How do I get seats together on a packed flight?

[4our4kids]

We are flying out of Philly on a United "co-share", operated by U.S. Air. At the time of booking I was told to call back for seat assignments. Now I'm being told we have single seats scattered all over the plan (there are 8 of us), and there is no way to change that except possibly at check in. I don't expect 8 seats together, but I'm sure no one wants to be next to my 3yr old while she cries for her mommy or daddy.
Our flight is 8:10 on a Sat. morning. What time should I get there in hopes of getting a couple of seats together??

 

[seashoreCM]

1. Get to the airport reasonably early, before the batch of seats held back for last minute biztravelers are all given out.

2. If #1 failes quitely ask the gate agent. There is a good chance he will dishonor someone else's seat selection to put your child next to yyou.

3. If #2 fails, board anyway. On the plane the person sitting next to the infant will gladly switch.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[safetymom]

I would get there around 6:30. They do have seats that they can assign only at the airport. I would check at the ticket counter and not wait until I got to the gate.

Don't be so sure that someone will switch with you. Especially if it is a middle seat. Many frequent flyers have picked their seats and will not change.

 

[ducklite]

We recently were able to switch about four ways to get four familes that had been scattered all over seated together. it must have been comical people switching all over the palce, and it went literally one seat at a time. It started with me. A lady a row back on the other side wanted me to switch my aisle for her middle so she could sit next to her eight year old. Nope, not gonna give up my aisle fot that one (had it been a three year old it would have been different.) But then I found out her DH was in an aisle in the front of the plane, so i offered to switch with him.

Once I got up to the front, I found that the guy in the aisle seat next to my DH and DS was flying solo. So I asked if he would switch so I could get into the same row. no problem. Then I found out taht the guy in the aisle seat in the same section as DH/DS was flying with the people in the seats in the first row I had switched to. So he switched with me, and then with the guy that had switched with me one switch previous.

In the meantime some similar switching was going on with a few people/families in the back of the plane. In the long run we were all with our respective families/flying companions.

Thta said, the FA's or gate agents WILL move people so children under about five don't have to sit alone. Keep in mind that they don't assign exit row seats untli you get to the airport, so that will free up some seats, often together. We always ask to move to that row now that DS is a strapping 17 year old.

Anne

 

[Pinnie]

ROFLMAO Ducklite!

AND, I'll bet you all got to your destination at the same time!

pin

 

[kda]

If you can access your reservations and seating charts on line (or pretend you're buying a ticket on line so you can view the seating charts), keep checking frequently. People switch their reservations all the time. If you see a couple of seats together become available, call the airline and ask them to switch you. At least some of you might be able to get seated together before you go to the airport.
Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[4our4kids]

Thanks for the replies.

I've called a few times to check if any thing has freed up over the last 2 months. Nothings moved yet. The rep.'s I've spoken with all say the same thing..."you have to wait to check in"... I just wasn't sure how early I needed to get there. Thanks

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I'm sure they will try to sit the kids, with a parent. We had the same thing happen.

However, They fixed it by putting me with both kids(5, and 2), and my hubby, a few rows ahead. I kept looking up at him, sipping a drink, and chatting wih the guy next to him. Meanwhile, I'm with both kids, coloring with one, trying to keep the other from kicking the lady in front of her, picking up pieces from the connect four game, from the floor, isle, behind the seat.
I was wore out.

 

[momof2inPA]

At the gate, USAir gave free drinks to a couple to switch their seats so I could sit with my two kids. Maybe you could suggest this to the gate agent. They would not fix the seating at the main ticket counter.

 

[Gillian]

Originally posted by Mady/Sophiemom
I kept looking up at him, sipping a drink, and chatting wih the guy next to him. Meanwhile, I'm with both kids, coloring with one, trying to keep the other from kicking the lady in front of her, picking up pieces from the connect four game, from the floor, isle, behind the seat.

Not fair! I would have made him switch with me half way through the flight!

 

[MulanMom]

We flew USAir a few weeks after 9/11. We originally booked our flights very early in order to seat all 6 of us together, myself, DH, DD4 and DS2, and my MIL and FIL. Due to rescheduling, we could not be seated together. When I found they had seated my kids alone, I had a hard time remaining calm! The reservationist told us the gate would take care of it. The gate agent told us the flight attendants would take care of it. The flight attendants didn't want to be bothered, and my response was that their own policy did not allow a 4 and 2 yr. old to be seated by themselves (let alone common sense!). By asking passengers, we were actually able to sit with our children. To make matters worse, we were on connecting flights, so we had to go through the process a second time. Fortunately, a flight attendant on the second leg of our journey took it upon himself to get us seated with our children.

For our return trip, the plane was not full, so it was not a problem to switch around and sit together. Why they couldn't seat us together on that one is beyond me!

Don't worry. If by your own volition or the airline employee's, you'll be able to sit with your 3 yr. old.

 

[jel0511]

Thta said, the FA's or gate agents WILL move people so children under about five don't have to sit alone. Keep in mind that they don't assign exit row seats untli you get to the airport, so that will free up some seats, often together. We always ask to move to that row now that DS is a strapping 17 year old.

Don't count on the gate agents helping you out. I've flown US Airways many times, and the few times I have had seat problems, WITH INFANTS, they refused to help me out. I actually had to hold up boarding (Pre Sept 11th) to get a seat next to my 4 month old!!!! They gate agents kept telling me that it would be taken care of once I boarded, but that isn't enough for me. I wasn't going to strap my son in, and then just stand there hoping someone would switch. I won't book a flight that I can't get seat assignments together, especially on US Air due to their lack of caring for families traveling with young children. Once, we had been reassigned seats all over, I luckily called before flight and was able to get us two and two. I inquired about getting all 4 seats together, but they said ask at the airport. Well, I asked at check-in and was told that they can't change assigned seats at check-in, that only can be changed at the gate. So, I nicely approach the gate agent and ask if there is anyway he can get my family sitting next to each other (we were 15 rows apart and kids were 1 and 4). He looked at my tickets, and practically laughed at me. He said I should consider myself lucky that at least I had a parent to each child. Most families were scattered around the plane, and there was nothing they could do about it. I try my hardest not to fly US Airways anymore after these incidents. Luckily, I'm an hour from both PHL and EWR, so I have my choices with airports and carriers. These things have NEVER happened to me on Continental and I've also flown them a lot.

Edited to add: That most of the seats that are held back for assignment at the airport are seats in and around exit rows. Children under the age of 16 are prohibitted from sitting in these seats, so usually getting to the airport early to secure a seat held back for assigment at the airport is usually a waste for those traveling with small children.

 

[ducklite]

Lori--The reason that it's still good to get to the airport early is that as people like my family get reassigned from our three across in a non-emergency row to three across in an emergency row it frees up a row for a family with scattered seats

Anne

 

[punkin]

Don't just bash USAir. The same exact thing happened to me on American. I threw a fit when the wouldn't sit me next to my 4 yr old, and they did nothing! Mu DH, however, was able to ask the man in the middle seat next to him if he would like to move into my aisle seat and so DH could sit next to my daughter. Flight atendants and gate personnel did absolutely nothing.

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by ducklite
Lori--The reason that it's still good to get to the airport early is that as people like my family get reassigned from our three across in a non-emergency row to three across in an emergency row it frees up a row for a family with scattered seats

Anne

Unforunately I wish it was that easy. They usually will not randomly move someone from a non-emergency row to an emergency row due to the fact that they also could be traveling witha young child or can not sit there due to physical limitations. They only know the age of a passenger if they are an infant, anyone older than 2 isn't required to provide a birthdate to evaluate ages for possible reassignment. I've been through this with the airlines, and they have stated the only people who will get an exit row, are those who request them, or people who arrive at the airport WITHOUT seat assignments. If you have a seat assignment, have young children, and are scattered, you unfornately are at the mercy of the gate agent. Sometimes they can help you out, but most of the time, they are at the will of other people. They have to ask for volunteers first, and they generally won't move people to accomdate a parent to a young child, they'll leave the unvoluntary moving to the flight attendants. They FA also can only enforce unvoluntary moving when a child under 5 is involved. A child 5 and over is allowed to fly on an airplane unsupervised, so if you're separated, they really only can suggest people moving and can't enforce it.

 

[safetymom]

The frontline people at USAirways are the best. I do a lot of travelling and they are very good at trying to accomodate peoples requests. Sometimes there just isn't much they can do.

 

[ducklite]

Lori--sorry, maybe I didn't word that well.

Lets say taht DS, DH, and I have three seats in a row, all right next to each other. We get to the airport and REQUEST to be moved to the emergency exit row (a little more leg room). They look at us, and ask how old DS is. He's a strapping lad of 17. They move us to the exit row.

now the seats that we had previously been assigned are open. A three across--just what you need!

But if you aren't there early to grab them, someone else will.

Anne

 

[jel0511]

Anne - you are correct using that assumption. I now try to aviod having to deal with this at all by constantly reconfirming my seats with the airlines. I usually check my seat assignments once a week on-line and as I get closer, usually around one month before, I call the airline directly. If I notice ANY type of change, aircraft type, change of time, flight number, etc. I call the airline immediately to confirm my seat assignments. I've been able to head off many seat assigment snafus this way. I once even called before ANY seats had been reassigned for the flight and got GREAT seats. I've determined that being proactive with my seat assigmnets helps me usually guarantee getting my family somewhat together. It is much easier to keep on calling and head off potential disasters.