Please help calm my nerves about flying with 3 kids alone!

[hsembrick]

We leave this Sunday and I am starting to freak out about flying alone with 3 kids. Now, I am not worried about there behavior because they have all flown before and we have never had any issues. I am more concerned about the seating arrangements. I know we can't all sit in the same row but I am at least hoping that we are close together. I have tried to do preassigned seats but for some reason American Airlines is not let me. Please tell me everything is going to be okay and that we will hopefully be seated together and not all over the plane!!!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

We leave this Sunday and I am starting to freak out about flying alone with 3 kids. Now, I am not worried about there behavior because they have all flown before and we have never had any issues. I am more concerned about the seating arrangements. I know we can't all sit in the same row but I am at least hoping that we are close together. I have tried to do preassigned seats but for some reason American Airlines is not let me. Please tell me everything is going to be okay and that we will hopefully be seated together and not all over the plane!!!

Enjoy your visit and the trip. Everything will be fine if you take it in stride. Your kids are old enough to take it all in stride, especially if you are positive.

Have you contacted American for advice?

 

[living20057]

You are going to have a great. If your not seated together, someone will move you. One time I was separated from my two children, ages 5 and 9. As my son sat in assigned hysterically crying, the person next volunteered to change seats.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If your [sic] not seated together, someone will move you.

Not necessarily.

OP, I don't know why you are having problems selecting seats. Call American reservations for help.

 

[Lewisc]

Your flight leaves in 4 days. American might be holding back the remaining seats for gate assignment. Make sure you get to the gate early, at least an hour before your flight.

I don't agree with the previous poster. Prepare your kids to be separated. People may not move so a 10 year old can sit next to a parent.

 

[hsembrick]

Thanks I will call American this afternoon!

In regards to the ages, DD9 and her BFF9 are going along with DD5. I have talked to the older girls about the possibility of them sitting by themselves which they are fine with. (What 9 yr old wouldn't be? ) I am just one of those moms that want to make sure my kiddos are acting the way they are suppose to and are not bothering the people around them.

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

I have flown alone with my 3 kiddos. And we are doing it again this summer. The first time with all 3 of them, they were 6, 4 and 2. The part that was not fun was dragging a stroller, 2 car seats and a diaper bag lol. Now that they are bigger it is much easier.

I'm sure you will be fine. Have an awesome trip!!

 

[dudspizza]

My biggest suggestion is to make sure you get to the airport very early. Seats are held back for assignment at the airport. The earlier you get there, the better chance you have to get those seats.

If you still can't get seats together, get to the gate early and try again.

If that doesn't work, DO NOT get nasty with people or threatening. I had a dad put his daughter in my seat (they pre-boarded) and then told me to take her seat across the aisle. He wasn't very nice about it. She did have an aisle seat, so I relaxed and made the switch. I wouldn't have been to happy if he wanted me to take a middle seat.

People can be willing to move, but don't expect it. Many people select certain seats for a particular reason. You can't assume everyone can sit anywhere on the plane.

If you are at the mercy of the other passengers, be nice. Offer compensation to someone if they move (buy them a drink or something). AA doesn't charge for seating assignments, so it isn't as contentious as airlines that do, such as Airtran. People on those carriers guard their seats quite closely, heck, they paid money for those seats.

Best of luck and stay positive!

Duds

 

[hsembrick]

My biggest suggestion is to make sure you get to the airport very early. Seats are held back for assignment at the airport. The earlier you get there, the better chance you have to get those seats.

If you still can't get seats together, get to the gate early and try again.

If that doesn't work, DO NOT get nasty with people or threatening. I had a dad put his daughter in my seat (they pre-boarded) and then told me to take her seat across the aisle. He wasn't very nice about it. She did have an aisle seat, so I relaxed and made the switch. I wouldn't have been to happy if he wanted me to take a middle seat.

People can be willing to move, but don't expect it. Many people select certain seats for a particular reason. You can't assume everyone can sit anywhere on the plane.

If you are at the mercy of the other passengers, be nice. Offer compensation to someone if they move (buy them a drink or something). AA doesn't charge for seating assignments, so it isn't as contentious as airlines that do, such as Airtran. People on those carriers guard their seats quite closely, heck, they paid money for those seats.

Best of luck and stay positive!

Duds

I could never understand why people get nasty, if it can't be done then that is that! Thanks for the advice about compensation, maybe a Bloody Mary would convince someone to change seats for me

 

[aubriee]

If that doesn't work, DO NOT get nasty with people or threatening. I had a dad put his daughter in my seat (they pre-boarded) and then told me to take her seat across the aisle. He wasn't very nice about it. She did have an aisle seat, so I relaxed and made the switch. I wouldn't have been to happy if he wanted me to take a middle seat.

You can't assume everyone can sit anywhere on the plane.

If you are at the mercy of the other passengers, be nice.
Duds

I could never understand why people get nasty, if it can't be done then that is that! Thanks for the advice about compensation, maybe a Bloody Mary would convince someone to change seats for me

Duds gave good advice. I fly Air Tran several times a year and due to claustrophobic issues and wanting to be in boarding zone 1, even if I'm flying solo I pay for those $13.00 or $15.00 seats (aisle seat close to the front of the plane). It's worth it to get the seat I need. Yet almost every flight, I have some couple or some family that want to sit with their kid demanding that I move to a middle seat in the back of the plane. The answer is no. I can not and will not sit back there and I also will not be bullied. You won't believe how nasty some people will get when someone refuses to give up their seat for them. Now I have no problem trading for an another aisle seat or even a window seat in the front 1/3 of the plane (even though I really don't like window seats), but any further back forget it.

Now since American doesn't charge for seats it shouldn't be that bad for you even if you are not seated together. Just ask nicely and make sure you offer the better seat to the person you want to trade with. For example someone may not be willing to move from an aisle seat next to your daughter in row 10 to your middle seat in row 30. So ask the person in row 30 if they'd like to move up to your daughter's window seat in row 10 and move your daughter back with you. For some reason it seems like it's always the bad middle seats in the back of the plane that families want others to move to. I know May 8th I was flying back from MCO in my preferred aisle seat in row 13 and the lady in the middle seat next to me wanted to sit next to her husband. I asked where his seat was and she said row 31E (middle seat back of the plane). I said no, but she might want to ask one of the people next to him if they'd change with her. She got really huffy and said no way, she wanted to sit close to the front. Well duh, so do I and I paid $15.00 for my seat, whereas you chose yours at the 24 hours mark and got it for free (she told me this), then you expect me to give it up to a grown man for a middle seat in the back of the plane.lol When I politely told her no and that she should ask one of her husband's seat mates if they wanted to move up, I thought that was the end of it. But it wasn't. She continued to harrass me saying it wouldn't hurt me to move back there since I was solo. I laughed and told her I wasn't solo and that it was my husband sitting on the other side of her, as he likes window seats and I like aisle seats. She then started insisting that I switch seats with her as she preferred aisle seats. Well so do I, that's why we booked them that way.lol

 

[aubriee]

oops, duplicate

 

[crashbb]

I've written this before for someone else, but it works well here as well. My "steps to take if you cannot book seats together".

1) Try calling the airline again. Airlines hold back some seats and may be able to open up enough so that your younger children are beside you (the older children are a tougher sell).

2) Keep checking - people cancel flights/change seats. Take a pair if you can get it (or a triple). For people in the "single seats", choose ones that other people may want so that you have good seats to trade (i.e. aisle seats near the front of the plane).

3) Do online check in at the 24 hour mark. The seats that are held back are now opened up plus some people may have been upgraded. You have a good chance of moving to seats that are together.

4) Get to the airport early and ask the check-in agent if there are together seats that you can move to (again, people may have moved/upgraded/canceled).

5) When you get to the gate, talk to the gate agent. Changes are still happening and they may be able to help you.

6) If all else fails and you get on the plane and you have all single seats, nicely ask people if they would mind trading (but know that they have every right to reject the request). You have much better odds if you are offering your "better" seat. For example, if one seat is in row 5 and the other seat is in row 32, you'll do much better asking the person beside you in row 32 to move up to row 5 (and you and your child sit in row 32) than the opposite.

7) If you are still separated, you can choose to deplane and take a later flight. Before considering this, make sure you know if there are still together seats available on a subsequent flight (and that there IS a subsequent). Also, this will likely be at a cost to you.

I have NEVER seen anyone get to step 7 (not saying it doesn't happen, I've just never seen it) and rarely step 6 (generally only on holiday flights with lots of families none of whom want to sit split up or even go one adult/one child one place and another adult/child somewhere else).

 

[mackeymouse4eva]

I hope it works out but if it does not - it will still work out ! Your kids have flown before and it sounds as though they are normally well behaved in public. I'm sure your daughter and her friend will get a charge out of it and feel very grown up!! It is a hassel and a stress to be split up - I understand that. This past January , due to weather nightmares, we were on standby for over 24 hours. I was traveling solo with my 6 year old ( who has flown several times a year ). We had told the attendant that we would be willing to also standby for any flights into Tampa. Well the attendants switched their shift and so did some of the gates. There was a group of approx. 10 other passengers also attempting the same thing. Long story semi-short , the new attendant didnt send us to the new gate. We figured it out with literally seconds to spare. We made it onto the plane and good luck finding any seats - in fact I thought they may have miscounted. After much hassel and back & forth, one seat was found in approx. row 10 for my son, between an older couple. I was THE LAST row in the plane - I couldn't even see him. The old couple was nice ( the wife came back once to let me know things were fine), but all I could picture was my sons cranberry juice ending up in their laps or heaven forbid get sick!!. Never did anyone offer to move , while we frantically searched for any seat, but it was VERY last minute. The unfortunate thing was I didnt have time to make sure he was situated, had a snack, was buckled etc. The flight attendants were not overly helpful, they looked at me like I was troubling them when I nicely requested "for my 6 yr old son to PLEASE have a lid on his drink so it wouldn't spill on his innocent neighbors"! HOWEVER he was sooo tired from the wait - he slept the entire flight!!


The return flight - you guessed it.....weather AGAIN!!! Same story but we were better prepared for the split and not as rushed - it made a TREMENDOUS difference for me. This time he broke out his DS player and the people on either side of him never heard a peep!!


Ok after that LOOOONG story......


*be prepared for the split - just in case

* relax - we both have kids that will behave as model airline passengers!

 

[Alexander]

I flew in April with 3 kids alone. They were 12, 12 and 4. We had two windows and two middles. The 4 y/o sat with me and the 12 y/o's sat together a few rows ahead of me. The only thing I insisted on was they waited for me to get up to them on debarking before they left the plane.

Everything was fine and they enjoyed having their "freedom" if you can call it that at 36,000 ft. in a tin can!!