Should I pay to sit with my 4 year old

jonesMUFCforever

Dr._Shoe wrote: »

Apart from the very few seats near the exits that have unlimited legroom every single seat in that particular class is exactly the same as any other seat you could possibly sit in. If I were separated from my kid because of a selfish !!!!!!! who "has pre-booked that seat" I will make sure that their journey is as unpleasant as I can possibly make it. I will fart, belch and pick my nose and generally behave in such a slobbish manner you will wish you had moved seats. I will also drone on and on about my job and believe me, I can be 100% boring if i want to be.

I was in a cinema once waiting for a film to start and someone came in and asked us to move because we were "in his seats" that he had pre-booked. Bearing in mind that there were only about 8 people in the cinema I thought it was a bit unreasonable. My partner and I (who were told we could sit anywhere) made them wait why we gathered up our drinks and pop-corn, drinks, hotdogs and coats then we move to the seats behind. Firstly (just as the film was starting) we said in loud voices "well acyually, we get a better view from here. Then came the sneezes, coughs, sweet wrapper crinkling at crucial scenes. I'm betting he didn't enjoy the film at all.

Bring it on then! I can fart for England :rotfl: Belch and pick my nose like an Olympian.
Should make for an interesting journey - far less boring than watching some old tosh on the telly.:cool:

Poppy9

Airlines are a business and now charge for seating due to the growth of "no frills" airlines.

Wasn't Ryan air going to charge for using the toilet.

We want cheap flights but for the airline business to provide this they have to increase other income streams. We always had the duty free but then along came paying for inflight meals. For a while people paid but then the majority didn't so they had to go look else where. They did their research and found that customers were prepared to pay extra to pick their seats and sit by friends/family so in came the charges and people pay it.

I do think in this country they do it on purpose and split up travelling groups to get you to pay next time as on flights home we've never not been together.

Years ago I paid for priority boarding with Easyjet on a flight from Madrid as I had researched and found they were one of the few airports that did at the time strictly apply it. The flight was still cheap even with this extra and no having to fight to get seats with family we strolled on - I think there were less than 10 of us with priority boarding. So glad I did as there was some serious pushing and arguing before the gate had even opened and I was barely able to walk as I had a muscle spasm in my back due to sleeping on a strange bed for a week!

duchy

Ultimately it's a choice which frills you pay for.

I can pack for a week with ease hand luggage only in the US - and five days in the Med with EasyJet's less generous hand baggage allowance (Not a fan of Ryan Air and will only use them to Ireland - they are too grim for longer flights) not because I don't want to pay but I found luggage was going adrift too often when I was flying to the US on a very regular basis plus I can't stand the endless waits at the carousel when I could be on my way. Done it for years before charging for hold bags came in .

Airline food is dire - and I'm happy to eat before flying or pack a snack and I tend to check in right on check in time so when travelling with my partner (who it matters to) we always get seats together -we quite like aisle seats opposite each side of the aisle but for me travelling alone any old aisle seat will do. He sleeps , I read and we don't need to be next to each other to do that for a few hours when we will be together practically 24/7 for at least a week after we land.

If seats are important to you -pay for them .........or take a small chance and check in as early as possible on line - but don't rock up at check in just before check in is closing without preallocated seats booked and then whine or tantrum because there's only single or middle seats left.

peachyprice

zagfles wrote: »

Ooh nice strawman! Nobody said anything about "throwing people off the plane".

Oh, so they arrest you (see your post #56 and still let you fly? Really?

Lots of airlines do priority boarding for those with young kids. Or don't you believe that happens either :rotfl:Have you actually flown much?

Priority boarding is something else entirely and it not the same as being giving the same special assistance as disabled people.

When your children were little (c.10 years ago) budget airlines had no seat numbers and let families on first, proper airlines let you choose seats together when you checked in, for free. This 'pay for your seat or else' is a much more recent invention

I posted it earlier, but here's an example of someone with a pre-booked seat being forced to move: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k5820751-Jet_2_Ejected_from_a_pre_booked_seat-Air_Travel.html

Well done, you've found one example, do you want a tufty badge?

shaun_from_Africa

Dr._Shoe wrote: »

Apart from the very few seats near the exits that have unlimited legroom every single seat in that particular class is exactly the same as any other seat you could possibly sit in.

The seats might well be exactly the same but their locations differ, hence the comfort they can offer also differs depending on what a particular passenger wants or needs.


As I don't usually get up very often when flying and I like to snooze during the trip, I always get a window seat. A seat in this location means that I don't get disturbed by people wanting to get past to use the toilets or to stretch their legs and I can put a pillow against the side of the aircraft and lean against it.


Other people prefer aisle seats as these feel less claustrophobic and when in those seats you can get in and out without disturbing others, something that might be a consideration for people who have to get up on a regular basis.

duchy

Priority boarding for families has virtually disappeared now both for budget and legacy carriers. Passengers with disabilities aside you pay for it nowadays either as priority boarding charged separately or by having frequent flyer status with the airline concerned.

(again not something that really concerns me as the plane leaves at the same same whether you get on first or last and if I'm going to be stuck sitting for a ten hour flight I'd rather get on last rather than add to that time in an economy seat.)

peachyprice

duchy wrote: »

Priority boarding for families has virtually disappeared now both for budget and legacy carriers. Passengers with disabilities aside you pay for it nowadays either as priority boarding charged separately or by having frequent flyer status with the airline concerned.

Unless you're Zagfles

Murphy_The_Cat

I ALWAYS pay extra to prebook seats -- its the only way to make sure that I have a relaxing flight.

I'm never sure if the children like being sited a minimum of 15 rows away from us though

p.s. We're missing the bigger picture in all this.
The only people who need to be moved/inconvienienced are those that won't/don't pay for prebooked seats.

duchy

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

I ALWAYS pay extra to prebook seats -- its the only way to make sure that I have a relaxing flight.

I'm never sure if the children like being sited a minimum of 15 rows away from us though

p.s. We're missing the bigger picture in all this.
The only people who need to be moved/inconvienienced are those that won't/don't pay for prebooked seats.

Not true

Passengers don't know which other passengers have prepaid and often neither do the cabin crew.

I remember on one flight to the US asking the flight attendant if I could move into an empty row behind my seat - she agreed and the chap behind the empty row kicked off because he'd had his eye on it despite already being in an empty row already (there were other empty rows too) and told the FA she should move me as he wanted it and "I'm a gold card holder" (Delta's mid range frequent flyer programme) she apologized to me and asked me to move back -until I pointed out I was also a gold card holder-she checked the passenger list and apologized. He glowered at me the rest of the flight.......so issues with entitlement aren't just restricted to holiday flyers.

George_Michael

Dr._Shoe wrote: »

Apart from the very few seats near the exits that have unlimited legroom every single seat in that particular class is exactly the same as any other seat you could possibly sit in.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but every single seat in one class is not exactly like every other seat.
Apart from the points already mentioned by others regarding the window/aisle locations, there are other things that make some seats less attractive than others.

Toilet and galley locations can have a big impact on the noise or comfort for a particular seating area, as can some "communal" areas where passengers tend to congregate. Having a seat near to the bulkheads where the baby bassinets are located is often not too popular with people who want to sleep during the flight as these areas can be far noisier that areas further back.

Other factors include the location of the in flight entertainment units which are often placed under some seats. If you are in a seat with one of these units in front of you, you can have very restricted legroom.
On many aircraft, the fuselage tapers towards the back so the last couple of rows of seating are sometimes narrower than those further forward.