Paying for seats on flights

[user1471508666]

We are flying to America in October and I assumed as a family of 6 would be seated together. Looking on their extras it says you can pay to reserve seats, does that mean even if we checked in together we wouldn’t be seated together?
Should I pay the extra to ensure we are together?

Yes pay the extra to reserve seats if you want to sit together. They don’t have to seat you together when you check in and if it’s a busy flight there may not be seats left together anyway.

Yes, just pay. It would never occur to me not too, tbh, and I view it as an essential part of the total cost, like the taxes.

Yes especially if you want to sit next to your children

I agree it’s a bit of a piss take - I have just spent the best part of £50 for us all to sit next to each other on the way to Greece

honestly I think that’s why people get so annoyed when they are asked to move on planes - because they have paid extra and the other one hasn’t bothered.

If you’re with a child under 12 then they should automatically be seated with an adult.

Who are you flying with?

If the only option to reserve seats is to pay, yes you need to pay. Airlines are notorious for purposefully splitting families up so they pay next time. Children will be seated by an adult, but that could be in the row in front, across an aisle, not necessarily directly next to.

I’ve never paid and we’ve always sat together.

I don't bother to Europe as it's so quick but anything over 3 hours I would certainly pay

i am always separated from who I am travelling with otherwise, last time my dd was allocated 2a and I was 32a, we were at the desk together haha

When we flew back from America they changed the plane/seat formation and the flight was delayed by about 3 hours, we boarded at midnight.

There were so many complaints from the ‘but we paid to be together’ crowd - they didn’t get the configuration they wanted.

Most people slept - so it hardly mattered in the end.

Yes

I don’t understand why airlines do this now - just another way to make you feel shafted. I never pay, and my 8 year old has always been put beside me. My DH and DS (14) sit wherever they’re told, it’s it a problem. Just irritating.

If you’re bothered about sitting together then yes obviously you have to pay. If you’re happy to potentially sit separately then don’t.

Don’t be those people who don’t pay then expect others to swap because you think you should be entitled to sit together.

The term “with an adult” includes the row immediately behind, immediatly in front and adjacent.

This really annoys me on long haul journeys, the flights are expensive enough.

Who are you flying with? Are you prepared to take the risk that you will be split up? If so, regularly check options of booking seats to see how many have been pre-booked, and if you hold your nerve make sure you check in as soon as it’s booked. We took a chance on it last year and got seated together. It tends to be the Ryanair’s of the world that will deliberately split you up. But, if you don’t book, pleased don’t show up and start asking other people to move to accommodate you!

its massively annoying but a cost that needs to be factored in

thaf said I think it’s only Ryanair that purposefully split people up. Other airlines will try and bunch you together when you check in but if everyone else has already paid you’ll be stuck with what’s left

you won’t get six seats together but you might get split into smaller groups if lucky

Plane flights all exist at two price points - a cheaper cost for people who don't care where they sit and a higher price for people who do care. This is rational because there would be higher costs for the airlines to do the complicated logistics to puzzle together how to fill a flight while giving everyone a choice of seats. The costs to the airline are minimised by allowing those who care to select their seats, then slotting the rest who don't care where they sit into all the gaps in between. This keeps overall prices lower for everyone.

if you care where you sit or who you sit with you have to pay the higher price otherwise you are being a selfish entitled arsehole

It's really that simple.

I just check in online as soon as possible and have always ended up sitting together. It might depend on airline though. Could you check in as soon as possible and if you’re not sat together, pay then? Provided there are enough seats left together

Just pay, why would you even risk it

Many airlines overbook on the expectation of no shows on the day. This might be poor practice but it’s true. You lessen risk of being bumped with a pre booked seat.

Well if you want to be together you will have to pay for it

Tis a way for the airlines to make extra $

That is only a CAA guideline not the law. Of course airlines can have their own stricter policies but do not rely on the guidelines alone as they are not mandatory.

Have you not flown at all in the last 20 years?

Of course you need to book seats together if you want to sit together. For long haul I would think most families do - so you're more likely to be spread out if you don't book.

Airlines do sit children close to a parent but it might be on the same row or in front, not next to iyswim.

Just pay for the seats op. Long haul is hardly a cheap holiday so splash out on assigned seating.

And don't scrimp on travel insurance either, while you're at it.

Pay unless you’re happy to be seated apart or to move other paying travellers out of their chosen seats!

It’s unlikely a family of 6 would be bumped, usually there are only two or three over at most what they do is ask who wants a delay for compensation and young travellers volunteer. It’s not impossible but it would be v v rare.

I'll fess up and say the idea it's a way of the airlines making extra is a bit of a pet peeve of mine..

The money from seat selection fees goes into the overall pot and it's done (as a pp said) to allow the airlines to offer at least some seemingly low fares

If they didn't/couldn't charge for seat selection the margins are such that base fares would have to up.

If you don't pay, you might be together. You might be split in two. One person might be alone. Or you might be together. You don't know.

Some seats are seen as "better" than others. So people pay for them. Plus its very unlikely that the passengers will fit nicely into the seating configuration so some people have to be split up. As a consequence, people pay and then they have to fit everyone else in and it means people are separated.