flying with kids - sitting together???

[caaber01]

We are going to use Airtran. They said we'd have to pay fifteen dollars per person if we wanted to assign our seats ahead of time. I asked if that meant our four year old daughter could end up sitting alone (we have two daughters, eight and four), and she said yes, that could happen. She said I could go on 24 hours ahead of checking in and we could assign our seats with a high likelihood of sitting together (for free) but couldn't guarantee. Would they really make kids sit alone/apart from parents??? We really don't want to tack on the additional fifteen dollars (I'm assuming that's both ways?), but we will if we must.

 

[mom2val]

We are paying $12 each roundtrip to guarantee seats together with Airtran.

 

[disgrl]

We flew AirTran on our last trip and, because of our own error, ended up having every member of our party in a different row, even my DS who was only 18 months old. It took a little bit of shuffling and the kindness of other travelers but we eventually got two seats together. If I could have paid a little more to avoid the stress I would have.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I've been on the other side of this. I was a solo traveller and they assigned me a seat smack in the middle of a family of three, expecting one of the kids to sit alone. The dad stayed on the agents and they called me up to the counter and asked if I would move. I did. There was no way I was going to split up that family.

Try the early check in, and PLEASE let us know how it goes, because I'm like you... I refuse to pay to get a seat after I've already paid for a seat!

 

[npmommie]

When we flew airtran in January, I booked online and accessed the airtran site via Kayak, it was free to pick our seats, but I think I heard that is no longer in effect?
I would pay the money to avoid stressing myself out

Edit
I just went on kayak and played with it, I picked seats on airtran and it charged me only $6 each direction........some seats were more, but you can do it low as $6 so it added total of $48 for round trip 4 travelers

 

[myhouseofmouse]

Yeah we pay the money every year, just in case. It sucks having to spend the extra money, but not worth the worries about it...

 

[caaber01]

Thanks so much for all of the advice. My friend who is traveling with us with her family said she wasn't worried about getting seating together (with kids) and figured it would work out on its own, but it looks like it is booking up and seats are getting reserved quite quickly. I think I will go ahead and reserve the $6 per way seats. I wonder why on the phone they didn't tell me some prices were different, they just said $15. Hmmm. Does it matter if you are sitting toward the back of the plane? Most of the $6 tickets are toward the middle/back of the plane. I don't really mind!

I'm so thankful for your replies
Chrissy

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, if you're flying on a US-based carrier, the airline IS obligated to seat at least one parent next to a child who is seated in an aircraft-approved carseat on board the aircraft; that is required by Federal Law. (The point is that someone who knows how to operate the harness must be responsible for freeing the child from the carseat in case of an emergency evacuation.) If they cannot find a volunteer to move, the FA's will insist on it. (This puts the adult in a middle seat, because the law also says that the carseat must be placed where it will not impede egress in an emergency, which means the window position, and NOT in an exit row or in the rows directly in front of or behind the exit row.)

I'm not suggesting that anyone deliberately take advantage of the law to avoid the fee, but it is the law. This is one of the very few situations in which the airline is empowered to make another passenger move in order to obey Federal safety regulations; though it seldom comes to that -- they usually manage to find a "volunteer" if a small bribe is offered (usually free drinks.)

 

[squirrel]

We took our chances in 2008 and didn't select seats. There were 6 of us going and we figured that we would be sitting some where near each other. As long as we could get 2 + 2 or 3 together so the younger two at least had an adult with them. I went online at the 24 hr mark and all of us were seated together at the back of the plane.

Last year we booked and didn't select the seats for our one way trip to MCO (flew Southwest home). We did get discount code after booking and used them to pick our seats.

 

[Schmeck]

Just FYI, if you're flying on a US-based carrier, the airline IS obligated to seat at least one parent next to a child who is seated in an aircraft-approved carseat on board the aircraft; that is required by Federal Law. (The point is that someone who knows how to operate the harness must be responsible for freeing the child from the carseat in case of an emergency evacuation.) If they cannot find a volunteer to move, the FA's will insist on it. (This puts the adult in a middle seat, because the law also says that the carseat must be placed where it will not impede egress in an emergency, which means the window position, and NOT in an exit row or in the rows directly in front of or behind the exit row.)

I'm not suggesting that anyone deliberately take advantage of the law to avoid the fee, but it is the law. This is one of the very few situations in which the airline is empowered to make another passenger move in order to obey Federal safety regulations; though it seldom comes to that -- they usually manage to find a "volunteer" if a small bribe is offered (usually free drinks.)

This is what p's me off - parents know that they have to pay to get seated together - yet if they don't want to, the federal gov't steps in. How about a policy that they don't get to go on that flight if they haven't planned ahead and paid the fee to sit next to their child in the carseat? Put them on some other flight (could be 24 hours later, to reserve the proper seating) and don't inconvenience those that paid.

If I had paid to sit in a certain seat, and the airline forces me to move, I'd sue for breach of contract - probably the only situation where I would sue, as I had paid for a service and did not receive it.

 

[Hoopfamily]

I don't want to start a war, but NotUrsula do you have documentation for this. I have not read the law but I've seen airlines solidly tell families no, and in the end seat families apart from one another. If the Federal law stated they had to put them together I have a hard time believing the airlines would put themselves in position to get sued so readilly.
The law may have provisions saying they have to offer parents the opportunity to sit together which by offering preselected seats whether at a charge or not gets accomplished.

 

[MiniGirl]

I haven't heard about the law either, but it has been many years since I was a flight attendant. When I was flying, we were not allowed to ask passengers to move for this reason. The family with children were allowed to ask and I was allowed to show then their new seat -- which I always tried to make it a nicer seat to encourage them to move.

It could also be that the airlines will accomodate the passengers on the next available flight, and that would fall within the regulation but could delay the family quite awhile.

OP, I never had a problem getting people to move, but that was before the day of paying extra for seats together, etc. If people paid extra to sit together, I could definitely see them being reluctant to split up later. KWIM. I'd go ahead and pay the extra money -- at least for 2 seats anyway. It really isn't that much.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see that you had already decided to do that. Good move.

 

[labdogs42]

Am I the only one who thinks it is crap that the airlines charge these crazy fees now? Just advertise the price including one checked bag per person and picking your own seat. Don't nickel and dime me after the fact with all these fees that really add up! I'm booked on AirTran for our return flight in June. I didn't pick seats yet, but maybe I should. Damn, I hate paying those fees! It just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Schmeck]

Am I the only one who thinks it is crap that the airlines charge these crazy fees now? Just advertise the price including one checked bag per person and picking your own seat. Don't nickel and dime me after the fact with all these fees that really add up! I'm booked on AirTran for our return flight in June. I didn't pick seats yet, but maybe I should. Damn, I hate paying those fees! It just rubs me the wrong way.

I totally agree - have everyone pay for the seating assignment, etc, then there wouldn't be these problems. I hate how they charge for checked baggage. All it does is make the penny-pinchers overstuff their carryons. Nothing is more irritating to me than having someone's backside or crotch in my face as they try to shove an overstuffed carryon into an already filled overhead compartment. Then the wait as everyone tries to pry the stuff back out again, ugh!

We never use the overhead bins, our carryons fit under the seat in front of us, and we get stuck on the plane waiting for the over-stuffers to get moving. Wish they didn't open the overhead compartments until those of us that didn't use them get off the plane! Some of those bags are so heavy they could kill!

Glad the OP decided to buy the seating assignment. Makes sense to be responsible!

 

[MiniGirl]

Am I the only one who thinks it is crap that the airlines charge these crazy fees now? Just advertise the price including one checked bag per person and picking your own seat. Don't nickel and dime me after the fact with all these fees that really add up! I'm booked on AirTran for our return flight in June. I didn't pick seats yet, but maybe I should. Damn, I hate paying those fees! It just rubs me the wrong way.

You're not going to like my answer, but no I don't think it is cr*p -- to use your word. You won't believe this and the travelling public won't admit it, but the public loves having all these fees. Look, people always say they would pay more for safety or they would pay more if the airlines would stop with all the extra fees, but history has shown time and time again that just isn't the case. People want low prices and will book the lowest fare they can find. Many carriers tried not charging for checked bags, etc, and they weren't selling tickets. Why? Because people went with the low cost carriers who charged less but added fees for everything else. The other carriers than had to follow suit. After the ValuJet crash in the Everglades, people were outraged and said they'd pay more if it ensured a safer flight. However, after ValuJet started flying again, the offered obscenely low prices and people jumped on them. Their planes were full, full, full -- eventhough they were still under FAA investigation for safety issues. So, everyone can moan and compain all they want about fees, etc, but know that when it comes down to it, people just want low fares.

Fuel is expensive and airlines have cut employee salaries and benefits a ton in order to pay for increasing costs while keeping prices low. My dh is an airline pilot and makes the same thing now that he made in 1995, and he is having to work more days to do it. (In '95, he was a first officer. He is now a Captain.) So go ahead and complain about the fees all you want. Just remember the airline employee you're complaining to has probably faced similar paycuts and/or stagnation all in an effort to give the travelling public low fares.

 

[labdogs42]

So go ahead and complain about the fees all you want. Just remember the airline employee you're complaining to has probably faced similar paycuts and/or stagnation all in an effort to give the travelling public low fares.

But, what I'm saying is, if all the airlines put these fees BACK into the cost of the flight, it would actually help me compare the REAL prices of flights instead of thinking I have found a good deal and then being nickeled and dimed for all kinds of stuff after the fact (and potentially not buying that flight). I am actually willing to pay for these things, but I balk when it is added on after the fact (sort of like how I hate to pay for shipping when I'm ordering things online -- I love "free" shipping, even if I'm essentially paying for it). I'd like it to be built into the price of the fare, so I can know what I'm going to pay from the get-go. I won't be complaining to any airline employees about this. I know it isn't their fault. That's why I complain here on the DIS!

 

[sjs314]

I have to admit I live in an area where I have a choice of multiple airports and airlines to fly on so I choose not to fly Airtran or SW due to the fact of the problems with seat assignments. I want to be able to pick my seat at the time of booking not at the time of boarding and I don't like having to pay xtra for a seat in additon to what the fare is for the flight
Are AirTran and SW flight fares that much lower to start with that people put up with this inconvience of seat assignments???

 

[labdogs42]

I have to admit I live in an area where I have a choice of multiple airports and airlines to fly on so I choose not to fly Airtran or SW due to the fact of the problems with seat assignments. I want to be able to pick my seat at the time of booking not at the time of boarding and I don't like having to pay xtra for a seat in additon to what the fare is for the flight
Are AirTran and SW flight fares that much lower to start with that people put up with this inconvience of seat assignments???

I fly Allegiant a lot because they fly out of out little local airport. I have never paid the fee to pick a seat and we have always been seated together. It sounds like that might be different on AirTran. I'm not sure, but you guys are convincing me that maybe I should fork over the fee for my next trip! (we fly Allegiant to Florida and AirTran back on this trip)

 

[turkeymama]

I have to admit I live in an area where I have a choice of multiple airports and airlines to fly on so I choose not to fly Airtran or SW due to the fact of the problems with seat assignments. I want to be able to pick my seat at the time of booking not at the time of boarding and I don't like having to pay xtra for a seat in additon to what the fare is for the flight
Are AirTran and SW flight fares that much lower to start with that people put up with this inconvience of seat assignments???

I live in an area with fewer airports, so we don't have many options. Flying SW is much cheaper than the other carriers in our case. So to answer your question, yes. Just to give a comparison example, flying on SW out of New Orleans would cost us $970 r/t for 4 of us. That is also nonstop flights. Add in the $20 each r/t for early bird checkin and we're still below $1100. To fly out of the same airport on Continental on flights with a minimum of 1 stop, the price for all 4 of us is $1900.

 

[MiniGirl]

But, what I'm saying is, if all the airlines put these fees BACK into the cost of the flight, it would actually help me compare the REAL prices of flights instead of thinking I have found a good deal and then being nickeled and dimed for all kinds of stuff after the fact (and potentially not buying that flight). I am actually willing to pay for these things, but I balk when it is added on after the fact (sort of like how I hate to pay for shipping when I'm ordering things online -- I love "free" shipping, even if I'm essentially paying for it). I'd like it to be built into the price of the fare, so I can know what I'm going to pay from the get-go. I won't be complaining to any airline employees about this. I know it isn't their fault. That's why I complain here on the DIS!

I know. I hear you, and I agree. I, too, wish they would just have one set price. What I'm saying though, is that we are in the minority. Most people will book the lower fare and worry about all the other fees later -- or try to come up with a way to avoid paying them. If EVERY airline would do it, it would work. However, if just one airline lowers their prices, then they all have to. Again, the public has consistently shown the airlines that all that matters when it comes to buying a ticket is price.