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Should I pay to sit with my 4 year old

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  • ferf1223
    ferf1223 Posts: 8,936 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture

    I applaud those who stand up and say, "as an airline you should not be charging me for stting with my small child" I couldn't take the risk myself, but we shouldn't denigrate those who can.

    my issue with those who do is the idea that I should be quite happy to move out of my pre-booked and possibly pre-paid seat to accomodate their family who opted not to make arrangements to ensure they were sat together.

    If the only parties affected in all this were the airline and the parents/children then more power to all of them, make your case and stand your ground. But it's not, it's other passengers who it appears should just suck it up because someone is travelling with a kid and decided not to pre-book/pay since they feel the airline should just sort it out for them.

    I will happily swap like for like to make it easier for a family - sure. I shouldn't end up in a much less agreeable seat and away from my husband because a family decided that it was their right to be sat together and the airline's obligation to make sure that happens to the detriment of other passengers.

    As an aside, I would be more likely to accept a seat move for an elderly or disabled person...because neither is typically a choice of the individual.
    Does remembering a time that a certain degree of personal responsibility was more or less standard means that I am officially old?
  • iammumtoone
    iammumtoone Posts: 6,377 Forumite
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    edited 8 March 2015 at 3:12PM
    zagfles wrote: »
    Driving eg 200 miles to the UK seaside is far riskier than flying.

    Its not the safety aspect that puts me off, I am well aware that travelling by car is the most dangerous form of transport. It is the hassle of it that puts me off, for a start we would have a long journey to the airport, then the waiting around, the trying to keep an active child occupied and that's even before we get on the flight :eek:

    We live 30 minutes away from the seaside :) even then ds gets bored travelling to get there!
  • iammumtoone
    iammumtoone Posts: 6,377 Forumite
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    Poppy9 wrote: »
    I travelled by public bus every day to an from school during and any other time we went out with my mother as she didn't drive. Only accident on the bus we ever has was my mother sliding off her seat (seats were leather then and the fabric of her coat made her slip off the seat when we cornered (I'm laughing remembering it). Other than that a few bangs from the top deck hitting branches. Not sure how young your child is but until we were too heavy or too embarrassed we had to sit on her lap. If we stood up she had aisle seat and had her arm around us. Never once fell and tbh spent most of my bus journeys standing as buses were always heaving when I was young.
    .

    He is too old to sit on my lap now. I am not sure if I have been unlucky or you have been lucky but I have been on a bus in a accident and I use them far less frequently than you do. The bus had to stop sharp to avoid a car turning into the road (the car was in the wrong). I also know people who have been in bus accidents on one of those occasions the one person standing was flown down the aisle and had some very serious injuries.
  • Poppy9
    Poppy9 Posts: 18,833 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Do you book and pay in advance to have seats on a bus?;)
    On a Greyhound yes!
    :) ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
  • zagfles
    zagfles Posts: 21,452 Forumite
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    They are GUIDELINES, in an ideal situation. They are NOT CAA law.
    They are guidelines which airlines follow because they don't want to be liable in case of an accident.

    Selecting a "preferred seat", on the other hand, doesn't entitle you to that seat. Read the T&C's, no airline will guarantee you the seat you "selected". If the cabin crew want to move you, they can and will. Like it or not.
    If you contact an airline claiming that you have special needs because you are travelling with children they will tell you to get to the airport early or pay for seats, that's all. Being a parent is not a protected status that absolves the need for common freaking sense.
    They know the ages of everyone travelling and they know the CAA guidelines. I have never paid and have never been separated from my kids. I don't care if that annoys you :p
  • zagfles
    zagfles Posts: 21,452 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Chutzpah Haggler
    Its not the safety aspect that puts me off, I am well aware that travelling by car is the most dangerous form of transport. It is the hassle of it that puts me off, for a start we would have a long journey to the airport, then the waiting around, the trying to keep an active child occupied and that's even before we get on the flight :eek:

    We live 30 minutes away from the seaside :) even then ds gets bored travelling to get there!
    Well yes, those are separate issues! We found it easier travelling by car/ferry generally when the kids were younger. It was mainly half term getaways we flew for...
  • bagand96
    bagand96 Posts: 6,549 Forumite
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    edited 8 March 2015 at 4:28PM
    This thread got very exciteable very quickly didn't it!

    To be fair to the OP, i don't think anyone has suggested that other passengers should have to start playing musical chairs and sacrifice payed for seats on the aircraft as a family with young kids board.

    An airline should have decent systems in place to seat young kids with the adult that's travelling with them. Granted no system is infallible, you'll always get the full flight where the family are the last four to check in so have to make do with with the last four random seats. But in these rare situations you'll usually find cabin crew are good at resolving (without much of the drama described on this thread).

    In the good old days before they allocated seats, in the Ryanair boarding scrum they always made an announcement for "passengers travelling with young children" to board before the rest of the riff raff. Parents didn't have to pay for that. Even Ryanair could manage it then!

    Also worth remembering that anybody who reserves a seats in advance, even if paid for, it's never guaranteed as per all airlines terms and conditions.

    As a pretty frequent flyer i'd not be very happy with an unattended four year old sat next me who's parent is 5 rows behind.
  • zagfles
    zagfles Posts: 21,452 Forumite
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    edited 8 March 2015 at 4:15PM
    Poppy9 wrote: »
    But by the same stance if you don't pay to sit with your travelling party you could have a child or adult with travel sickness next to you!
    Or even worse, someone on a stag/hen do!! Had some of those behind me and were far more annoying than any kids.

    Unfortunately there's no way of selecting a seat where nobody sat in front, behind or to the side of you is annoying. Unless you're a very big group!
    And that is the whole point, you can start your holiday without any hassle or stress if you pay. If you don't pay you take a chance on seating, it might work out, it might not and then you have stress of trying to sort it.
    I've never had any stress about seating. Seems people who pre-book seats get very stressed judging by this thread ;)
    I'm not offended by it and think it's courtesy. In the same way I would show consideration to an older person and if they want to call me ageist they can but I still feel I am doing the right thing.
    Personally I'll give up my seat to those less able to stand, for whatever the reason, not those of a particular gender, race or age.
    See everyone is assuming that if people have paid to sit together, if they are not with a young child they have no need but as stated earlier in the thread by another poster they pay because they are scared of flying so need to be with someone close. My friend travels with her grown up autistic son, she always prebooks as he would get upset at sitting by a stranger. There are many reasons why people decide to pay to sit together, I would assume they feel a need for this else why pay. Why though should these people have to justify to a stewardess and a plane full of people why they prebooked their seats and why they wish to stay together?
    As I said before if they have special needs they should inform the airline. The airline are aware of peoples' ages already, so should plan accordingly.
    I have never heard anyone complaining about pensioners having a seat when they haven't paid.
    Well you're seeing the exact same attitude here. "They've not paid and I have so why should I move just because their need is greater, it's not fair boo hoo...". Diddums.
    I've heard whinging they can't get on the 8am/8.30 bus full because its full since pensioners have had free travel passes.
    Well they're a bit thick then considering pensioners' free passes aren't valid before 0930 :rotfl:
  • Poppy9
    Poppy9 Posts: 18,833 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 8 March 2015 at 4:23PM
    zagfles wrote: »
    . "They've not paid and I have so why should I move just because their need is greater, it's not fair boo hoo...". Diddums.Well they're a bit thick then considering pensioners' free passes aren't valid before 0930 :rotfl:
    They are in Wales. No time restrictions at all.



    Travel by bus - for FREE!


    If you live in England, senior citizens and disabled people can travel FREE on local buses anywhere in England between 9.30am and 11pm on weekdays and all day weekends and public holidays.
    If you live in Wales, over 60s and disabled people can travel FREE on local buses in Wales at any time - there are no time restrictions. People living in Wales can also use their passes to travel free on cross-boundary journeys in and out of England, providing the journey starts or finishes in Wales.
    - See more at: http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/travel-help-and-accessibility/senior-travel/#sthash.M4iiotq7.dpuf
    http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/travel-help-and-accessibility/senior-travel/
    :) ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
  • Poppy9
    Poppy9 Posts: 18,833 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I made a request of parent on a flight home from Spain!
    :) ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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