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

Pollycat

Fancyette wrote: »

I understand what everyone is saying about the tax but I am a parent with two children until 7 & have had to pay nearly £200 for us four to sit together on our family holiday flying BA in August. Why should we have to pay for seats together when it's obvious children under a certain age cannot be left to sit anywhere on a plane on their own?! Surely other passengers would start complaining if they had children "running" riot on the plane when they're not sitting with parents. It's bad enough us having to pay huge flight prices for travelling in the school holidays - don't penalise us any more, we're not all made of money!

Why did you have to pay £50 pp?

According to BA website:

Family Travel
We know where you sit as a family can make a big different to your trip so we aim to make it a little easier.
When you travel with an infant (under two years) who won't be travelling in a seat of their own, you can reserve a seat for yourself and everyone in your booking, free of charge, from the time of booking. If you don't choose your seats in advance, where possible we'll reserve suitable seats for you three days before the flight.
If you are travelling with children (between two and 12 years), we'll allocate you seats five days before departure. If you can't be seated together, we'll make sure each child is seated with an adult from your group.

"on their own"?

According to the above, your children wouldn't have been "left to sit anywhere on a plane on their own".
One would have been sat with Mummy, the other sat with Daddy.
OK, maybe not ideal when going on a family holiday but not as bad as you make out in your post.

duchy

Often it makes more sense to have two sets of two especially with siblings who squabble (or parents who do !).

Sam-mumof2

We have had to pay £100 extra to ensure our family is all seated together flying with Jet2 this summer. As a former Cabin Crew member we would always ensure families were sat together but we could never force a passenger to change seats, only suggest/ask if they would mind moving. Airlines should not making money so parents can ensure their children are safe during flights. Absolutely disgusting.

zagfles

chris-j wrote: »

I am currently waiting to check in for a Jet2 flight. Myself, my wife and my mother and I have no intention of paying their extortion money to be seated together. Currently when I go to check in they are allocating seats in different rows when there are still many rows showing with three seats on either side. Jet2 would appear to have there software configured to push passengers into paying for the guarantee.

I get the arguments they are a business and I get the issue with paying for baggage and food as these are tangibles which cost the airline.

I have already bought my seat so to then sell me the guarantee to sit with my group is extortion. This is equivalent to going to a restaurant and being seated at different tables unless you pay a fee to guarantee to be at the same one.
If there was a tangible cost involved to the airline then fair enough but this is pure opportunistic greed and p**s poor customer relations.

Even if you pay you aren't guaranteed the seat you paid for:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k5820751-Jet_2_Ejected_from_a_pre_booked_seat-Air_Travel.html

zagfles

Pollycat wrote: »

I know they were the same poster but for some reason, I quite liked the second one so included it too.

It wasn't only the same poster but the same incident they were describing! Is that the best you can do from a 13 page thread which you claim has a conclusion? Two examples which were in fact the same one!

It's a non-issue. I don't care if your opinion is different.

zagfles

Sam-mumof2 wrote: »

We have had to pay £100 extra to ensure our family is all seated together flying with Jet2 this summer. As a former Cabin Crew member we would always ensure families were sat together but we could never force a passenger to change seats, only suggest/ask if they would mind moving.

Well Jet2 do - see the link I posted above!

shaun_from_Africa

Sam-mumof2 wrote: »

As a former Cabin Crew member we would always ensure families were sat together but we could never force a passenger to change seats, only suggest/ask if they would mind moving.

The Captain of an aircraft (or someone acting on their behalf) has the legal power to order any passenger to move seats even if that seat has been booked and paid for in advance.

zagfles

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

The Captain of an aircraft (or someone acting on their behalf) has the legal power to order any passenger to move seats even if that seat has been booked and paid for in advance.

Yes, as all airlines' T&Cs clearly state.

Pollycat

zagfles wrote: »

It wasn't only the same poster but the same incident they were describing! Is that the best you can do from a 13 page thread which you claim has a conclusion? Two examples which were in fact the same one!

I know it was the same incident. :wall:

"Best I can do"?
Sorry, I didn't realise you were in charge of grading my posts. :rotfl:

zagfles wrote: »

I don't care if your opinion is different.

Pollycat wrote: »

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

:T Then we are singing from the same hymn sheet (although I phrased it in a more polite way than you did.

zagfles

Pollycat wrote: »

I know it was the same incident. :wall:

"Best I can do"?
Sorry, I didn't realise you were in charge of grading my posts. :rotfl:

It's my new job. The pay is rubbish though. Not enough to pay for airlines seats, good job I don't!

:T Then we are singing from the same hymn sheet (although I phrased it in a more polite way than you did.

Oi! Are you trying to steal my job? I'm in charge of grading posts!

10/10 for use of emotions.
7/10 for use of idioms
2/10 for English comprehension