think it’s also because if there are other people with babies who also want the bassinet seats then their travelling companion can’t take up the seat

there is a limited number of seats in bassinet rows so they are prioritised for the adult travelling with the baby