Delta basic economy?

[ChasingLeslie]

Has anyone flown Delta basic economy with their family? Have you been badly split up, or are the attendants generally good about finding parents and kids seats together?

I always buy main cabin so I can pick the seats, but the prices are so bad right now that I'm curious about economy. We're two adults and two kids, and I don't care if we have to sit two/two but I would NOT be okay with the kids being placed alone.

 

[mb187143]

I was at my gate in MSP last week for a flight to PHL and overheard a mom trying to argue her way into a seat with her son even though she booked. basic economy. She and her son were assigned middle seats three rows apart. She got nowhere and was not seated with her son on the flight, he was behind me and she was a couple rows behind him. He was probably about 9 or 10 and didn't seem particularly distressed about the situation.

I believe they are fairly strict about not moving seat assignments around much for those booking this fare. It's pretty clearly stated that you get what you get after check in or sometimes not until you arrive at the gate. Not designed really for families or travelers who want to ensure they are seated together.

Hope that helps.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you're not ok with them sitting apart then don't book this option.

 

[Gracie09]

If you're not ok with them sitting apart then don't book this option.

this. I also would not expect the kindness of strangers to get you to seats near each other.

 

[wilkeliza]

Delta makes no guarantees about families traveling together and markets these tickets for those who don't care about where they sit. If it is important you sit next to your children then booking economy that allows for choosing seats is the way to go. Since there is the option to pay to choose your seat I would not expect Delta to bump someone who paid to choose that seat in order to accommodate a family that didn't pay to sit together.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

That's sort of what I was afraid of

 

[bumbershoot]

this. I also would not expect the kindness of strangers to get you to seats near each other.

Yep, and it's not even because people aren't kind. But everyone's got their own issues happening. My son and I (he would have been 8 or 9 and a seasoned traveler, and we talked this over a LOT) booked a trip from SEA to SNA on miles. That plus a funky weather day on the East that kept planes from the West caused us to have 3 flights that day, without seat assignments for 2 of them. One of them worked out fine. But the other one we were rows apart. I got on the plane and asked around, and we were able to get us about 2 rows closer, but still 2 rows apart. I can't remember what was going on with others, but the lady that I remember asking (who had to say no) had extreme anxieties, so she couldn't move and neither could her husband b/c of the anxiety. Totally understandable.

My son had a blast; he sat with two grandmotherly types who doted on him. Since he didn't win the lotto with his actual grandmother situation (my mom died before I even met his dad, and my MIL is...difficult at best), it was tons of fun for him.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Delta pops up a big screen telling you the risks.... if you accept this then you really can't complain about not sitting together.

And remember Delta isn't raising your kids, you are so, no the Flight Attendants will not make people move for you.

 

[maxiesmom]

Has anyone flown Delta basic economy with their family? Have you been badly split up, or are the attendants generally good about finding parents and kids seats together?

I always buy main cabin so I can pick the seats, but the prices are so bad right now that I'm curious about economy. We're two adults and two kids, and I don't care if we have to sit two/two but I would NOT be okay with the kids being placed alone.

Don't book basic economy, you will be split up. You are the very last to board too so odds are not great you will have any overhead space left for your bags, if that is a concern.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Has anybody seen how the airlines plan to implement the requirement that they seat children 13 and under next to a parent?

From the Washington Post July 14, 2016:

Perhaps the most troubling item for airlines, in terms of new regulation, is a rule that directs the transportation secretary to establish a policy to allow children under age 13 “to be seated in a seat adjacent to the seat of an accompanying family member over the age of 13” at no additional cost. There is an exception for when such a seat assignment would require an upgrade to another cabin class or a seat with extra legroom or seat pitch, for which additional fees generally are required. But as a practical matter, this policy is certain to chip away at the billions of dollars in seat reservation fees the industry collects from passengers annually.

It sounds to me like airlines will be required to move people around if a parent & child needs to be accommodated.

 

[wilkeliza]

Has anybody seen how he airlines plan to implement the requirement that they seat children 13 and under next to a parent?

From the Washington Post July 14, 2016:

Perhaps the most troubling item for airlines, in terms of new regulation, is a rule that directs the transportation secretary to establish a policy to allow children under age 13 “to be seated in a seat adjacent to the seat of an accompanying family member over the age of 13” at no additional cost. There is an exception for when such a seat assignment would require an upgrade to another cabin class or a seat with extra legroom or seat pitch, for which additional fees generally are required. But as a practical matter, this policy is certain to chip away at the billions of dollars in seat reservation fees the industry collects from passengers annually.

It sounds to me like airlines will be required to move people around if a parent & child needs to be accommodated.

It is considered a different class so it is possible that if you put in the age of your child as 13 or under that they won't let you book that class.

 

[DebbieB]

Has anybody seen how the airlines plan to implement the requirement that they seat children 13 and under next to a parent?

From the Washington Post July 14, 2016:

Perhaps the most troubling item for airlines, in terms of new regulation, is a rule that directs the transportation secretary to establish a policy to allow children under age 13 “to be seated in a seat adjacent to the seat of an accompanying family member over the age of 13” at no additional cost. There is an exception for when such a seat assignment would require an upgrade to another cabin class or a seat with extra legroom or seat pitch, for which additional fees generally are required. But as a practical matter, this policy is certain to chip away at the billions of dollars in seat reservation fees the industry collects from passengers annually.

It sounds to me like airlines will be required to move people around if a parent & child needs to be accommodated.

The way I understood it when it came out was if the airline did not have seats together at the time of booking, you would be informed and make a decision to book or not. Otherwise, it would be chaos. Say there are 10 scattered seats left on a plane and a family of 5 books it, they would have to move several people around to accommodate them. Then another family books, they would be moving around again. That's not going to happen. Where it could happen is if you had seats together when you booked and they changed the type of plane resulting in seat changes, they could be forced to move people.

 

[maxiesmom]

Has anybody seen how the airlines plan to implement the requirement that they seat children 13 and under next to a parent?

From the Washington Post July 14, 2016:

Perhaps the most troubling item for airlines, in terms of new regulation, is a rule that directs the transportation secretary to establish a policy to allow children under age 13 “to be seated in a seat adjacent to the seat of an accompanying family member over the age of 13” at no additional cost. There is an exception for when such a seat assignment would require an upgrade to another cabin class or a seat with extra legroom or seat pitch, for which additional fees generally are required. But as a practical matter, this policy is certain to chip away at the billions of dollars in seat reservation fees the industry collects from passengers annually.

It sounds to me like airlines will be required to move people around if a parent & child needs to be accommodated.

When you try to purchase a basic economy fare from Delta it is very clear that you will not cannot pick seats, they will be assigned after you check in. It also tells you that family members traveling together may not be seated together. You may not even get seat assignments until you are at the gate. Seems that if someone agrees to all of that and still purchases tickets they forfeit the right to complain if they are split up.

The above quote also states there is an exception for when the seat assignment would require an upgrade, which it would when purchasing basic economy. They are covered.

 

[ZellyB]

We recently traveled with our two 13-year olds with the basic economy. They were able to put us together on our flights although we were at the very back of the plane - but we didn't care. We got to the gate very early so that may have helped as well. We knew there was no guarantee of that though, so we were prepared if we ended up split up. We actually did end up split up on one flight but that was because of a delay we missed our scheduled flight and all had to get on another flight stand-by. I really wasn't concerned about my 13 year olds though. They've flown enough that they weren't concerned at all about not sitting with us. In fact, I think they preferred it. I agree with the other posters that if it's important that you sit together I wouldn't book a basic economy fare.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

It is considered a different class so it is possible that if you put in the age of your child as 13 or under that they won't let you book that class.

I wonder if that's legal...I wouldn't think so, as not allowing some group of people to buy your product at the lowest prices sounds like discrimination. But maybe discriminating against families is legal. Not being facetious there.

I've read a few more articles about this. The law is intended to force the airlines to build systems that will recognize that its a parent and child sitting together, and to have the system seat the family appropriately.

And I wonder, if in this context, the 'fare groupings' could be considered a 'class'. The language of the law seems to indicate the physical characteristic of the seat will be the class defining factor, not the fare paid. My interpretation is that airlines won't be forced to put families in larger (first or business) or more legroom seats, but parent/child pair should be placed together anywhere in the plane with standard seats.

 

[maxiesmom]

It is not discrimination if the practice applies to everyone equally and you are informed of it before making your purchase. It is not more discrimination that it would be for a family of 6 to rent an economy car and then complain they don't fit. You need to know what you are buying and if it will work for you or not.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Seems that if someone agrees to all of that and still purchases tickets they forfeit the right to complain if they are split up.

The above quote also states there is an exception for when the seat assignment would require an upgrade, which it would when purchasing basic economy. They are covered.

It will be interesting to see what the final rules are.

From the language of the bill, I don't interpret different fare 'classes' to be the same as the physically different 'cabin classes' on an airplane. The bill's language differentiates along physical characteristic of the seats, not the idiosyncratic fare class individual airlines sell. I bet the airlines are feverishly lobbying to have things interpreted the way you have, but it seems the intent of the law was to get airlines to seat parent/child pairs together without parents having to pay more.

 

[wilkeliza]

I wonder if that's legal...I wouldn't think so, as not allowing some group of people to buy your product at the lowest prices sounds like discrimination. But maybe discriminating against families is legal. Not being facetious there.

I've read a few more articles about this. The law is intended to force the airlines to build systems that will recognize that its a parent and child sitting together, and to have the system seat the family appropriately.

And I wonder, if in this context, the 'fare groupings' could be considered a 'class'. The language of the law seems to indicate the physical characteristic of the seat will be the class defining factor, not the fare paid. My interpretation is that airlines won't be forced to put families in larger (first or business) or more legroom seats, but parent/child pair should be placed together anywhere in the plane with standard seats.

Since they are only being forced to offer a system to make sure a under 13 sits with at least 1 other person in their party over the age of 13 then I think they'll be fine. Basically if you book and economy fair isn't an option when you put in the birthday of the kid and the travel option they'll say there was no way they could guarantee the met requirements thus why the fare was not offered. They can't force people who have paid for the upgrade to move or change their seat or flight because a family just booked and now they have to find 2 seats next to each other even though there are only singles left on the flight.

What I could see happening is Delta holding the last row of the plane for "family bookings" internally giving them at least 6 seats for each plane. I don't know a single person who willingly books that last row since it they usually can't recline. Once those 6 are booked they don't off the fare any more to families because then they can't guarantee you would be seated next to each other.

 

[wilkeliza]

It will be interesting to see what the final rules are.

From the language of the bill, I don't interpret different fare 'classes' to be the same as the physically different 'classes' on an airplane. The bill's language differentiates along physical characteristic of the seats, not the idiosyncratic fare class individual airlines sell. I bet the airlines are feverishly lobbying to have things interpreted the way you have, but it seems the intent of the law was to get airlines to seat parent/child pairs together without parents having to pay more.

The law doesn't seem to advocate to force airlines to bump people who are paying more though. If the airline can see at time of booking that they can't possibly put your family next to each other then saying sorry you can't book because of new laws isn't discrimination.

 

[DisBud]

We recently flew Delta and I had paid for Main Cabin to select seats for my family. At the gate (after a 3 hour delay and they never called me up or made any announcements) we were in the line to board the plane and as my 9 year old walked through they quickly said he had been moved seats. They moved him so a parent that did not have assigned seats could sit next to their child. I got no where with the gate workers, but the flight attendants were more than happy to help us find seats so my husband could sit next to him and I stayed by my daughter in our original seats. I was pretty upset that she got the service I had paid for, but Delta has been deaf to my complaints. They had pretty significant weather issues that day so I'm sure my complaint is the least of their troubles.

So don't think they won't move passengers that did pay for seat assignments! But I also found the passengers pretty accommodating, so it might work out.