Delta "Family Seating"

[Hannathy]

OP -
That said, the airline does not need to guarantee those seats, and my experience has been that there are some friendly people willing to swap seats and others who won't give up their window/aisle/lucky row number to let a toddler sit with his mom.
[.

Except She isn't talking about toddlers an 8 yr old is hardly a toddler. Yes if you truly have a toddler you can usually find someone who will switch so you can sit with your 3 yr old but good luck with an 8 yr old, I wouldn't even think of asking.


Heck by 7 mine were sitting by themselves on purpose so they could all have window seats! One woman saw my son and said oh I'll switch so you can sit with your Mom and he said no thank you I picked this seat. I thanked her for the offer and she sat down next to me and chuckled.

 

[ccgirl]

Except She isn't talking about toddlers an 8 yr old is hardly a toddler. Yes if you truly have a toddler you can usually find someone who will switch so you can sit with your 3 yr old but good luck with an 8 yr old, I wouldn't even think of asking.


Heck by 7 mine were sitting by themselves on purpose so they could all have window seats! One woman saw my son and said oh I'll switch so you can sit with your Mom and he said no thank you I picked this seat. I thanked her for the offer and she sat down next to me and chuckled.

You shoud be reported to DSS <sarcasm> Heck, sometimes my DD8 wants to sit by herself too. She enjoys the independence.

 

[YO's Mom]

I can pretty much guarantee that nobody would be chaning their mind. When I fly, and I'm not with my children I put my headphones on.

My 8 year old gets motion sickness. She also has a tendency to throw up when she is nervous. I would hope she would manage to throw up in an airsick bag, but I wouldn't guarantee it. Good luck ignoring that.

As you have found out, if it is important to sit next to your child pay for it. Why should someone who paid for a seat have to move because a parent wanted to save a buck and didn't pay?

I did pay - for 3 seats when I bought my tickets weeks ago. Delta does not have an option to pay for a specific seat assignment. If they did, I would have paid the fee. At no time did I say that I was trying to "save a buck".

Really, I hope that most of you are just being so cantankerous because you are having an anonymous conversation on the internet. I would hope that in real life you are a bit more kind and generous – not the kind of jerk who would ignore a crying child just because you think she is too old to be upset about sitting alone. I'd hate to think that world has become that heartless.

 

[crashbb]

I did pay - for 3 seats when I bought my tickets weeks ago. Delta does not have an option to pay for a specific seat assignment. If they did, I would have paid the fee. At no time did I say that I was trying to "save a buck".

Actually, Delta allows you to choose a specific seat for free (most seats) or a fee (premium seats). The airline even lets you see the seat map before you choose your flight, so that you can make sure that there are acceptable seats left (e.g. three seats together) before choosing a specific flight.

 

[Hannathy]

I did pay - for 3 seats when I bought my tickets weeks ago. Delta does not have an option to pay for a specific seat assignment. If they did, I would have paid the fee. At no time did I say that I was trying to "save a buck".


No you paid for 3 seats on a flight , that is all the airline guarantees.

Really, I hope that most of you are just being so cantankerous because you are having an anonymous conversation on the internet. I would hope that in real life you are a bit more kind and generous – not the kind of jerk who would ignore a crying child just because you think she is too old to be upset about sitting alone. I'd hate to think that world has become that heartless.

Believe what you want but frequent fliers probably would. If my DH is coming back from work he could very well ignore her not because he is being mean, he is just tired and will have put his headphones and will be asleep before they take off. And believe me he can sleep thru anything, puking included. He actually did sleep thru a few of his fellow workers throwing up in really bad turbulence and woke up after they landed with them astounded he didn't know what had happened.

And what would you want the said "jerk" to do? I would probably tell the kid to go see their Mom or call the FA. if after I said everything was alright on the plane and they kept crying.

The truth is kids do 100% better alone than their Moms ever think they will do. I've sat beside many kids and never had one have a problem.

 

[2binak]

OP - glad you were able to get seats together.

Rest assured that while many people here wouldn't give your child a 2nd glance if they were seperated from you or flying alone, Dh & I would glady help your child & comfort them if needed.

Dh & I sat next to an unaccompanied minor on a cross-country flight. The girl was 10 years old. The minute the plane's wheels were off the ground her nose began to bleed and it was bad! Thankfully we had some napkins & tissues with us, but it wasn't enough. Once we could get the FA's to come to our row, we were able to get some more napkins and after I got what I could cleaned up, I helped the girl to the bathroom so she could clean up some more. I stood in the galley until she was all set. Then about 1/2 way through the flight, the girl started to cry. She was sad that she had to leave her relatives who she was visiting. I talked to her about her visit and asked if she thought she'd be able to visit them again and if so, what things she'd like to do while there and that seemed to cheer her up. Then she fell asleep for the rest of the flight.

I couldn't imagine someone ignoring a crying or sick child, even if their parent was just a few rows away. A child still needs some reassurance now and then, even from a total stranger. Geez!

 

[my2minnies]

OP - glad you were able to get seats together.

Rest assured that while many people here wouldn't give your child a 2nd glance if they were seperated from you or flying alone, Dh & I would glady help your child & comfort them if needed.

Dh & I sat next to an unaccompanied minor on a cross-country flight. The girl was 10 years old. The minute the plane's wheels were off the ground her nose began to bleed and it was bad! Thankfully we had some napkins & tissues with us, but it wasn't enough. Once we could get the FA's to come to our row, we were able to get some more napkins and after I got what I could cleaned up, I helped the girl to the bathroom so she could clean up some more. I stood in the galley until she was all set. Then about 1/2 way through the flight, the girl started to cry. She was sad that she had to leave her relatives who she was visiting. I talked to her about her visit and asked if she thought she'd be able to visit them again and if so, what things she'd like to do while there and that seemed to cheer her up. Then she fell asleep for the rest of the flight.

I couldn't imagine someone ignoring a crying or sick child, even if their parent was just a few rows away. A child still needs some reassurance now and then, even from a total stranger. Geez!

Good God, I much rather give up my aisle seat for a middle seat than deal with that situation. I certainly could not ignore that, but I would be aggravated that I had to take care of someone's child because they couldn't.
My kids are great travelers, but their short legs need reminding not to kick the seat in front of them. I want to sit with them because I am concerned about how their behavior might bother other people.

I could not imagine letting my child sit by choice and let other people deal with them. Even the best of kids can be antsy and annoying at times.

 

[mdsoccermom]

My 8 year old gets motion sickness. She also has a tendency to throw up when she is nervous. I would hope she would manage to throw up in an airsick bag, but I wouldn't guarantee it. Good luck ignoring that.





I did pay - for 3 seats when I bought my tickets weeks ago. Delta does not have an option to pay for a specific seat assignment. If they did, I would have paid the fee. At no time did I say that I was trying to "save a buck".

Really, I hope that most of you are just being so cantankerous because you are having an anonymous conversation on the internet. I would hope that in real life you are a bit more kind and generous – not the kind of jerk who would ignore a crying child just because you think she is too old to be upset about sitting alone. I'd hate to think that world has become that heartless.

Actually, if the seats are available for pre-assignment, you can select them for free on Delta (and on many other carriers). However, on every single flight on every airline, a certain number of seats are unavailable for assignment in advance. I would like to point out that those seats are not considered family seating, and are used for a myriad of reasons, not just to move families around.

 

[AnrynKewkel]

If an adult in a window or aisle seat does not want to "babysit" or otherwise deal with someone else's child they are welcome to trade seats with that child's parent. IMO, they have only themselves to blame if they are bothered by the child sitting next to them.

Really? So because I'm sitting in the seat that I PAID for and the only empty seat for your child was next to me, I'm to blame because I PAID for my particular aisle seat due to the fact that I may need to make a quick exit to the bathroom? Or need the aisle because I tend to feel claustrophobic & anxious on planes? Or need the aisle seat towards the front of the plane because I need to quickly deplane in order to make my next connection?

I would hope that in real life you are a bit more kind and generous – not the kind of jerk who would ignore a crying child just because you think she is too old to be upset about sitting alone.

So someone who 'ignores' a crying child is a jerk? How presumptuous. Maybe that 'jerk' is tired from a long day of work and just wants to sleep. Maybe that 'jerk' has headphones on and is zoning out and doesn't even realize the child is crying. Maybe that 'jerk' is a nervous and anxious flier and is in no shape to comfort a crying child.
Maybe the real 'jerk' here is the parent who doesn't prepare their child for the fact that they may be sitting in a different row than the parent.

My 8 year old gets motion sickness. She also has a tendency to throw up when she is nervous. I would hope she would manage to throw up in an airsick bag, but I wouldn't guarantee it. Good luck ignoring that.

Then IT'S YOUR JOB as a parent to provide your child with a plastic bag of some sort of your own if there is any chance your child may get sick. Not only that, but there are motion sickness remedies out there. And again, prepare your child for the fact that they may not be sitting with you and if he/she gets sick, to use the bag and call for a flight attendant - who is there to help all passengers.
Yeah, I know, it sucks. But that's air travel today. That's reality.

You don’t know me, and you don’t know my children. You have no idea what they’ve been through.

And you don't know what other passengers have been through.

Why should someone who has paid money for a window seat at the front of the plane switch for a middle seat at the back because someone can't get over the issue of their 8 year old sitting elsewhere? They shouldn't be expected to nor are they required to.

This.

I can't believe how some parents (some, not all) have a sense of entitlement when it comes to children and flying. It's as if no one else on the plane matters, only them and their children's comfort. Never mind the comfort of other passengers, especially those who paid for their seats for whatever reason is important to them.

 

[anewvance]

I laugh thinking about how I and my kids would handle being separated on a flight. My 12 year old dd would be fine, she would put her earphones in and play on her ipod the way. My 10 year old dd is VERY sensitive and would FREAK OUT and cry the whole time. My 7 year old would talk the crap outta whoever is on either side of him. And my 4 year old who is asthmatic and coughs most of the time would cough (he covers his mouth... most of the time) the whole flight while bouncing on his chair and asking the people next to let him out to go to the bathroom and yell stuff to us the whole time.

Nope, no one has to change for you but let's see... what would be better to sit with? The cryer, the talker or the cougher? And I would get a kid free flight... hmm who wins in this situation???

We were flying home from New Mexico when my oldest was 14 months old and dh and I seats were rearranged (although we had assigned our seats online in advance) and we were now in two different parts of the plane and both in middle rows. dd was a lap rider. Besides the fact that I have a panic disorder which would make me nervous traveling between two people for 4 hours, my daughter was 14 months old... in those small rows and in the middle of 2 people, she was not going to sit still. We were told once we got on the place we could ask someone to move. But I had an anxiety attack while waiting... I just couldn't help it. If I were by myself I probably could have handled sitting in the middle but not with my dd. Anyway, once we got on the plane the first person we asked to move was a younger girl who saw the baby and was MORE then willing. So I had nothing to worry about.

I think most people will take one look at a small child and be more then happy to move. I have 4 kids and love kids but if I am traveling alone, I don't want to sit next to a child and feel like I have to entertain them the whole time.... no thanks.

 

[Anya22]

OP, Thanks for posting. I found your post informative and I will be double-checking that our seats are together when we get to the airport in the spring for our Delta flight to Orlando.

I find it pretty unbelievable that people are giving the OP a hard time because she wants to sit with her 6 and 8 year-olds. Um, when I was 6 or 8 I would have freaked out if I had to sit on the plane away from my parents and next to strangers. Unless a kid flies several times per year, most kids at those ages might be a little nervous about a flight. It is a tad different than just taking the school bus to school or something. If I were flying alone and someone asked me to switch so they could sit next to their child (as long as the kid was 12 or under), I would do it, even if it meant sitting in a center seat.

 

[2binak]

Good God, I much rather give up my aisle seat for a middle seat than deal with that situation. I certainly could not ignore that, but I would be aggravated that I had to take care of someone's child because they couldn't.
My kids are great travelers, but their short legs need reminding not to kick the seat in front of them. I want to sit with them because I am concerned about how their behavior might bother other people.

I could not imagine letting my child sit by choice and let other people deal with them. Even the best of kids can be antsy and annoying at times.

Dh & I weren't aggravated at all. The girl was traveling alone and needed help & compassion. It never crossed our minds to be upset or aggravated by the situation. Even if her parents had been on the plane but in another row, we would have helped her. Actually, if her parents were in another row, we would have given up our seats, even if it meant Dh & I were separated and sitting in seats that aren't our preference.

 

[scrapquitler]

OP, Thanks for posting. I found your post informative and I will be double-checking that our seats are together when we get to the airport in the spring for our Delta flight to Orlando.

I find it pretty unbelievable that people are giving the OP a hard time because she wants to sit with her 6 and 8 year-olds. Um, when I was 6 or 8 I would have freaked out if I had to sit on the plane away from my parents and next to strangers. Unless a kid flies several times per year, most kids at those ages might be a little nervous about a flight. It is a tad different than just taking the school bus to school or something. If I were flying alone and someone asked me to switch so they could sit next to their child (as long as the kid was 12 or under), I would do it, even if it meant sitting in a center seat.

I would switch so that a child could sit with his/her parent, and I would hope that someone would do the same for me. If not, then some poor unsuspecting person would be sitting next to my can't sit still/never stops talking child while I enjoyed the peace and quiet a few rows back.


I posted a similar thread a while back and was told that I shouldn't have asked, it was my own fault for not booking the flight early enough to get seats for all of us together. Silly me, I didn't know I was going to have a chance to fly until a month ahead of time. Not everyone who is flying is flying for a pleasure trip planned way ahead of time, and the airlines DO move things even if you have pre-selected your seats (I almost NEVER end up in the seats I've pre-selected for whatever reason).

 

[momto2js]

I have a 2 and 4 year old and on our last trip we had a leg that the plane was 2 and 2. I figured, no problem DS4 has been on the plane about 30 times and never a problem, he can sit across the aisle. Well on our first flight, DS4 had a panic attack. The we are all going to die on this plane kind of panic attack. Had he not been next to me, we would have been denied boarding I'm certain. As it was, the trip was miserable. On the small plane I had to put my 2 year old next to the stranger because he was handling the trip far better. The point is that kids are kids and you really never know what will happen.

 

[WolverineQ]

Really? So because I'm sitting in the seat that I PAID for and the only empty seat for your child was next to me, I'm to blame because I PAID for my particular aisle seat due to the fact that I may need to make a quick exit to the bathroom?

News flash: Airlines move seats around all the time. Equipment and schedules change frequently. You PAID to get on the plane to sit in a seat. You didn't PAY for a particular seat. The airline can, and will, move you at their leisure.
I find that if you book way in advance you can pretty much count on your seat assignment changeing and it's always a good idea to check your reservation every few weeks if you are really concerned about your seat. The last 4 flights I took (1 to Orlando) we're booked far in advance with selected seats. Not one of the "seat selections" actually matched the seat I was assigned.
On a related note, the number of adults on this board who would willingly, almost spitefully, ignore a kid (regardless of whether the kid is 3yo, 8yo, 10yo, whatever) is appalling. It's indicative of what is wrong with society. Some of the commenters on here need to seriously check themselves.

 

[Mama Who]

I think the bottom line is that there are often people who are willing to graciously change seats or assist a child seated alone but that both of these things are *favors* and not *entitlements*.

It is a blessing if someone allows us to sit together or assists him in my absence but it is by no means their job to do so. It is my job to raise a kid to manage small inconveniences or to avoid situations where they arise if he's just incapable of doing so. My willingness to help others in that situation aside, my kid is my problem and if I allow him to be someone else's, the failure is mine, not theirs.

 

[ccgirl]

I think the bottom line is that there are often people who are willing to graciously change seats or assist a child seated alone but that both of these things are *favors* and not *entitlements*.

It is a blessing if someone allows us to sit together or assists him in my absence but it is by no means their job to do so. It is my job to raise a kid to manage small inconveniences or to avoid situations where they arise if he's just incapable of doing so. My willingness to help others in that situation aside, my kid is my problem and if I allow him to be someone else's, the failure is mine, not theirs.

Nicely put. It is the entitlement that gets me the most. The thing is, nobody is more entitled than another. Regardless if they have a 3 year old, 10 year old, 13 year old or no children at all. Parents - this is a heads up...check the seats before you book. If there are not any seats available together don't just go ahead and assume they will move people around for you. Because, guess what, you are probably not the only one hoping for that. So, when you get 3 families on board who were split up and they are all trying to get together with their own respective families it is quite chaotic. If the seat arrangement is not available, book another flight even if it's at a less than perfect time. Or, if they offer you the option to pick seats for a free (as Airtran)...pay the fee! There are only so many seats together on a plane, there are a lot of families flying that want to sit next to their children. Do everything in your power to get seats together before you get to the airport. If only middle seats are left, look for another flight. Obviously, things happen and planes change. Those are out of your control. That is different than knowingly booking seats apart and expecting to get them together. Off my soap box.

 

[jtopp]

The airlines are usually preety good about keeping families together. Last June, when our daughter decided to join us for our planned trip, we were able to get her on a flight to orlando with only one stop, not on the nonstop flight we were booked on. At the airport, they called her up to the counter and asked her if she knew other people on another flight with the same last name and destination. When she told them yes, the rebooked her on our flight, so that we were all traveling together. At the time, she had not been booked on our flight as it was full, but they were able to get her on. Not really a big deal, because she is old enough to travel alone, but nice that we were together and not worried about her on a different plane. When they were younger, we were always able to preboard as a family, and the flight attendants were able to make sure we were all together.

 

[Hannathy]

I think the bottom line is that there are often people who are willing to graciously change seats or assist a child seated alone but that both of these things are *favors* and not *entitlements*.

It is a blessing if someone allows us to sit together or assists him in my absence but it is by no means their job to do so. It is my job to raise a kid to manage small inconveniences or to avoid situations where they arise if he's just incapable of doing so. My willingness to help others in that situation aside, my kid is my problem and if I allow him to be someone else's, the failure is mine, not theirs.

Exactly! and again we aren't talking toddlers but any child who can go to school for 6-8 hours and can care for them selves there can care for them selves on a plane for the same or less hours. It is the Moms who can't deal with it not the kids.

 

[maxiesmom]

I think the bottom line is that there are often people who are willing to graciously change seats or assist a child seated alone but that both of these things are *favors* and not *entitlements*.

It is a blessing if someone allows us to sit together or assists him in my absence but it is by no means their job to do so. It is my job to raise a kid to manage small inconveniences or to avoid situations where they arise if he's just incapable of doing so. My willingness to help others in that situation aside, my kid is my problem and if I allow him to be someone else's, the failure is mine, not theirs.

Great post!!!!!I so hate the "Ha ha, you won't want to sit next to my crying/puking kid" comment. Grow up already! If you ask nicely, people may be willing to accomodate you. Plunk your kid down and start making comments about how bad a flyer they are, and you will most likely end up with your child being ignored.

OP--A few years back we became aware that Delts sometimes holds back the last row on the airplane. I had purchased an airline ticket, and then my sister and her family decided to fly, instead of drive, a few weeks later. We called, and Delta told us to check at the gate, that they left that back row unassigned so that they could shuffle people around. We all ended up seated together, towards the front of the plane.