Helpppppp not sitting together? Sort of budget related

[Minniesgal]

But what if there are two needs?

If planes in the UK can meet young children's needs to be with their families I don't get why it is so difficult for planes in the USA

I find this question quite silly planes are large and accomodate several people with varying needs and can be done by juggling seating by operations managers. Two needs then two solutions are required. 10 need 10 solutions. It's up to the airlines to manage it

All I am saying is it should t be decided by mr rich who flys 10 times a week gets what he really wants at the expense of the person with a real need

 

[megster1123]

If planes in the UK can meet young children's needs to be with their families I don't get why it is so difficult for planes in the USA

I find this question quite silly planes are large and accomodate several people with varying needs and can be done by juggling seating by operations managers. Two needs then two solutions are required. 10 need 10 solutions. It's up to the airlines to manage it

All I am saying is it should t be decided by mr rich who flys 10 times a week gets what he really wants at the expense of the person with a real need

Just because airlines in the UK do it doesn't mean it's the best solution.

 

[Marionnette]

If planes in the UK can meet young children's needs to be with their families I don't get why it is so difficult for planes in the USA

I find this question quite silly planes are large and accomodate several people with varying needs and can be done by juggling seating by operations managers. Two needs then two solutions are required. 10 need 10 solutions. It's up to the airlines to manage it

All I am saying is it should t be decided by mr rich who flys 10 times a week gets what he really wants at the expense of the person with a real need

"mr rich who flys (sic) 10 times a week" is the airline's best customer. Who do you think a business should cater to - the guy who spends $$$$$ with them each year or the family that travels every few years and not always with the same carrier, and won't pony up a few extra bucks to pre-select a couple seats? My money is on keeping the diamond-level, million-miler frequent flier happy.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I've never paid the extra fee in the hopes I get to sit away from my children. So far I haven't gotten lucky.

 

[piccolopat]

At what age would parents not be considered irresponsible for leaving kids home alone for short periods. For us here that age is 12. Whatever that age is locally that is where i would draw the line

This is absolutely not the same as leaving a child home alone. In your example it would be like saying a parent couldn't be in the kitchen while the kid was in the living room. It is solely the responsibility of the parents to decide if their child can sit alone when they are nearby or if they must sit with the parents. If they decide they need to sit together, they either find an airline that doesn't charge for assigned seats, pay the fee to those that do or find alternate transportation. If airlines have to guarantee that kids and parents sit together the result will be that they raise the fares for everyone and make everyone pick a seat at the time of purchase. That's not fair to those that want the savings and don't care where they sit. Our family would always opt to pay if that's what it took to sit together.

 

[JillianMarie]

If an airline loses a once in a blue moon customer because they were seated away from their child due to purchasing bargain basement tickets it's just not that big of a deal. That customer is always going to be primarily motivated by price and will follow the least expensive fare no matter who the airline is. A policy that focuses on that customer over someone who "flies 10 times a week" is bad business. My boss travels constantly and usually buys her tickets at the last minute and pays full fare. She is just plain worth more to them.

 

[crisi]

Perhaps airlines should not sell tickets to children under a certain age if seat choice isn't include. This might mean they can't buy the cheapest fare class.

That's how I suspect this will end up - everyone will need to pay for assigned seating. And airline costs will go up for those that don't need assigned seating to pay for it.

 

[Poohbug]

Hey, remember when your airline ticket included a choice of airplane seats?

I can understand why families are not happy having to pay extra to sit next to their kids. I know that that is a reality now but it didn't used to be, and it's hard to go backwards. One more reason that makes driving more attractive these days.

 

[BruinEd03]

Wow, I wonder how airlines go bankrupt? They are masters at pitting customers against each other. The real issue is that Delta is charging people to select seats. They really shouldn't. Instead of having a united front, people are complaining about being charged to select seats, they are complaining about who hasn't paid. These angry responses to people who haven't paid ensure that more people pay, and in response, Delta will charge more for that "privilege."

Now, you can say, "well tough, select a different airline if you don't like it." That would be great if it was a free market. However, it is very much not a free market. There are numerous barriers to entry based on governmental regulations, limitations on locations of airports, etc.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ok so we just flew Delta from KCI to HNL with a stop in LAX on Monday. The flight from LAX to HNL did have a mother who was seated away from her child. She had 2 children..though they weren't young really probably tweens. Anywho she was really nice about it and the flight attendant asked if the lady sitting on the aisle would be willing to move and she was (though she moved back about 10 rows) but it did hold up the plane for a few minutes.

Same flight but another lady in the row behind me wanted to switch with another woman so she could sit next to the person she was with (it wasn't a child). At first the person was more than willing to switch until they saw that the lady had a middle seat and then the another woman said "oh no I would be willing to switch an aise for an aisle seat but not an aisle for a middle seat". The lady was a bit annoyed with that but accepted and stayed where she was originally assigned.

After our KCI to LAX flight (which the LAX to HNL really wasn't better as far as the following information) I've decided after watching more than 35 people pre-board (which included family boarding and ANYONE who "felt" they needed more time along with premium fliers and sky zone (both totaled around 20) and then zone one (which my husband had as he had the Delta Skymiles Credit Card) and then zone 2 (which is what I had as I was on a separate reservation due to using reward miles) followed by zone three that I much prefer how SWA does it especially separating pre-boards from family boarding.

Seriously there were plenty of able bodied people who were using the pre-board and jeez the entire families boarded rather than just mom,dad, and kids. Of course there are invisible disabilities but there are only so many that require you needing an extra 2 minutes (which is how long they waited before allowing the premium to come on) to walk down the jetway.

We bought our tickets 3 months in advance and when we bought there was a lot of seats left.

 

[Gracie09]

If planes in the UK can meet young children's needs to be with their families I don't get why it is so difficult for planes in the USA

I find this question quite silly planes are large and accomodate several people with varying needs and can be done by juggling seating by operations managers. Two needs then two solutions are required. 10 need 10 solutions. It's up to the airlines to manage it

All I am saying is it should t be decided by mr rich who flys 10 times a week gets what he really wants at the expense of the person with a real need

Well there are people who have fear of flying issues and choose seats with their companions, those with physical issues (broken leg etc) who choose seats that accommodate their issues, those who have dvt and may need to walk several times during a flight, my husband is 6'7" and he needs certain seats to fit on a plane. If you are traveling to a family destination like Orlando, there will be numerous family groups that you would want accommodated. There are a million reasons people choose to sit where they sit. They should not have to justify to an airline why they chose a seat - maybe they have to frequently use the bathroom and went with a seat close to that. Poor planning your part does constitute an emergency on my part. When I fly with my kids I make sure we are seated together even if I pay more and frequently check the assignments.
As a parent I am honestly sick of this idea that just because someone has kids they deserve special treatment, no I don't. It's my responsibility to arrange things in a safe appropriate manner for my kids. Not the airlines, not the other passengers,me. And if I can't do it, I don't take that flight.

 

[Marionnette]

Wow, I wonder how airlines go bankrupt? They are masters at pitting customers against each other. The real issue is that Delta is charging people to select seats. They really shouldn't. Instead of having a united front, people are complaining about being charged to select seats, they are complaining about who hasn't paid. These angry responses to people who haven't paid ensure that more people pay, and in response, Delta will charge more for that "privilege."

Now, you can say, "well tough, select a different airline if you don't like it." That would be great if it was a free market. However, it is very much not a free market. There are numerous barriers to entry based on governmental regulations, limitations on locations of airports, etc.

No, they are offering "flying your way" tickets. Don't need to check a bag? The airline doesn't add that cost to your ticket. Don't care where you sit? The airline sells you an "any seat" ticket for less than a "choose your seat" ticket costs. It's like Disney's "Magic Your Way" ticket, but in the air. You pay for what you want. I don't like looking at a fare and having to factor in those costs but the demand for cheap airfare has driven the market in that direction.

 

[kamik86]

Part of the issue is prospective.

Some of you feel that Delta charges people to pick their seats.

Others like me see it the other way Delta offers a discount to people that are willing to sit wherever Delta needs to fill in a seat.

Parents aren't charged extra to sit with their kid, they just arent someone that this discount works well for.


Why don't people want all tickets to include seat assignments? Because those that truely do'nt care where they sit want that discount. Im not one of those people I care where I sit but I can appreciate that some people may like and take that deal. Just like how I don't book gaurentee cruise ship cabins because I like some cabins much more, others pick guarentee and fill in where the line needs them too.


For a long time I was one of the frequent fliers that the airline would rather see by happy. I heard alot of people gripe about how the business class people would sit one per row sometimes and take up alot of partial rows, or why do we get to board first when others need to sit together. However the reason was exactly what others on here said. SW model makes it so there aren't TOO many perks they can offer to really frequent travelers, there is no first class for example. Early boarding is one of their big ones and if they took that away MANY frequent fliers would have dropped them. I could have flown other airlines for work. I choose to give the business to them and since many of my flights were booked less then a week out that was alot of money. That family of three complaining in the back probably spent less for all three of them then my company did on my one ticket.

 

[sam_gordon]

The real issue is that Delta is charging people to select seats. They really shouldn't. Instead of having a united front, people are complaining about being charged to select seats, they are complaining about who hasn't paid.

I've stayed out of this, but you don't know what you're talking about. Delta already has fares that INCLUDE seat selection. They also offer cheaper fares that don't include seat selection. They do this to attract more customers. As has been noted multiple times, many people only look at the cost, not what they're getting for the cost. The more you pay, the more you get. Whether that's seat selection, seats that recline more, free drinks, etc. If I only want to buy 6 eggs, should I be charged the same price as those getting a dozen? Buy what you want/need, but don't complain later because you didn't get what you thought you were buying.

 

[crisi]

Play enough and you fly Delta One "business/first class" (on international flights).

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/onboard-experience/delta-one.html#

Want to talk about spoiled for every flying a bargain airfare again? My husband used to fly this to Taiwan.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I've never paid the extra fee in the hopes I get to sit away from my children. So far I haven't gotten lucky.

Luck has nothing to do with it. You need to make your own luck. Pay for re-election, then choose seats for your children - away from you.

Hey, remember when your airline ticket included a choice of airplane seats?

I can understand why families are not happy having to pay extra to sit next to their kids. I know that that is a reality now but it didn't used to be, and it's hard to go backwards. One more reason that makes driving more attractive these days.

It's not extra, though. It's the same fee or fare every passenger who wants to preselected seats pays.

 

[crisi]

Hey, remember when your airline ticket included a choice of airplane seats?

I can understand why families are not happy having to pay extra to sit next to their kids. I know that that is a reality now but it didn't used to be, and it's hard to go backwards. One more reason that makes driving more attractive these days.

Yeah, it was a lot more expensive then: http://www.theatlantic.com/business...50-in-30-years-and-why-nobody-noticed/273506/

 

[Pkltm]

That's the part that blows me away. You can either A) pay $79 per way to fly without any extras and pay fees for what you want or B) pay more money to fly with assigned seats and drinks and a normal sized carry on. You cannot do both. As a culture, we have demanded dirt cheap flight options and the market has responded by offering them with certain concessions. People complain about how difficult flying has become and how they're being 'nickel and dimed' - but still refuse to buy a ticket on a legacy carrier because it's "too expensive". It's not rocket science how we got here.

I so agree! The other thing that gets me it the people who are upset because it costs them more to fly now than it did 5 years ago. Obviously Airlines have increased costs from year to year, wages specifically, but consumers still want the low prices, so companies have to get creative to make the cost appear low. In 2004 my husband and I paid $560 each to fly from our city in Canada to Orlando, there were no luggage fees or seat selection fees, and quite frankly the flight times were crappy. For our upcoming trip we are paying $398 plus $25 each way for luggage so essentially $448, we really don't care where we sit. So despite the rising costs of business we are still getting a better fare.

I do administration for a company including all costs and accounting, our costs of doing business keep going up, especially with our current exchange rate, and even minor price increases are commented on by customers. We do our best to explain how the exchange has affected our costs, we actually had a customer tell us we should take a lose on a product so she doesn't have to pay more. "the exchange rate isn't my fault."

As consumers we have to expect price increases or changes to the level of service.

 

[megster1123]

Well there are people who have fear of flying issues and choose seats with their companions, those with physical issues (broken leg etc) who choose seats that accommodate their issues, those who have dvt and may need to walk several times during a flight, my husband is 6'7" and he needs certain seats to fit on a plane. If you are traveling to a family destination like Orlando, there will be numerous family groups that you would want accommodated. There are a million reasons people choose to sit where they sit. They should not have to justify to an airline why they chose a seat - maybe they have to frequently use the bathroom and went with a seat close to that. Poor planning your part does constitute an emergency on my part. When I fly with my kids I make sure we are seated together even if I pay more and frequently check the assignments.
As a parent I am honestly sick of this idea that just because someone has kids they deserve special treatment, no I don't. It's my responsibility to arrange things in a safe appropriate manner for my kids. Not the airlines, not the other passengers,me. And if I can't do it, I don't take that flight.

 

[piccolopat]

Hey, remember when your airline ticket included a choice of airplane seats?

I can understand why families are not happy having to pay extra to sit next to their kids. I know that that is a reality now but it didn't used to be, and it's hard to go backwards. One more reason that makes driving more attractive these days.

Perhaps the airlines can offer the basic fare which includes seat assignments and then give a discount to people who don't need or want advanced seat assignments and would rather save a few bucks. It is the exact same result but the visual is that someone isn't paying extra for their seat assignments, they are just not getting a discount that others choose to take.