Should I pay to sit with my 4 year old

Rolandtheroadie

I've never prebooked seats before, still not convinced booking online early or being at the airport in plenty of time isnt enough to get seats together.

Watching my flight for the end of the month, I can check-in from 25th March whilst those with reservations could check in from 25th of last month.

Still 155 seats unallocated (40 reserved). So pay £110/£170 now, or take my chances.

5 of us travelling, think I'll take my chances.

Murphy_The_Cat

duchy wrote: »

Not true

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

.

you learn something new every day :beer:

JIreland

FBaby wrote: »

If you get the option to pay for allocated seats, then of course you should pay. I have to pay to seat next to my husband because I'm petrified of flying. Some years back before this was an option, we got on the plane and there were no two seats left. I burst into tears and was extremely thankful when two people agree to move (very kindly) so I could seat next to hubby. Now that I can ensure that I do by paying extra, I certainly do. I would never expect people to move to accommodate my needs because I didn't want to pay a bit extra. I do the same for my kids, pay extra so they can seat together.

This. I'm a dreadful flyer and even the position in the cabin has a huge affect on my (the engines sound different when sat in various places in the cabin) I ALWAYS pay. That way, I know my family is all sat together in the spot in the plane where I'm happiest.

woohoo

Never paid and travelled abroad at least twice a year, every year, with a now 12 and 9 year old. Our party of 4 have only ever been split 2 in one row and 2 in another on the odd occasion. Never one alone. No problem there! Never even needed to ask at check-in either to my recollection. Seats have been automatically allocated in a sensible fashion. However I would always check my seat numbers at check in to make sure. I have been sat with my own child and someone elses on a row of 3 when their parents has been over the aisle. Always an older child (say 8 or above). I don't mind this at all. Give me that over someone with a toddler on the lap or a large space invader! Parents get stung by school holiday prices as it is and I refuse to pay more and there has never been an occasion where I wished I had done!

ferf1223

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

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.

I would agree with this...if it were only those who won't/don't pay for pre-booked seats who might be impacted...I would also add those of us travelling on airlines that don't charge for pre-selecting your seat, but you have to actually go in and do it to the list of those who shouldn't be messed with.

If you pre-pay or pre-plan, you should be left alone unless you're quite alright with a proposed change to suit someone else.

Everyone else can be shuffled around at will, as far as I am concerned.

Those who say all seats in one class are exactly the same obviously don't appreciate the differences that do exist within one cabin on the same flight...and I get that some people aren't at all fussed about where they are sat. More power to you folks, honestly...just don't expect me to move from my preferred seat selected months in advance (and under the understanding that it is not guaranteed, but is reasonably likely) and we're good.

zagfles

peachyprice wrote: »

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

Yes, if you don't obey the cabin crew's instuctions. I can give you an example of that too if you want . But of course hardly anyone would be stupid enough to let it get that far over where they sit. But then again, judging by some of the replies in this thread... you never know :eek:

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,

Well that's true for Ryanair, and possibly EasyJet, and I'm sure there were 10 page threads full of bitter people whinging about it at the time

But other budget airlines did allocate seats at checkin as I remember, eg Monarch, Jet2, BMI, and I never paid extra, I expected our needs to be catered for and for us to be seated together, and they were. Just as the CAA guidelines recommended then, and still recommend now.

proper airlines let you choose seats together when you checked in, for free. This 'pay for your seat or else'

Or else...err we'll seat you together anyway (IME) :rotfl:

is a much more recent invention

At least 7 years if not more.

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

Yes please! It'll go with my "never been ripped off by paying for something I don't have to" badge. That one's a bit big :rotfl:

zagfles

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.

Nope. Read the T&Cs - your pre-booked seat isn't guaranteed. You can be moved. Just as the Jet2 passenger was in the link I posted. Safety comes first.

Murphy_The_Cat

zagfles wrote: »

Nope. Read the T&Cs - your pre-booked seat isn't guaranteed. You can be moved. Just as the Jet2 passenger was in the link I posted. Safety comes first.

Not in my case matey.

I find that my pre booked reserved seats in First are absolutely fine.
How the children manage in Cattle Class is another amtter entirely. But then again, out of sight, out of mind etc etc.
I'm not entirely irresponsible though - I always ensure that they are sat far apart from each other so that they don't mither each other :beer:

zagfles

Murphy_The_Cat wrote: »

Not in my case matey.

I find that my pre booked reserved seats in First are absolutely fine.
How the children manage in Cattle Class is another amtter entirely. But then again, out of sight, out of mind etc etc.
I'm not entirely irresponsible though - I always ensure that they are sat far apart from each other so that they don't mither each other :beer:

Really? Which airline is this that guarantees your assigned seat?

Murphy_The_Cat

zagfles wrote: »

Really? Which airline is this that guarantees your assigned seat?

psst, I'll give you hint -- I'm taking the p*ss.