Should I pay to sit with my 4 year old

sheramber

What do you do if you get on a bus and there are not two seats together for you and your child?

Do you expect the driver to get two people to move so you can sit together?

Andypandyboy

sheramber wrote: »

What do you do if you get on a bus and there are not two seats together for you and your child?

Do you expect the driver to get two people to move so you can sit together?

Do you book and pay in advance to have seats on a bus?;)

Paddy2eyes

sheramber wrote: »

What do you do if you get on a bus and there are not two seats together for you and your child?

Do you expect the driver to get two people to move so you can sit together?

Is there a regulatory authority which issues safety guidelines on how families should be seated on a bus?

gettingtheresometime

Andypandyboy wrote: »

I think we have all bought into the airline point of view. Yes, now we have to pay to ensure our minors are sitting next to us. I really don't think that should have to be the case. It should be a given that parents sit next to small children, and the fact that we are arguing over parents who think this is true is really sad.

Passengers should stand firm and say that they will only pay for leg room and that it is not acceptable to have to pay to sit those on the same booking together, particularly when you have small children.

Couldn't agree more.

Savingdad

I don't pay for my 4 year old to get on a bus and for the 20\30 main journey I would sit him on my lap.
If there was an airline that had this as an option I would use it as well!!

I don't pay to pre book seats for us when we fly, I actually think an aircraft is a relatively safe environment to be honest, they can't run away, they can't be abducted and I doubt anyone would get away with anything inappropriate in cattle class so if the airline want to put my 4 yo in another row of aisle and think this will help the smooth running of the aircraft then good luck to them.
If they really think they will be able to keep a screaming child clipped into their seatbelt during take off and landing without a parent there then I think they must not have children and if you guys want to refuse to move so I can sit next to him and keep him calm then go right ahead cos I know what your in for including the projectile vomiting once they have been screaming for 5 mins.
Think I'm a bad father? Think I don't care? Don't be rediculous, I just think it is obviously a rip off and con that parents who are already paying through the nose for rip off school holiday prices are even considered to have to pay extra to sit with their young child to comfort and treasure them.
Almost no where else can I think where I am forced to pay extra to be able to be there for the wellbeing of my child so no I won't be paying more, if you guys can handle my son being sat seperatly from his parents and the resulting chaos on your flights then stick to your allocated seats and thanks for being the one thrown up on.

zagfles

Andypandyboy wrote: »

Do you book and pay in advance to have seats on a bus?;)

Luckily on buses you generally get people a bit more courteous than those on this thread. I've been offered seats on buses when the kids were small often enough.

I guess all the "I've paid you haven't so why should I give up my seat" whingers would also refuse to give up a seat on a bus to a pensioner, on the basis that they paid for their ticket but the pensioner has a free bus pass Sad state of affairs really when people think what they paid for is more important than other peoples' safety needs.

liuhutOz

I'd always pay to sit next to my child, I want to make sure that I'm there for them if they get scared or need something. Surely the welfare of a child is worth more than a few quid that your saving not paying

dawyldthing

If you check in 3 hours or more before you'll more than likely sit together. I've never paid to be seated together but always have done and it's mainly as its first come first served. Obviously if the whole plane has had the same thought you might be a bitnstuck, but sit near the front on the coach and one go and queue at check in while the other gets the bags and I'd say 90% of the time you'll be ok

Savingdad

liuhutOz wrote: »

I'd always pay to sit next to my child, I want to make sure that I'm there for them if they get scared or need something. Surely the welfare of a child is worth more than a few quid that your saving not paying

What kind of company would force parents to pay extra to be certain of sitting next to their child?
Its just a form of commercial blackmail and the more people who buy into it the more the airline 2ill continue to do it.
Of course its a safety issue to not sit a child with a member if their party and what company wouldput profits ahead if safety?
I have never yet paid to book a seat as we always fly with monarch and have been told its their policy to sit family groups with small children together and we always have been so I just can't understand why other airlines would even threaten to separate families into individual seats....
Oh yes, its to encourage people to spend a bit more money for the same seat they would have got anyway.

Poppy9

zagfles wrote: »

Luckily on buses you generally get people a bit more courteous than those on this thread. I've been offered seats on buses when the kids were small often enough.

I guess all the "I've paid you haven't so why should I give up my seat" whingers would also refuse to give up a seat on a bus to a pensioner, on the basis that they paid for their ticket but the pensioner has a free bus pass Sad state of affairs really when people think what they paid for is more important than other peoples' safety needs.

There is no comparison to a bus journey as you are not able to book a seat.

But seen as we are talking about public transport I'm always amazed at the number of parents who do not sit their child on their lap or make them stand so someone more in need of a seat can sit down. As a child, who used a bus every day, I didn't have to wait for my mother to tell me to sit on her lap or stand for an adult to sit down. Men routinely gave their seats up to women which I always thought a nice gesture, now seen as sexist!

Now people pretend not to notice that someone needs the seat more than them!

But back to flying. It's "luxury travel" i.e. unlike public transport you don't have to fly away on holiday.

When you book a flight you take in to account the services they offer and extras and decide how much the extras are worth to you.

If saving £10 per ticket and having your child 2 rows away is an acceptable risk, that is your choice. You have chosen to save that £10. The airline is a business and sets out it's price list. You decide whether to give them your custom.