MSE News: Scrap 'family tax' that pushes parents to pay to sit next to kids

develyn_UK

Yes, this happened to us on the way back from Oslo at Easter. We checked in together but we were all in different rows.

If this had ever happened when my daughter was younger I would have just told her to cry and scream until she was reseated next to me. No one wants to travel with a howling child next to them.

Massivenapa

My Sister was allocated seats all over the plane for her. my Mum and her 3 young kids. She rang Jet2 who advised that they were not permitted to sit children wioth strangers and that on the day they would arrange to sit them together which they did. I myself when travelling alone on a Jet 2 flight had paid for my seat but on the day was advised they'd changed my row in order to accommodate a family, this was fine by me.

Rather than screaming about it, why not just ring the airlines helpline first - I'm sure they'd be accommodating! Jet2 at least, are great!

chris_Withall

No I don't want to have to sit next to my kids on a plane they are a total pain in the A$£%. let someone else put up with them and let them complain to the airline

webmuppet

Airlines are awful companies and I'm not surprised they'd stoop to this sort of tactic to play on the fears of parents that they will be separated from their kids. At least I know who to avoid now.

gingerdad

its not a family tax

zagfles

stuart.kelly wrote: »

Jet2 from Rome- seated 2 rows behind on opposite side of aircraft from wife and son. After take off, noticed an empty seat in front of wife so went and sat in it. Stewardess demanded £12 or return to my original seat.
The seat remained empty for the entire journey.

Was it an emergency exit/extra legroom row?

zagfles

Pollycat wrote: »

Just because you haven't been seated separately from your family doesn't mean it is a 'non-issue'.

This thread says it is actually an issue.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5191900

No it doesn't.

scart

Myself, partner and 4 year old daughter flew with jet 2. I feel that paying to sit next to a minor is not acceptable. I was sat in the same row as my daughter but she was sat on the opposite isle between two adults? My partner was at the other end of the plane. I spoke to the air hostess once boarded who was not interested. Luckily for me a very nice young lady swapped with my daughter (probably because of her crying and fidgeting). If the airline can guarantee my daughters safety then I'd accept this. How do I know that my daughter may be at risk, I don't know who would be sat next to her, it could be a !!!!!phile? I would only have to turn my head for a minute and something could happen.

Pollycat

zagfles wrote: »

No it doesn't.

Well, that's your opinion.
The post I quoted stated it was a 'non-issue' because he had travelled with his children 'many many times and never been seated separately'.

It certainly reads like this family found it an issue:

holidaysforme wrote: »

I flew with Easyjet over the February half term. A family with a six or seven year old were not seated together
In fact all three of them were separated by a row between them. The cabin crew asked three people if they would move. None of them agreed!
They should have paid if they wanted to ensure that they were all sat together.
Their sense of entitlement didn't go down very well with the other passengers:D (the parents that is) Hopefuly they've learned their lesson;)

and this one:

holidaysforme wrote: »

Zagfles, you sound like exactly the type of person I'm talking about:D AS I said earlier, I was on a flight in February where the cabin crew asked three people to move so thst a family could sit together. All three refused. Nothing happened, the tightwad parents just had to suck it up:)
I have refused to move in the past. Wasn't arrested when I got off the plane either:rotfl:

But I don't mind if your opinion differs from mine.

Shaza2069

I've just had to pay £9.50 to sit next to my 11 year old disabled child with Thomson's, they allocated us three seats my son in the middle, my friend next to him in the aisle seat and me on the opposite row, I had no choice to pay for my seat to be moved as the person who they seat him next to is likely to be strangling him after thirty mins of the four hour flight.... I had already registered us as needing assistance on to the flight when I booked months ago, surely they could see that....