Not Seating Children with Adults
Michael24
Posts: 21 Forumite
We have a holiday booked with TUI for half term and have been told that we have to pay £75 to guarantee that our 13 year old daughter sits with one of us, I find this quite abhorrent as I feel blackmailed into paying that amount as I can’t possibly let her be put at risk of sitting anywhere on the plane and I am not able to look after her.
Are there alternatives to this or is it just a question of having to “bite the bullet” and pay for the seats on top of the cost of the holiday?
I really feel as though this is something that needs a greater pressure to be placed on the companies and the authorities, it is a money making scheme by playing on the fears of parents.
Are there alternatives to this or is it just a question of having to “bite the bullet” and pay for the seats on top of the cost of the holiday?
I really feel as though this is something that needs a greater pressure to be placed on the companies and the authorities, it is a money making scheme by playing on the fears of parents.
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Think most airlines only classify up to the age of 12 as requiring seating next to an adult
Next to is classified as across the aisle and rows in front or behind.
You need to pay to guarantee seating together
Then again I never pay to choose seats and have always been sat together apart from 1 flightEx forum ambassador
Long term forum member0 -
The other school of thought is that if you don't give children responsibility in a 'controlled' environment then they never learn it.
If you really don't want to run the risk of her being sat on her own, then it looks like you don't have the choice but to pay though hubby and I always check in the day before online and have sat together.
(we are considering paying for seats for a flight next year but that's only because of the seat configuration)0 -
What "risk" are you worried about?How's it going, AKA, Nutwatch? - 12 month spends to date = 2.31% of current retirement "pot" (as at end March 2024)0
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This is a safety issue. The CAA guidelines are that families should be sat together or if that is not possible one row apart.
One day the CAA may enforce the guidelines. But sadly that will only happen when a parent goes looking for their child in emergency and it ends up as a catastrophe
Paying for seats doesn't even guarantee that you get the seats you want.
I would watch to see what seats are available and when they become free to reserve.
Just did that with Easyjet all three of us sat togetherPrivate Parking Tickets - Make sure you put your Subject Access Request in after 25th May 2018 - It's free & ask for everything, don't forget the DVLA
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She's 13 and most teenagers are more than capable of sitting on their own if needs be. Doesn't she go out on her own, go on public transport on her own etc? The airlines treat anyone aged 12 upwards as adults.0
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This is a safety issue. The CAA guidelines are that families should be sat together or if that is not possible one row apart.
One day the CAA may enforce the guidelines. But sadly that will only happen when a parent goes looking for their child in emergency and it ends up as a catastrophe
Paying for seats doesn't even guarantee that you get the seats you want.
I would watch to see what seats are available and when they become free to reserve.
Just did that with Easyjet all three of us sat together
Those CAA guidelines pertain to young children and infants, not teenagers who are generally quite capable of looking after themselves. Yes, ideally families shouldn't be split too far, but sometimes it's not always that easy, especially as more and more people are starting to take responsibility for their own kids and paying to ensure they sit together.
As TUI, like Easyjet, don't have free seat selection you end up with what you're given at OLCI, and then you still have to pay if you want to change them.0 -
I was travelling independently by plane when I was 11 and never came to any harm. You'll be on the plane, you can keep an eye on her, and if you're not close together and don't want to pay you can always see if someone will swap.
Having said that, I never pay to sit together with my friend on short haul flights but only once have we had to sit separately. The seat allocations have generally put us together.All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.0 -
You need to stop looking at it as an extra charge and seeing the advertised priced is for a ticket for a seat anywhere on the plane and if you are happy for that, pay it . If you want an extra 'service' then pay the higher price for a ticketVuja De - the feeling you'll be here later0
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leylandsunaddict wrote: »Those CAA guidelines pertain to young children and infants, not teenagers who are generally quite capable of looking after themselves. Yes, ideally families shouldn't be split too far, but sometimes it's not always that easy, especially as more and more people are starting to take responsibility for their own kids and paying to ensure they sit together.
As TUI, like Easyjet, don't have free seat selection you end up with what you're given at OLCI, and then you still have to pay if you want to change them.
So if the plane was on fire would you get off or go to get your kid possibly holding up other passengers? I know what my instinct would be. This money making exercise is stupid.0
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