pre-booking seats

photome

skippyste wrote: »

Virgin Atlantic until 2012. The Disney fun bus was musical chairs sometimes!

I'm glad you've reserved your seats. Have a lovely holiday.

maybe you should edit your post that children CANNOT be seperated from parents

I do agree that the chances of getting seats together are very good if checking in as soon as online check in opens or arriving at airport whichever is earlier

Pollycat

richardw wrote: »

They don't charge you at the Cinema, theatre, cafe, McDdy's.

Maybe not, but going to the cinema or a theatre or eating in a caf! or any other eating place is not the same as flying on a plane.

The fact is that airlines now allow people to pay to sit together and even in some instances to choose their specific seats if they wish to pay for that.

They do not have to pay, it is a choice they can make.

If they choose not to pay, then I don't see why they should expect other passengers to be inconvenienced - especially if those passengers have chosen to pay extra for their own peace of mind - just because they want to play the 'Think of the children' card.

skippyste wrote: »

Virgin Atlantic until 2012. The Disney fun bus was musical chairs sometimes!

I'm glad you've reserved your seats. Have a lovely holiday.

I've not reserved seats (and we don't know if the OP has either).


But I would if it were that important to me.

richardw

Pollycat wrote: »

...going to the cinema or a theatre or eating in a caf! or any other eating place is not the same as flying on a plane.

but in all cases families want to sit together, so why not just include it in the fares for families.

Pollycat

richardw wrote: »

but in all cases families want to sit together, so why not just include it in the fare.

It may be true that all families want to sit together (or maybe not ) but some families are OK with not sitting together if it turns out that there aren't any seats together when they check in.
Why should the cost of sitting together be included in the fare for those people?
Why should they have to pay extra for something that they aren't particularly bothered about having for free?
Why should airlines have to change their pricing policy just because some parents think they have a God-given right to be sat next to their own children but aren't willing to pay the amount required by the airlines who have created that pricing model?

Paying for 'seats together' or choosing your specific seat is a way for airlines to increase their revenue on top of the ticket price.
Same for meals.
Same for hold luggage.
If you want to eat airline food, choose to pay for it.
If you want to put a case in the hold, pay for it.

If you want (or need) to sit together, pay for the 'privilege'.
If you want to sit together but don't want to pay for that option, get to the airport check-in very, very early and hope you are allocated seats together.

The key word is 'option'.

'Seats together' is an optional extra that is chargeable.

DomRavioli

Hi OP,

Glad you chose to pre-book your seats; it is always worth it.

I was asked to move by someone who didn't pay, who also didn't know I was disabled and that my seat was specifically booked for myself. When the steward (who I happened to know as well) came over to see why this person was literally hurling verbal abuse explained that it is a medical seat for disabled travellers, it all went very quiet. I rarely sit with my family on planes, although I did sit with the sister in law and my niece in May.

And Virgin Atlantic definitely split up families if they don't/didn't pay to pre-book and got there last; my brother has been an air steward/ground crew for them for the last 9 years and has done it on many an occasion. They don't like to do it, but there is a pecking order and those who choose not to pay or turn up at the last minute get what is left.

skippyste

photome wrote: »

maybe you should edit your post that children CANNOT be seperated from parents

I do agree that the chances of getting seats together are very good if checking in as soon as online check in opens or arriving at airport whichever is earlier

Perhaps cannot is firm - I shall edit! But if someone could post the link to the Civial Aviation Authority (I'm too new to post links) there's a good read there on airline policies having to ensure children are next to or in front of parents. It's a big deal in case of emergency etc.

You've got to remember that charter airlines use agency staff for check in who are not often into the ins and out of policy. They will refer to cabin crew who work for the airline directly or ask for a check in manager/supervisor if you feel you aren't getting anywhere. So dealing with seating issues will be different from airline to airline.

If airlines made it easy in advance no-one would pay : p

Pollycat

DomRavioli wrote: »

Hi OP,

Glad you chose to pre-book your seats; it is always worth it.

I don't think the OP has said she's decided to book pre-seats.
Her only 2 posts on this thread below:

guineapiglet wrote: »

Hi,

We are going away with the kids (6 & 4) on our first holiday abroad at the end of the month. We will be flying with Monach I want to know if I should pre-book seats?

We are planning to get to the airport when check-in opens, I don't mind if we are not together as a four, or 2 pairs would be ok and could cope with 3 and a 1) but don't want to be spread out over the plane in separate seats.

should I pre-book or is this money grabbing by the travel companies

thanks

guineapiglet wrote: »

I am the worrier. But my OH is the one telling me that they could sit us all over the plane. Where I thought we'd at least get a child and adult together

thanks for the replies

DomRavioli wrote: »

I was asked to move by someone who didn't pay, who also didn't know I was disabled and that my seat was specifically booked for myself. When the steward (who I happened to know as well) came over to see why this person was literally hurling verbal abuse explained that it is a medical seat for disabled travellers, it all went very quiet. I rarely sit with my family on planes, although I did sit with the sister in law and my niece in May.

And Virgin Atlantic definitely split up families if they don't/didn't pay to pre-book and got there last; my brother has been an air steward/ground crew for them for the last 9 years and has done it on many an occasion. They don't like to do it, but there is a pecking order and those who choose not to pay or turn up at the last minute get what is left.

Some people have such an over-blown sense of entitlement.
Glad you kept your seat.

We fly long-haul charter several times a year.
Usual config is 3-3-3.
We've found that the best seats for us are central section one behind the other so (for example) either 14D & 15D or 14F & 15F.
We are usually each sat next to a couple so they get out to the loo or leg stretch on their side and we can sit in peace without being disturbed as well as being able to get up ourselves when we want to without disturbing anyone else.
This works for us because I sleep most of the way and OH listens to music.

We also like to be close to the front of the plane as immigration processes are a nightmare and being among the first off the plane can mean a difference of several hours getting to the resort.

So - we choose to pay for specific seats.
It suits us and we consider it worth the money.

However, we'd don't bother on short-haul.
If sitting together is important to you - pay for it.

Pollycat

skippyste wrote: »

Perhaps cannot is firm - I shall edit! But if someone could post the link to the Civial Aviation Authority (I'm too new to post links) there's a good read there on airline policies having to ensure children are next to or in front of parents. It's a big deal in case of emergency etc.

You've got to remember that charter airlines use agency staff for check in who are not often into the ins and out of policy. They will refer to cabin crew who work for the airline directly or ask for a check in manager/supervisor if you feel you aren't getting anywhere. So dealing with seating issues will be different from airline to airline.

If airlines made it easy in advance no-one would pay : p

Is this the link you mean?
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2207&pageid=12706

This is the relevant extract:

Families, children and infants

The seating of children close by their parents or guardians should be the aim of airline seat allocation procedures for family groups and large parties of children.

Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults, should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult.

Children and accompanying adults should not be separated by more than one aisle. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.

Whenever a number of infants and children are travelling together the airline should make every effort to ensure that they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adults.

I can't see anything about the airline 'having to ensure' children are next to or in front of their parents.

There are phrases like 'should be the aim' and 'ideally' and 'should not be separated' (as opposed to 'cannot be separated') and 'the airline should make every effort'.

As far as I'm concerned, airlines have made it easy.
They've introduced a chargeable optional extra to allow parents to have peace of mind that their family won't be split up.

How about the parents taking some responsibility and paying to ensure their children are not separated from them?

skippyste

I concede. Perhaps I was an exception to the rule at Virgin haha!

richardw

Pollycat wrote: »

..... Paying for 'seats together' or choosing your specific seat is a way for airlines to increase their revenue on top of the ticket price.
Same for meals.
Same for hold luggage.
If you want to eat airline food, choose to pay for it.
If you want to put a case in the hold, pay for it.

If you want (or need) to sit together, pay for the 'privilege'.

It's not the same as an option for food and luggage though.

Children should be sat with an adult for safety's sake. It's a good and very sensible practice for all on board an aircraft. Additional revenues should not be a priority in lieu of safety. I've been on a flight where children were not sat safely, I volunteered to swap and they were all very grateful that I did. The cabin crew were relieved that I did because it made their job easier. Put the price of food and drink up and sit the children safely.