Thomas Cook Airlines - do I have to choose seats?

nickersonpower

My husband and I are booked onto a flight with Thomas Cook Airlines in a couple of weeks to Santorini. We have never flown with them before. What's the deal with seats? Do we get allocated them together at check in or do we just get what's there when we board, a la Ryanair? I know they have a "seat booking" service which if memory serves costs around £13 for both of us each way, so would like to avoid paying for that! We really don't want to risk having to sit apart for the 3 hour -odd long flight.

Westin

Seats will be allocated free of charge either when you complete online checkin or at the airport. You however will be allocated seats which are still remaining and available and unless you pay to preassign seats then there is a small chance that you may not be seated together.

If sitting together is important to you then you need to factor in and pay the seat assignment fee.

richardw

nickersonpower wrote: »

.... do we just get what's there when we board, a la Ryanair? ...

Ryanair do allocated seating now.

Pollycat

nickersonpower wrote: »

My husband and I are booked onto a flight with Thomas Cook Airlines in a couple of weeks to Santorini. We have never flown with them before. What's the deal with seats? Do we get allocated them together at check in or do we just get what's there when we board, a la Ryanair? I know they have a "seat booking" service which if memory serves costs around £13 for both of us each way, so would like to avoid paying for that! We really don't want to risk having to sit apart for the 3 hour -odd long flight.

Wanting to avoid paying for seats and not wanting to risk not being sat together is contradictory.

If sitting together is a 'must' for you, pay to choose your seats.
Otherwise there is a possibility that you might not be seated together.
It will depend on how many passengers on your flight have paid to book their seats and what is available when you get to check-in.

nickersonpower

It's £52 total for both flights for the two of us.- that's evening meals for a couple of nights! I don't dispute paying to reserve seats to guarantee we're sat together but that's ridiculous by anyone's standards, that's why I asked if it was really necessary.

nickersonpower

Pollycat wrote: »

Wanting to avoid paying for seats and not wanting to risk not being sat together is contradictory.

If sitting together is a 'must' for you, pay to choose your seats.
Otherwise there is a possibility that you might not be seated together.
It will depend on how many passengers on your flight have paid to book their seats and what is available when you get to check-in.

That's £52 total for both of us for both flights - that's meals for a couple of nights while we're away! I dont' dispute paying to reserve seats to guarantee we're sat together, but that's steep by anyone's standards. That's why I asked if it was necessary.

Pennywise

You pay the money or you take the risk of not sitting together. It's your choice as to whether sitting together is important for you. It all depends on how many of the other passengers have chosen their seats during booking and how early you are to check in. I would imagine it varies enormously between flights.

Pollycat

nickersonpower wrote: »

That's £52 total for both of us for both flights - that's meals for a couple of nights while we're away! I dont' dispute paying to reserve seats to guarantee we're sat together, but that's steep by anyone's standards. That's why I asked if it was necessary.

Of course it's not necessary to pay to book seats on your flight.

You & your partner each have a seat on your flight.

If you think that your money would be better utilised in paying for meals in your resort then don't pay to choose your seats.

It's entirely your choice. If you think it's too expensive, then don't pay.
You can't have it both ways.

But do NOT throw a strop if you're not seated together.

nickersonpower

Pollycat wrote: »

Of course it's not necessary to pay to book seats on your flight.

You & your partner each have a seat on your flight.

If you think that your money would be better utilised in paying for meals in your resort then don't pay to choose your seats.

It's entirely your choice. If you think it's too expensive, then don't pay.
You can't have it both ways.

But do NOT throw a strop if you're not seated together.

I'm not sure I deserved that...

I merely asked the question, if this was something that would still happen regardless of whether or not we paid to reserve seats, whether it was just another moneymaking scheme by an airline, as is often the case. I joined the forum specifically to ask this question as I thought the community would be helpful, not rude. £52 is a lot of money and I was simply along if if anyone knew of a way round it or if it was really necessary. This is a "money saving" forum after all. That's the point. I am not throwing a strop about anything. For goodness sake.

Pollycat

nickersonpower wrote: »

I'm not sure I deserved that...

I merely asked the question, if this was something that would still happen regardless of whether or not we paid to reserve seats, whether it was just another moneymaking scheme by an airline, as is often the case. I joined the forum specifically to ask this question as I thought the community would be helpful, not rude. £52 is a lot of money and I was simply along if if anyone knew of a way round it or if it was really necessary. This is a "money saving" forum after all. That's the point. I am not throwing a strop about anything. For goodness sake.

Well, I apologise if I have upset you by my blunt speak.
Posts #2 & #4 actually answered your question.

No seats are guaranteed, even if you pay for them (that's either just paying to sit together or to choose specific seats).
There may be a change of plane that means your paid-for selection isn't available.

Of course it's a money-making scheme by airlines - they're in business to make a profit.
It's entirely up to the individual passenger(s) whether to pay for this optional extra or not.
There is no way round it.
It's only necessary if not being sat together for a few hours is something that you really can't put up with.

You may still be sat together if you don't pay.
As I said in my first reply:
It will depend on how many passengers on your flight have paid to book their seats and what is available when you get to check-in.

It may be worth noting that some airlines class seats across the aisle or one behind the other as 'seats together'.

Regarding the 'strop' comment, that referred to if you board your flight and find out that you are on opposite sides of the plane, one at the front and one at the back..
It's highly unlikely that passengers who have paid to sit together or who have got to check-in before you will move to accommodate you & your partner so you can sit together.

I didn't say you were throwing a strop right now.

Read the 'Air Travel' board of Tripadvisor - there's lots of posts from people who didn't want to pay for seats together then threw a strop when they were separated.

fifeken

nickersonpower wrote: »

We really don't want to risk having to sit apart for the 3 hour -odd long flight.

May I ask why not?