TUI - costs of booking seats query

NoodleDoodleMan

"Could anyone advise me if TUI reduce the costs of their seats the closer you get to departure date?"

Can't comment on flight only bookings, haven't done such for many years - in respect of package holidays my experience has been no, the price remains static.

As above, if you do not choose specific seats as available before the first check in window opens then TUI will allocate 48 hours before flight time and you can download and print then.

Can't say we've ever had any problems with that - although Mrs.NDM does like a window seat to get her head down with her travel pillow.

I'm very much opposed to the practice of having to pay extra to select seats - that's pure and simply a tour operator money grab procedure. Only extra leg room seats should be charged more. 

There is no practical reasons why unallocated standard seats can't be chosen at the time of making a booking, on a first come first served basis.

Exodi

NoodleDoodleMan said:

There is no practical reasons why unallocated standard seats can't be chosen at the time of making a booking, on a first come first served basis.

Presumably because they wouldn't upsell as many seat bookings if the seating chart looked like this.



It would be pretty bonkers from a profit perspective to sit two people next to each other for free by virtue of them booking their holiday slightly earlier, than a couple who were willing to pay to guarantee sitting next to each other.

Airlines are full of inefficiencies like this.

For example, the most inefficient way to load a plane would be front to back (as everyone has to wait for the person in row 1 to stow and sit, then everyone has to wait for the person in row 2, etc), but what is it airlines do? Load front to back and force everyone to wait. All because profit.

Technically loading back to front isn't the most efficient method either but an improvement (that would be the Steffen Boarding Method - but is impractical in execution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steffen_Boarding_Method).

There is a fantastic video on this topic, very entertaining (despite the topic), I'd recommend a watch: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAHbLRjF0vo&ab_channel=CGPGrey

Baled

la531983 said:

Baled said:

strawb_shortcake said:

On a package deal if you haven't booked your seats your seats then yes you are limited to checking in 48 hours beforehand. 

I don't ever book seats but the last two years we've been sat together anyway. I'd rather have best part of £200 for us  as spending money.
Checking in whilst away wasn't an issue, we just had our boarding passes on our phones.

I always have the boarding passes on my phone but prefer the paper version for some reason.

Another thing that surprised me is that there's no option to pre-book in flight meals. I've only paid for meals with Jet2 a handful of times but it's nice to have the option before check in. 

I always buy a cup of tea on board. I presume it's roughly £3 with TUI?

See for yourself...

https://qrco.de/beoJTR

https://qrco.de/beoJYK - duty free

As for meals, not sure why you cant. My flight in February....



Not that I do, as plane food is generally garbage.

Thank you, that's really handy!

Baled

Exodi said:

strawb_shortcake said:

I don't ever book seats but the last two years we've been sat together anyway. I'd rather have best part of £200 for us  as spending money.

Likewise, my wife and I haven't ever paid to book seats. After maybe 10 or 15 holidays together, we have not been sat directly next to each other exactly once (she was in the seat in front of me instead).

So at least for us, it's been thousands saved for absolutely nothing (except the inconvenience on one flight sitting behind my partner - fortunately it was a short flight to Porto Santo).

Really on a forum like this we should promote this practice, booking seats seems like money for old rope.

Baled said:
Another thing that surprised me is that there's no option to pre-book in flight meals. I've only paid for meals with Jet2 a handful of times but it's nice to have the option before check in. 

How long is the flight? Flights under 7 hours (considered short-haul) don't include a meal. On flights longer than three and a half hours – excluding Morocco, Portugal, and long-haul, you can pre-order a meal.

Ah, I see. Flight is just under 3 and a half hours. I didn't realise TUI had that stipulation. It's funny how I was assuming all airlines operate the same.

I prefer an aisle seat as I'm not keen on sitting still for a couple of hours and I'm not disturbing strangers when I want to get up.

Having said that I don't usually pay for the seats - if I've been allocated a non-ailse seat I usually ask at the desk if an aisle seat is available and more often than not they've swapped me over.

NoodleDoodleMan

"It would be pretty bonkers from a profit perspective to sit two people next to each other for free by virtue of them booking their holiday slightly earlier, than a couple who were willing to pay to guarantee sitting next to each other."

Why would a couple booking early have to pay extra to guarantee to sit together ?

If there are unallocated seats at the time of reservations they could choose them without additional cost.

As I said, it is only a money making exercise from these airlines. 

RavingMad

Ryanair deliberately seat people apart. Even if it's a child 

TUI and Jet2 will try and seat you together if possible 

Baled

I remember the heady days of Ryanair's unallocated seats system and it was a free for all upon boarding the plane. 

TheShape

strawb_shortcake said:

I flew easyjet last week, I had the window seat, I had a stranger sat next to me and the aisle seat was free. I really thought he'd take advantage and sit in the free seat, but he never. 

On the plus side  perhaps I'm not as fat as I think I am 😆

Shocking behaviour!  It should be illegal to sit next to someone if there is the abilty to leave a seat free between you.

la531983

TheShape said:

strawb_shortcake said:

I flew easyjet last week, I had the window seat, I had a stranger sat next to me and the aisle seat was free. I really thought he'd take advantage and sit in the free seat, but he never. 

On the plus side  perhaps I'm not as fat as I think I am 😆

Shocking behaviour!  It should be illegal to sit next to someone if there is the abilty to leave a seat free between you.

As a species we are screwed if someone cant pluck up the courage to suggest to someone to move down one seat so they both get more space.

martindow

strawb_shortcake said:

I flew easyjet last week, I had the window seat, I had a stranger sat next to me and the aisle seat was free. I really thought he'd take advantage and sit in the free seat, but he never. 

On the plus side  perhaps I'm not as fat as I think I am 😆

It does seem odd, but maybe they thought they may be told off for not sitting in their allocated seat?