First Choice Airways- family seating policy

poet123

I agree, it is the principle that it is considered reasonable to seperate 2 such young children from their family on a flight. They have you over a barrel. I would ask how this policy is in line with their child protection policy. In the end I guess you will pay it, but it is not right.

Zazen999

poet123 wrote: »

I agree, it is the principle that it is considered reasonable to seperate 2 such young children from their family on a flight. They have you over a barrel. I would ask how this policy is in line with their child protection policy. In the end I guess you will pay it, but it is not right.

Hi
Before you pay it, read the small print. Referring to the earlier post about them ignoring it anyway...

ethansmum

I have travelled on a total of 8 flights (long haul) with my 3 children aged 6 and under. Not once have we ever been separated except by the aisle. I will never pay for group setting- its a waste of money (although we did in the early days). First choice have always seated us together-no probs. We do however always checkin within the first hour.

Engadine

When families are split up, it is not normally done on purpose. However if a family are one of the last to check in then the check in staff can only allocate the seats that they have left, if these are single seats dotted all over the aircraft then there is nothing that the check in staff can do they can't suddenly add extra seats to the aircraft!

You really have 2 choices - pay the £60 and know that you have booked seats together or save yourself £60 and turn up at check in when it opens.

As for the return journey to the airport you could always make your own way there, just tell the rep in resort that you won't use the return transfer (just so as they aren't waiting on you) and get a taxi

jaymac_2

I never pay for prebooked seating but I usually order a vegetarian meal. For some reason this usually means when i get to check-in our seats have been preallocated. Perhaps this is so they know where to take the meal, someone who works on airlines might be able to explain it.

Becles

I think my problem with not being on the list was due to a number of problems with FC before we left the UK.

Our hotel was badly damaged by Hurricane Wilma. It opened a month before we were due to travel and the early reports from guests were awful - unfinished bits, water/sewage problems, electric problems and all sorts!

Asked FC if we could change hotels, but the only rooms in the area was a suite in another hotel. They said I would have to pay the difference but I declined as it cost too much.

A few days later, they sent an invoice showing the change of booking to the suites, and a demand of payment for the balance!

I phoned and said I didn't want that and wanted to stay in the original hotel. They tried to put me back and all the garden rooms were sold out, and they only had smaller ocean rooms left which for some reason also cost more. We wanted the garden rooms as they are much bigger and have a balcony, but the ocean rooms don't. Space is a must for a family!

I then got another invoice and demand for payment for the more expensive ocean rooms, so I had to get back on the phone and get it sorted out again.

Finally they managed to get us back into a garden room, and I got yet another invoice confirming this.

I think with all the invoices and changes, maybe the seating was accidentally lost off the booking and I never noticed as I was concerned more about getting the bigger room. We didn't have a problem going out as we decided to travel to Gatwick the day before the flight and stop over, so we checked in the night before the flight departed and there were plenty of seats left!

When we got there, the hotel was fine! There were little bits unfinished, and workmen doing quiet jobs like painting and gardening work, but it didn't spoil the holiday at all and we really enjoyed it.

Engadine

jaymac wrote: »

I never pay for prebooked seating but I usually order a vegetarian meal. For some reason this usually means when i get to check-in our seats have been preallocated. Perhaps this is so they know where to take the meal, someone who works on airlines might be able to explain it.

If you request a vegetarian meal then your seats are normally pre allocated, this is to enable the cabin crew to find you onboard. However from experience (was cabin crew for 11years) the passengers are not always in the seats that they are supposed to be in!

jyonda

So by booking vegetarian meals at no cost I can put my mind at rest! Does that also work when booking kids meals?
Thanks MSE'ers

MarkyMarkD

No, booking children's meals doesn't mean they particularly put you anywhere.

The whole thing's a shambles to be honest.

They know in advance what groups they have travelling on each flight. They could pre-allocate all the seats for free, if they wanted to. Or they could specifically ensure that parties with children were pre-allocated.

Obviously, they don't bother because they want people to get scared and pay the extra.

We never have, and we've never been sat apart.

On occasions we have booked a seat for a pre-2 year old; there is no way they could sit the pre-2 year old elsewhere from the parents as the parents have to hold the infant during takeoff/landing/turbulence.

It's not much better with a slightly post-2 year old - once again no other person can realistically be expected to feed and take care of a tiny child on a flight.

Engadine

jyonda wrote: »

So by booking vegetarian meals at no cost I can put my mind at rest! Does that also work when booking kids meals?
Thanks MSE'ers

It's not guaranteed! As I said previously, from experience, passengers were frequently not where we expected them to be. Check in staff had a habit of moving people!