Should I pay to sit with my 4 year old

maman

Poppy9 wrote: »

I've never paid to prebook seats. Many years when in-flight meals became optional a friend in travel industry told me if you booked a meal you were allocated seating as they like to have all the foodies together on the plane as it made it easier to serve meals. Never let us down and saved us double paying.

FOODIES???:eek: eating airline meals, you have to be joking!!


And while I'm lowering the tone of this intense discussion, isn't there any parent out there who would love to travel in peace while some other poor s*d had to put up with their child??:rotfl:

duchy

Alias_Omega wrote: »

I would not pay...


Not my problem. The airline should highlight that there is a 4 year old flying, and allocate a seat automatically next to a parent. They hold everything about the person, so why not do it.

If they did split us all, the person next to them becomes the responsible adult, and who is going to calm them during the take-off roll?

Airlines fault..

Parents do tend to fall into two distinct groups when travelling ........the self entitled type "But I have a child !!" are a PITA - said as a parent who made sure my child was always seated with me ....and that he was also kept occupied so he didn't annoy other passengers.

Voyager2002

George_Michael wrote: »

Not really.
Seating on aircraft is a supply and demand thing and it's a fact that a large majority of passengers prefer aisle or window seats as opposed to being stuck in the middle of a row and as the preferred seating positions are limited in number, not everyone who wants one can be accommodated.
Because of this, people are often given the opportunity to prebook these seat locations, sometimes having to pay and sometimes using their frequent flyer status to do so.

Saying it's a rip off is like saying that travelling in premium economy, business or first class is also a rip off because you are expected to pay extra for these services.

No one has to pay to prebook any seat location or for seats to be grouped together, but if they are given this option and decline to do so, they have no one but themselves to blame if their family group can't be seated together (provided that the seating locations for children are within the guidelines stated by the CAA).

You are confounding two different things...

I agree completely with the beginning of your analysis: yes, it is reasonable to charge people for the more desirable seats, and anyone who chooses not to pay should not grumble if they end up sitting at the rear, beside the toilet, or wherever...

A group including small children who do not pre-book seats should be prepared to sit wherever space can be found for them, just like anyone else. However, seating the children separately from the rest of the group is not an acceptable situation.

mgdavid

savingdad wrote: »

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.

What a nasty piece of work you sound.
And up yours too.
Thank goodness I can afford to fly on decent airlines rather than the LCCs.

George_Michael

Voyager2002 wrote: »

You are confounding two different things...

I agree completely with the beginning of your analysis: yes, it is reasonable to charge people for the more desirable seats, and anyone who chooses not to pay should not grumble if they end up sitting at the rear, beside the toilet, or wherever...

A group including small children who do not pre-book seats should be prepared to sit wherever space can be found for them, just like anyone else. However, seating the children separately from the rest of the group is not an acceptable situation.

Two different things, but surely you must agree that those 2 things can interact with each other.
You say that you agree that it's reasonable to charge people for the desirable seats but then go on to say that children shouldn't be separated from the rest of the group.
What if the only way to ensure that the children can be seated next to parents is by moving someone that paid to choose a particular seat? (and you've already stated that you think it's fair for people to be able to pick a seat by paying).

If the CAA guidance is followed, the furthest a child will be fro their parent will be one row ahead or behind so that child should be easy to reach in the very unlikely event that an evacuation is needed.

peachyprice

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.

Or they could turn up at the airport early enough to ensure it's all sorted at check-in. Quite simple really.

zagfles

Poppy9 wrote: »

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!

It is sexist! And in certain US states black people were expected to give up their seat to white people! That went out with the ark too thankfully!!

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

Yes, probably exactly the same sort of people who don't notice that others' needs to sit together are greater than theirs. They think just because they've paid, others' needs can go hang. I've actually heard people say they'd never give us their seat on the bus to a pensioner because the pensioner hasn't paid.

Exactly the same attiitude as being expressed here.

Personally I'd always give up my seat on the bus to someone less able to stand, including a pensioner who travels free. And I'd always move seats on a plane if someone needed to sit with a young child.

But at least with flying, as we both gave examples of earlier, the selfish who refuse to move are often made to!

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

:rotfl:Luxury!! Ryanair, Easyjet? I've been on more luxurious buses!!

Some bus travel is for leisure you know. And some airline travel isn't. It's travel, and people travel for all sorts of reasons. Visiting relatives, business, funerals etc.

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.

I'm quite happy with the CAA guidelines, and like I said above, about 30 flights with the family and have never been seated apart.

These days I really don't care if I'm sitting with my family or not on a 2 hour flight - my 14 year old doesn't need (or really even want) Mummy or Daddy sat next to him! There's no safety issue at his age. We're going to spend the whole holiday together, it'd be a bit pathetic if we can't spend 2 hours apart!

PeacefulWaters

peachyprice wrote: »

Or they could turn up at the airport early enough to ensure it's all sorted at check-in. Quite simple really.

Probably sound advice.

The only times I've been split from my family have been due to being last to check in. Mrs PW's need to have a last cigarette ...

I'm assuming checking in early significantly reduces the risk of being sat apart on all airlines.

iammumtoone

So glad I read this thread I have never paid for seats on a plane and often been separated from who I am travelling with, fine by me I am not scared of flying, happy to sit on my own and meet up with my companion after.

I am now a single parent, my son has never been on a plane and I was thinking of taking him abroad. It would never have occurred to me to pre-book seats, I just (wrongly as it seems) assumed we would be put together. I will now pay extra if we go, all be it begrudging but I don't want the extra hassle and stress of sorting it out if we are not together.

I do go on buses with him and I would NEVER make him give up his bus seat, to the person who thought parents should make their child give up bus seats, have you even been on a bus in an accident? The people standing come off far worse than those sitting in seats (for the same reason I never let him sit in the back seat facing the aisle). I do however give up my own seat so someone in more need can sit down.

iammumtoone

zagfles wrote: »

These days I really don't care if I'm sitting with my family or not on a 2 hour flight - my 14 year old doesn't need (or really even want) Mummy or Daddy sat next to him! There's no safety issue at his age. We're going to spend the whole holiday together, it'd be a bit pathetic if we can't spend 2 hours apart!

I would disagree regarding the safety issue, if there was an emergency and the plane needed to be evacuated are you saying you would not look for your 14 year old and just get yourself off the plane leaving him to fend for himself. I am sure your first thought would be to find him and make sure he was safe before you thought about yourself.