RANT: I don't care if you want to sit next to your kids on the airplane

[Marlyn]

Fixed it for you.

Thank you! I'll like your post....

 

[arminnie]

This is a really, really, really old post - but I am going to resurrect it to add my 2 cents worth.

I look just fine. But one of my legs is now dead as a door nail (whatever a door nail is). I am not moving anywhere for anybody after I get in my seat. Unless you personally want to carry me to another seat.

 

[Westcoastwild]

This is a really, really, really old post - but I am going to resurrect it to add my 2 cents worth.

I look just fine. But one of my legs is now dead as a door nail (whatever a door nail is). I am not moving anywhere for anybody after I get in my seat. Unless you personally want to carry me to another seat.

Lol. Right. That was the first thing that occurred to me. Nice to give up my seat? Sure. But if you ask after I've already settled in, I am not moving.

 

[dotfurio]

I know this is really old, but since it's resurrected from the dead I'll chime in. It's people like this why my family decided to pay $500 more to upgrade to guarantee seating together after they changed our flight time by 20 minutes and scattered my family to the four corners of the sold out economy section of plane (we had orginally selected seats together). I may be a pessimist but I never count on the kindness of strangers. And I figure those people who won't budge from their seat probably wouldn't be too willing to help the child either if they needed any help with anything or there was an emergency.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I would help your child in a true emergency. Opening a snack is not that

 

[Westcoastwild]

I know this is really old, but since it's resurrected from the dead I'll chime in. It's people like this why my family decided to pay $500 more to upgrade to guarantee seating together after they changed our flight time by 20 minutes and scattered my family to the four corners of the sold out economy section of plane (we had orginally selected seats together). I may be a pessimist but I never count on the kindness of strangers. And I figure those people who won't budge from their seat probably wouldn't be too willing to help the child either if they needed any help with anything or there was an emergency.

You'd figure wrong. I'll help the kid with whatever. I have no problem with that. I'll chat with your gran if she's nervous.

I just won't give up my seat for a worse seat for your convenience. We're all going to the same place on the same aircraft.

I've heard all sorts of excuses for people wanting to switch seats. But they are almost always bogus. They just want to sit next to their SO or split their food with their sibling or be able to share the family ipad. It's transit. Those are conveniences that you can do without in a pinch. Or you can pay for the privilege of picking your seat like I did.

 

[mummabear]

Thankfully apparently congress passed a bill last year to take effect this July that requires airlines to seat parents with their children without charging extra fees

 

[bcla]

Lol. Right. That was the first thing that occurred to me. Nice to give up my seat? Sure. But if you ask after I've already settled in, I am not moving.

Depends on the airline. I've heard of Southwest if there's a family that somehow gets moved here, there, and everywhere on the plane, they'll even start by offering credit for alcohol to get passengers to move.

My last flight our outbound was where we arrived really late and brought our six year old. We booked through two separate reservations and even myself and my kid on the same reservation we couldn't pick our seats together at booking nor at check-in. When we arrived near the end of boarding the gate agent asked why we didn't approach him earlier asking for seats together, and of course it was because we barely made it to the gate at all. He then managed to seat two of us together.

Strangely enough, we've never had a problem with anyone willing to give up a seat. It's strange. We've booked late and could only request 3 consecutive seats in different rows, but I suppose nobody really wants the alternative which is a kid alone causing mischief.

 

[dotfurio]

Or you can pay for the privilege of picking your seat like I did.

I did pick my seats. Months in advance. The airline rearranged us and refused to put us together unless we upgraded to the next class. They told us it would be fine, they were sure someone would move. Yeah right. So it's not always people being lazy or trying to dupe others out of their fantastic seats by using their kids as an excuse.

I don't trust that some stranger sitting next to my kid is going to notice if she doesn't head to the restroom soon she's going to wet her pants, or give her a hug if she's scared from the turbulence because she's only flown once before. And yes, I'm an admitted nervous flyer, and it would be 100x worse if my kids were not with me because in the unlikely event of an emergency I'm damned sure not going to just focus myself and assume some stranger is going to prioritize the safety of my kid, so it was worth the extra $500 for me to know they'd sit near me.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I did pick my seats. Months in advance. The airline rearranged us and refused to put us together unless we upgraded to the next class. They told us it would be fine, they were sure someone would move. Yeah right. So it's not always people being lazy or trying to dupe others out of their fantastic seats by using their kids as an excuse.

I don't trust that some stranger sitting next to my kid is going to notice if she doesn't head to the restroom soon she's going to wet her pants, or give her a hug if she's scared from the turbulence because she's only flown once before. And yes, I'm an admitted nervous flyer, and it would be 100x worse if my kids were not with me because in the unlikely event of an emergency I'm damned sure not going to just focus myself and assume some stranger is going to prioritize the safety of my kid, so it was worth the extra $500 for me to know they'd sit near me.

Ugh. I can't believe the airline would tell you that. I hope they refunded your seat choice fees.

I wasn't necessarily referring to people in your position. Oddly, I've never been asked to give up my seat for a really young child before. If we were talking about someone who is still being toilet trained, that's one thing. I'd probably do it. But asking someone to give up a seat for parents and teens or tweens or even older children can sit together- that's different. And that's happened to me fairly often. I pick my seat for specific reasons- it isn't the same for me to sit with less leg room, in middle, or on the left side of the plane. Because of leg injury. If an airline messed up my seat, sure, I'd survive, but the point is I would not willingly give up that seat because I would not willing put myself through that acute discomfort.

I get the anxiety, because I am anxious as well, but it's part of flying and the kid should be prepared for that. Coping mechanisms, chewing gum, whatever it takes. Because physical contact from the parent isn't a guaranteed thing on a flight.

 

[ronandannette]

Thankfully apparently congress passed a bill last year to take effect this July that requires airlines to seat parents with their children without charging extra fees

Thank goodness. Seating young kids away from their guardians is asenine on every level; so much so that it's hard not to conclude it is a calculated strategy on the part of the airlines to generate revenue through seating upgrades.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Thank goodness. Seating young kids away from their guardians is asenine on every level; so much so that it's hard not to conclude it is a calculated strategy on the part of the airlines to generate revenue through seating upgrades.

I googled because I curious, and in fact all the new rule does is make it so a young kid will guaranteed an "adjacent" seat to a member of your party 13 years or older. So guardians and kids are still not guaranteed a seat together (although for all practical purposes, if you are travelling by yourself with a toddler, then no, they can't charge you extra for sitting with your kid.)

But as it is, most airlines will make sure someone in your party is sitting with said toddler. So it's just enforcing something that already happens.

 

[mummabear]

I did pick my seats. Months in advance. The airline rearranged us and refused to put us together unless we upgraded to the next class. They told us it would be fine, they were sure someone would move. Yeah right. So it's not always people being lazy or trying to dupe others out of their fantastic seats by using their kids as an excuse.

I don't trust that some stranger sitting next to my kid is going to notice if she doesn't head to the restroom soon she's going to wet her pants, or give her a hug if she's scared from the turbulence because she's only flown once before. And yes, I'm an admitted nervous flyer, and it would be 100x worse if my kids were not with me because in the unlikely event of an emergency I'm damned sure not going to just focus myself and assume some stranger is going to prioritize the safety of my kid, so it was worth the extra $500 for me to know they'd sit near me.

The issue we often have is that we cannot book the seats if you haven't got the airlines ticket details such as a code share with air NZ, we booked return to Orlando and can choose our seats on our 4 NZ flights but not on the partner airlines in the US

 

[Westcoastwild]

The issue we often have is that we cannot book the seats if you haven't got the airlines ticket details such as a code share with air NZ, we booked return to Orlando and can choose our seats on our 4 NZ flights but not on the partner airlines in the US

But couldn't you book on a different airline where you could pick your seats? Is there no way to avoid the code share?

 

[mummabear]

But couldn't you book on a different airline where you could pick your seats? Is there no way to avoid the code share?

If we don't book a return ticket it causes issues with luggage (both allowance and checking through) plus adds significantly to the required layover times.

 

[Westcoastwild]

If we don't book a return ticket it causes issues with luggage (both allowance and checking through) plus adds significantly to the required layover times.

But it's possible, though. I get what you mean- if I book from my home town, it'll involve codeshares or really long layovers. I just make the layovers into part of the trip because the codeshare are a major (and expensive) nuisance. All about priorities.

Admittedly the luggage allowance thing hadn't occured to me. What's the difference between the two?

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

It all depends on the situation for me. I have given up my seat a couple of times so others could sit together. I will do it for a window or an aisle seat. I actually prefer the window because then I don't have people bumping into me every time they walk past and hitting me in the head with luggage from the overhead bins. I had one flight where I was sitting in the aisle and the two women sitting next to me both had to use the restroom and be let out of the seat to get stuff from the overhead bin (all at separate times) all before the plane even took off. At that point, I offered to swap seats with the woman in the window seat so she could get out easier and she declined. The entire flight they took turns needing to get up every 10 minutes. When we finally landed, the woman in the middle proceeded to literally hang her entire upper body over me so she could reach into the overhead bin to get her luggage before we stopped and actually fell into my lap when we turned, and then she dropped her bag on my head. So I will trade for a window seat any day. I have also swapped my window seat for the middle with an unaccompanied little girl. She was around 6 and seemed fascinated looking out the window, so I offered to switch with her. It clearly made her day. I also have no problem whatsoever sitting next to kids because they are typically going to take up less room and if they do jabber away at me, it's generally more interesting than listening to other adults ramble on about the weather and all of the places they've ever been.

I don't pay for upgraded seating, but if I did, I most likely wouldn't give it up unless I was receiving a comparable seat. If I pay more for something, I'm not going to essentially flush it down the toilet. I will not give up a seat no matter what if someone is already sitting in my seat without asking. I've run into that several times and while usually they were just hoping it was an empty seat, twice I was told I can just find another. Nope, if you are going to just sit in my seat without even asking me to switch, then telling me I can just sit elsewhere, I don't really care what your situation is. People should not assume they can just get what they want and I will not reward that entitled behavior by letting it go.

 

[Gracie09]

Thankfully apparently congress passed a bill last year to take effect this July that requires airlines to seat parents with their children without charging extra fees

That's not exactly accurate. They can't charge more for seats in the same fare category. Different category- all bets are off. If you choose an airline that charges more for assigned seats- spirit etc - all bets are off. If when you book your flights there are no seats next to each other- nope. Won't make people move to accommodate you, which was the situation with the op.
So yes it helps somewhat but not as much as some people think and I predict some parent somewhere having a hissy fit because she didn't bother to pay for seats or chose seats apart from each other thinking the airline would have to let them sit next to her kids

 

[KAMLEM]

This is a really, really, really old post - but I am going to resurrect it to add my 2 cents worth.

I look just fine. But one of my legs is now dead as a door nail (whatever a door nail is). I am not moving anywhere for anybody after I get in my seat. Unless you personally want to carry me to another seat.

I would hope you sit in a window seat in case someone else in your row needs to get up to use the bathroom.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Depends on the airline. I've heard of Southwest if there's a family that somehow gets moved here, there, and everywhere on the plane, they'll even start by offering credit for alcohol to get passengers to move.

I can confirm this. I did hear them offer exactly that last month to avoid splitting a party up (I don't even think it was a kid, but a language issue or something). Someone took the offer, and everyone clapped.