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

[Deb in IA]

We had something similar happen years ago. Our daughter was about 4 at the time, traveling with my husband. They were seated together, but a middle-aged couple asked if they could switch seats with my husband, so that they could sit together.

Now, DD comes from a long line of spewers, including my mom and my sister (somehow, not me). She vomits on planes. Doesn't matter how long, how turbulent, time of day, where she sits. She WILL throw up. (She has puked on a 40 minute flight from Cedar Rapids to Chicago, many times.) She's now 24 and still gets sick, but now can take medication (scopolamine patches) for this, but nothing is available for 4 year olds.

So, DH tells the couple that he COULD switch, but they would have to sit with DD and clean her up, and most likely themselves, when she throws up.

They declined.

 

[Albort]

The last time i flew, we asked the guy next to me to switch. it was from the window side aisle to the inside section aisle. he refused...

im gonna assume there is a difference...

 

[TLSnell1981]

If I'm alone, I will switch to allow families/companions to sit together. Not really a big deal to me.

 

[kamik86]

I like the OP probably wouldn't have switched. I like the aisle seats and will not sit in the middle unless one of the people next tome is family. If the FA feels that you must sit next to your kid they will help you out, sometimes even offering free drinks. However I have seen kids left apart espeically on flights to orlando on Southwest (when half the plane has kids)

 

[Marionnette]

The last time i flew, we asked the guy next to me to switch. it was from the window side aisle to the inside section aisle. he refused...

im gonna assume there is a difference..

Apparently, there was a difference for him and that's what mattered.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

No one should demand that someone switch seats. If the OP is in an enhanced seat, which a lot of airlines now mean that you have to pay extra for an aisle or window seat, otherwise you can select a free middle seat, or in an economy plus section, it's rude of the mom to demand a change, or even ask for a change without offering something in exchange because she probably knows that the OP paid more money for their seat than she did for her 2 middle seats. Unfortunately, now a parent is going to need to spend that extra $10 - $15 if they want to make sure they have a seat next to their child. It sucks, but to expect other passengers to move for them isn't a viable option to not wanting to pay that extra money.

 

[pocomom]

and the flip side of the issue. I am a mom traveling with 3 kids. Someone is always separated. Typically I will try to get things so that I fly with the youngest, and my oldest dd sits next to her younger sister as close as I can get them to me. On our last flight we ended up with aisle and window seats no middles. So I offered our window seat to the lady who was in between my son and I, which she happily took. Grumpy old guy gets on the plane and he is sighing and grumbling about sitting between kids. My older DD offers him her AISLE seat so she could be next to her sister and to be polite and he snaps at her and takes his middle seat. Then he had to fly - to IRELAND with younger dd asking her sister for help with things, passing things over him, and he had to get up a dozen times to use the bathroom and had to climb over, plus he was larger and all scrunched up in the middle whereas my kid was all stretched out in the aisle. Guy made himself miserable just to hold a grudge against kids who had no control over the seats they were assigned.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Apparently, there was a difference for him and that's what mattered.

[/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same thing, maybe he has a problem with his left or right leg and needs that side of the plane to stretch it out?

 

[gwynne]

No one should demand that someone switch seats. If the OP is in an enhanced seat, which a lot of airlines now mean that you have to pay extra for an aisle or window seat, otherwise you can select a free middle seat, or in an economy plus section, it's rude of the mom to demand a change, or even ask for a change without offering something in exchange because she probably knows that the OP paid more money for their seat than she did for her 2 middle seats. Unfortunately, now a parent is going to need to spend that extra $10 - $15 if they want to make sure they have a seat next to their child. It sucks, but to expect other passengers to move for them isn't a viable option to not wanting to pay that extra money.

I sort of wonder if infrequent flyers are unaware of the upgraded seats in coach. I've paid for them on both United and Delta, I'm sure there are other airlines that do this.
It's kind of unreasonable to expect someone who has paid extra $$ for a great location (and/or enhanced services) to happily trade it away for a middle in the back.

 

[hereyago]

I haven't had a parent ask or demand.

But years ago, my dd and I were flying back home from WDW.
While waiting in the airport. there was a couple all over each other. The girl left for a moment and the guy called his wife, wow. He had his wedding band on so the girl had to know he was married.
.
We flew SW and this was the real cattle call seating.
Lovebirds ended up being almost last to board.

He is asking people to move
so they can sit together,telling people they just got married.

He looks at me and I laugh, right bra, I am going to move from my kid cause you board last.

The girl sits next to me, lover boy sit in seat in front of her.

At one point, I feel a hand playing with my leg, I tell him, wrong leg.

 

[NFLDERS]

What seat was she in? Aisle? Middle? Window?

As long as she wasn't in the middle, I would have moved. Assuming I was flying by myself.

I might have asked for compensation. Like $50.



If she WAS in the middle, I would have done it for $200.

 

[robinb]

It's all about perspective. I see some entitled attitudes.

The OP paid for a preferred seat. She's entitled to that seat. Perhaps the mother would have had better success trading her seat and that of her child for two of the last seats in the plane? You know, the ones near the bathrooms and lack the ability to recline? I'd give up my aisle seat in that last row for a middle seat further forward in the plane if someone offered me the ability to move. But I wouldn't give up my paid-for, preferred seat for anyone but someone with an obvious physical disability.

We don't know for sure it was a premium seat, only that the OP paid extra for it. Low-cost airlines like Southwest and Frontier charge extra for assigned seating. Since she did pay for it, she is most certainly entitled to the seat. But when it comes to small children and extenuating circumstances like the winter storm that grounded many flights creating a ripple effect of standbys, a bit of kindness goes a long way in the world.

I was once in the situation of being separated from my DD when she was only 4. United lost our seat selection and scattered me, my DD and my DH in middle seats. All six surrounding seats were occupied by men. The FA asked one of them to move and they all refused. Finally, a woman who was the sister of one of the men offered to swap with him and then with me so I could sit with my DD. She was my hero! To this day, I pay that good karma forward and swap seats so parents can sit next to children when I am asked. The OP hasn't come back to answer any questions so all we are left to go by is her very angry original post which, based on my personal experience, really rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[sam_gordon]

Low-cost airlines like Southwest and Frontier charge extra for assigned seating.

Southwest doesn't have assigned seating, extra charge or no. I doubt see how the situation in the OP could happen on SW unless there were only two middle seats available on the plane and the OP was next to one. I'm guessing a legacy airline with assigned seating and the OP paid extra for the aisle seat. The child got assigned the middle.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I was on a flight and the lady sitting next to me had a small baby and her husband was in the row in front , i asked him if he would like to sit next to his wife, and we switched seats. I had no problem.

 

[PollyannaMom]

No one should demand that someone switch seats. If the OP is in an enhanced seat, which a lot of airlines now mean that you have to pay extra for an aisle or window seat, otherwise you can select a free middle seat, or in an economy plus section, it's rude of the mom to demand a change, or even ask for a change without offering something in exchange because she probably knows that the OP paid more money for their seat than she did for her 2 middle seats. Unfortunately, now a parent is going to need to spend that extra $10 - $15 if they want to make sure they have a seat next to their child. It sucks, but to expect other passengers to move for them isn't a viable option to not wanting to pay that extra money.

It does kind of suck. The trip we just booked was our first experience with the new pricing style. DH did choose to pay more to sit together, but just for social reasons (and, I suspect, the early boarding ). DS is plenty old enough to sit by himself if he needed to. - It did rather bug me, though, that the price we initially clicked on, didn't turn out to be the "real" price, if you know what I mean.

 

[Marionnette]

We don't know for sure it was a premium seat, only that the OP paid extra for it. Low-cost airlines like Southwest and Frontier charge extra for assigned seating. Since she did pay for it, she is most certainly entitled to the seat. But when it comes to small children and extenuating circumstances like the winter storm that grounded many flights creating a ripple effect of standbys, a bit of kindness goes a long way in the world.

I was once in the situation of being separated from my DD when she was only 4. United lost our seat selection and scattered me, my DD and my DH in middle seats. All six surrounding seats were occupied by men. The FA asked one of them to move and they all refused. Finally, a woman who was the sister of one of the men offered to swap with him and then with me so I could sit with my DD. She was my hero! To this day, I pay that good karma forward and swap seats so parents can sit next to children when I am asked. The OP hasn't come back to answer any questions so all we are left to go by is her very angry original post which, based on my personal experience, really rubbed me the wrong way.

I never said "premium seat". I said "preferred". And the OP said "I paid for this aisle seat assignment". It wasn't open seating. It was the seat that the OP paid extra to choose ahead of time.

 

[JoeA]

I have gotten on planes to find someone sitting in my seat because "they were sure I wouldn't mind switching". Sometimes I have agreed, other times not. One time I happily traded was with a University of Memphis basketball player; I had one of those unusual coach seats that didn't have a seat in front of it. He needed it worse than I did.

And that's when I say, "yup, I do mind...you're in my seat". I guess that's just how I roll!

I have also come across some people who won't move. Period. That's their seat, it's printed on the ticket, and daren't, that's where they're sitting! It's almost like sitting somewhere from where you're told is breaking a rule. I guess that's just how they roll!

 

[LiveYourLife]

I book extra legroom and aisle for every flight that this is an option (husband has the same seat, just across from me). In some cases, these seats cost up to $99 per person, per flight leg. So, I've just added an additional cost of $400 to my airfare between my husband and I. Unless it's an even seat swap, I'm not moving whether someone asks nicely or not.

Yes, I'm a gem, selfish, lovely human being or any other judgemental label you want to put on me.

By the way, blame the airlines not humanity. This is all the airlines' doings.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Paying "extra" for assigned seats... Why do we put up with this crap?

Everybody gets assigned seats. And people board back to front. Period. No "early" boarders. No "Ultra Plus Platinum" boarding. Back to front. End of story. Yes, first class. You board last. Why? Because you get in everybody else's way up front if you board first.

Why do things have to be so complicated?

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I'm with you, OP. I reserve a right-hand-side (facing forward) aisle seat, preferably in the first few rows of the plane, anytime I fly an airline with assigned seating. I have problems with my left hip and knee, and it's the most comfortable option I can get. I'm not moving for anybody, especially if I had to pay extra for that specific seat. If that's selfish, so be it.