airline seat assignments

[jodifla]

Separating kids from parents is a real safety issue as far as I'm concerned. If I was separated from my kids and there was an emergency, I would be crawling over people to get to my kids and hampering the whole evacuation process.

ITA!! This is TERRIBLE!

 

[bicker]

What kind of reasoning is this!!

Realistic reasoning.
Airlines don't promise seat assignments. Fares are too low to cover that lack of flexibility. This is the reality of the airline industry the way we fare-conscious passengers have made it. It sucks. Especially when we get the short end of the stick. However, the "monsters" are us, airline passengers unwilling to pay more for airfares so that airlines can fly with more empty seats, so there is more flexibility in the system so that needs such as those you're expressing can be readily and consistently satisfied.

I agree completely that it is a safety issue. Parent's shouldn't board a flight with their children unless they have seats together with their children. The parents have final say whether their children board the flight. Parents must accept personal accountability for their decision to board a flight without seat assignments together with their children.

 

[jodifla]

Realistic reasoning.

I agree completely that it is a safety issue. Parent's shouldn't board a flight with their children unless they have seats together with their children. The parents have final say whether their children board the flight. Parents must accept personal accountability for their decision to board a flight without seat assignments together with their children.

You keep saying this, but what are the "realistic" alternatives for the average family with three kids? Lose thousands of dollars on a vacation because you can't get on the flight?

Yeah, right.

 

[abk96]

Separating kids from parents is a real safety issue as far as I'm concerned. If I was separated from my kids and there was an emergency, I would be crawling over people to get to my kids and hampering the whole evacuation process.
.

I'm with you on this one. This is one of our many concerns.

 

[abk96]

Parent's shouldn't board a flight with their children unless they have seats together with their children. The parents have final say whether their children board the flight. Parents must accept personal accountability for their decision to board a flight without seat assignments together with their children.

So do you think if I didn't want to get on the flight the airlines would switch flights for me fee free.

I don't think this would happen.

When we booked our flight back in Sept. 05 the flight was pretty much empty. I would think they would assign seats again in the order of booking. I guess that would take up too much of their time so go ahead and make that little kid sit with a stranger.

 

[abk96]

I can tell you that if you are trying to trade a middle seat for an aisle or window you are going to have a tough time.

Many frequent flyers pick their seats and earn the right to pick certain seats ahead of time. They won't be real anxious to trade with anyone and I can't say that I blame them.

We have 4 window seats and 1 middle seat. Do you think it will be easier to trade with that? We only need 2 and 3 together. We're not even going to expect 5 together. Although that would be nice since we are family and booked our airfare back in Sept. 05 and had seats straight across one row.

 

[jodifla]

We have 4 window seats and 1 middle seat. Do you think it will be easier to trade with that? We only need 2 and 3 together. We're not even going to expect 5 together. Although that would be nice since we are family and booked our airfare back in Sept. 05 and had seats straight across one row.

First, what this airline did to you is inexcusable.

Second, I do think you'll have better luck getting seats together. Most people would rather have a window than a middle seat, so you can probably get a middle seat person to trade to one of the windows...

 

[abk96]

Oh I sure hope so jodifla.

I'll let you all know if anything changes.

 

[Patty3]

This happened to us last December. I booked the tickets directly through the airlines. I saw that the flight time and flight number had changed and I called them. The flight time change was only about 15 minutes. We did not have seats together for this change and we were flying with two children under 4. There were 6 of us. The first person I spoke with said there was nothing they could do about it. I asked for a supervisor and lo and behold, they were able to get us all together. Apparently, this particular airline, was holding some seats in the front of the plane that had not been assigned, but only a supervisor could see this. It was Independence Air and they are not in business anymore, but I loved that airline.

 

[DebbieB]

That's not going to help, if anything it might make another passenger hostile towards your kids. If someone said that to me I'd be more inclined to say "Yeah, well sucks to be you, hope you gave them thier Benadryl" and put my book to my face rather than be sympathetic.

You'd be better off nicely explaining that your family is split up all over the plane and would they like to switch seats so you could be with your child.

Anne

I had an experience last week on Northwest. I had a window seat (by myself, business trip). I really prefer a window seat because aisle seats make me a little claustrophobic and no one wants a middle. The 2 seats were empty next to me, great I thought. At the last minute this mother comes on with a 3 year old and 1 year old (lap child). I don't know why they didn't preboard, I heard her asking the gate agent if there were 3 seats empty well before boarding time. First,the 3 year old looks at me and says "I always get the window seat". I ignored her. So she sits in the middle seat, the mother and baby sat in the aisle seat. The mother starts. First she says to the 3 year old "it looks like you are getting pink eye". Yikes I thought! So I looked around, I saw a couple middle seats open, I was going to look for a flight attendent to see if there were any other window or aisle seats open. Then she starts coughing "I think I'm getting a cold". Then she says "what are we going to do the next 2 hours, maybe sing?". I started getting mad. She kept making comments. She was trying to push me out of my seat so that they could have 3 seats when they only paid for 2. I thought, forget it. Luckily, the three year old next to me fell asleep before we even took off. When we got up to cruising altitude, I plopped on my headset and closed my eyes. If she would have been nice rather than playing games, I probably would have moved.

 

[bicker]

You keep saying this, but what are the "realistic" alternatives for the average family with three kids?

There may not be any. As I said before, "This is the reality of the airline industry the way we fare-conscious passengers have made it. It sucks."

So do you think if I didn't want to get on the flight the airlines would switch flights for me fee free.

What price are you putting on safety of your children? I'm just curious. However, to answer your question, I've never heard of a case where an airline refused to reaccommodate (on an available, later flight of the airline) a family for which they couldn't provide seat assignments together.

 

[Lewisc]

AFAIK airlines will always do what it takes so that a child under 5 can sit next to at least one parent.

A few months ago a single Mom was complaining about flight changes and the resulting seat re-assaignments. She was no longer sitting next to her 16 year old son. Older kids, yes even 7 year olds, can sit a few rows from a parent.

Bicker is right, we demand below cost airfares but don't understand why the airlines can't provide any service.

Thread like this make me chuckle every time I read the complaints about SWs open seating policy.

I think it's COMPLETELY inappropriate to expect a 4 year old to sit without a parent. There's no way my 4 year old could sit without me. He'd literally scream and cry the whole flight.

Especially in this case, where they had seats together, but the lowlife airline switched them around.

And if you said something like that to me about my kid, there'd be police coming to break it up.

 

[abk96]

What price are you putting on safety of your children? I'm just curious.

First of all, you don't know me. I would never put anything, even money, before my children. So implying this is horrible.

Second, it's not our fault. This is the reason we went through a TA so we didn't have to worry about everything. I spoke to a manager yesterday at the TAgency and she basicly told me that it was my TA's fault this happened. She said that after a flight # is changed you have to go in again and grab those seats together which my TA did not do. She didn't even know we were on a different flight # and had different seats until I pointed it out. The manager said she's try to work this out for us. I'm hoping so.

All I wanted in this thread was some words of encouragement. Now I'm getting things like "Putting safety of your children last".

I'm a very nervous person to begin with and I hate to fly. In July I was so sick on the flight because of my nerves. I really don't want this to happen again and having to worry about where my children are sitting on the plane isn't helping.

I'm ending this thread and I just want to thanks those who did give me words of encouragement. I appreciate it and really need it now.

 

[jodifla]

First of all, you don't know me. I would never put anything, even money, before my children. So implying this is horrible.

Second, it's not our fault. This is the reason we went through a TA so we didn't have to worry about everything. I spoke to a manager yesterday at the TAgency and she basicly told me that it was my TA's fault this happened. She said that after a flight # is changed you have to go in again and grab those seats together which my TA did not do. She didn't even know we were on a different flight # and had different seats until I pointed it out. The manager said she's try to work this out for us. I'm hoping so.

All I wanted in this thread was some words of encouragement. Now I'm getting things like "Putting safety of your children last".

I'm a very nervous person to begin with and I hate to fly. In July I was so sick on the flight because of my nerves. I really don't want this to happen again and having to worry about where my children are sitting on the plane isn't helping.

I'm ending this thread and I just want to thanks those who did give me words of encouragement. I appreciate it and really need it now.

Good for you! Stick your ground, and ignore these posters. In most cases, the airline CAN work it out, if they choose to.

 

[rgf207]

I am going to try to offer you some words of encouragement but I wont sugar coat it.

You say you were reassigned 4 window seats and 1 middle seat. Technically it does not matter which member of your family sits in what seat as long as there are no children in an exit row. Once you board the plane, put your children in whichever assigned seat you would like but I would recommend putting your youngest in the middle seat. I say this because it would be fairly easy to get someone next to your youngest in the window to switch with your window (especially if it is closer to the front of the plane). Next I think you should offer up one of your window seats to someone in a center seat (which would be next to another child.) So now you should be left with 2 seats together, another 2 seats together and a single seat. Now chances are that you will not get anyone in an aisle seat to switch to a window, so you can have your DH sit alone and you can sit with your youngest and then have the 2 other children sit together.

I fly A LOT. Almost weekly so I have seen many instances of families seperated. 99% of the time someone in an aisle will not give up their seat for a center and most of the time they wont give it up for a window either. They are not obligated to and frankly I do not think they are rude for not giving it up. To be honest I do not think that I would either. I have flown 300,000 miles in the past 2 years and I feel that I have earned my aisle seats and most others in my shoes feel the same way. Most people on planes are business travelers too.

I hope this helps a little. The reality is you are not going to get 5 seats in a row together so try not to worry about that. I think the best you will do is 2,2,1 or with some good luck, 3,2.

It stinks that this happens but it's not the airline's fault. They are a business and their main goal is to make a profit. A lot of times they downsize flights or change planes to best accommodate travel routes and fuel conservation. People want to pay less for more and it is impossible for the airlines to offer that with the rising cost of everything. Therefore the airlines provide a seat on a plane, but not necessarily the seat of your choice. They will get you to your destination and that is what you are paying for.

 

[delilah]

You've got 18B and 18F, as well as 19B.

18 ABC DEF
19 ABC DEF

18 D&E are probably traveling together, and are not going to want to split up--they could be a parent and child as well. Your chances of getting someone to give you an aisle seat for a middle are almost nil. If 18 D&E aren't traveling together, I can't imagine 18E not switching for 19E or 18B. But I really wouldn't count on getting three across when it means 18D would be moving to a middle seat.

No offense but I wouldn't give up my aisle for a middle--regardles of how many free drinks they want to ply me with.

Anne

There are actually 5 seats to a row. AB are on one side, DEF are on the other. We have two aisle seats and one window seat. Don't expect to get three across. I intend to put my son in 18B, for example, I would sit in 18F. Would see if 18E wouldn't mind switching with 18B (a middle seat for an aisle). Or if 18E is another child close to my son's age (which has happened before), they could sit next to each other. 18B and 18D are directly across the aisle from each other. If 18D wanted to switch for 18F, that would be fine. If nobody wants to trade, then I would take 19B, and let dad take 18F.. (I am much more attentive to my son than dad is. He tends to sleep the entire flight).

 

[ducklite]

You keep saying this, but what are the "realistic" alternatives for the average family with three kids? Lose thousands of dollars on a vacation because you can't get on the flight?

Yeah, right.

No, in this case most carriers would be happy to accomodate you on the next available flight with seats. Of course it might not be that day, and it might be at an inconvient time.

The best alternative would be for the carriers to charge a high enough fare that they wouldn't have to constantly shuffle equipment or oversell flights. But in that case your alternative would be to pay $500-600 for a plane ticket.

You can't ahve your cake and eat it too.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Now that NWA is starting to charge $15 extra for some aisle seats there is NO WAY after paying for that upgrade, I am going to move.

pinnie

You got that right!

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Separating kids from parents is a real safety issue as far as I'm concerned. If I was separated from my kids and there was an emergency, I would be crawling over people to get to my kids and hampering the whole evacuation process.

In a true emergency this would not happen. Someone would literally knock your lights out if you got between them and an exit--regardless of the reason. I've been through an emergency evacuation, and it simply doesn't work the way the movies want you to believe...

Anne

 

[ducklite]

So do you think if I didn't want to get on the flight the airlines would switch flights for me fee free.

I don't think this would happen.

When we booked our flight back in Sept. 05 the flight was pretty much empty. I would think they would assign seats again in the order of booking. I guess that would take up too much of their time so go ahead and make that little kid sit with a stranger.

Actually for a lot of reasons, airlines will put you on another flight for fere. I had an issue with CO two weeks ago and was offered nto only a free flight but a free room for the night because my seat was "unuseable" due to a passenger of size being seated next to me.

They can't assign seats in booking order because some seats are reserved for handicapped passengers, frequent fliers, and exit rows can't be assigned to anyone under 15.

Anne