Selecting Seats on Flight- worth the money?

[sam_gordon]

is this a fairly recent thing?? or just certain airlines? i was so ticked to pay the extra this time (could "pick" for free last time we went in 2006)... but didn't want to take the chance of my family being split up!

all these fees are SO ridiculous!!!!!!!

It is fairly recent and certain airlines. Look at it this way... you're flying by yourself for a two day stay. Airline 'A', has 'free' seat assignment & no checked bag fees. But RT air is $250. Airline 'B', you have to pay $50 for seat assignment and $50 for checked bags. Their RT is $150.

Since you're by yourself, you don't care about seat assignment, and since you have a short stay you can use a carryon. So why pay Airline 'A' for those "free" services?

If those fees weren't available, you'd still be paying for them, they'd just be wrapped up in higher ticket costs.

 

[sam_gordon]

Love the Utopian travel bubble. I must be in the same one! I don't have kids, but my b/f and I fly at least twice a year and have never had to pay to book seats together. We have no special memberships or anything like that either. We've noticed a fee to choose an exit row and that several rows of seats are pay only, but there are always seats for us to choose together. We also get to the airport quite early because we have to take a commuter flight, so we are able to switch to the "preferred seats" free of charge that day. This is with Delta Airlines.

Delta doesn't charge to select seats.

 

[crisi]

It IS certain airlines. If you fly the traditional carriers they tend to assign seats when you book for free. It can also be certain flight attendants. I promise you that my aunt, who is a FA for Delta, will do NOTHING for you if you are seperated from your kid. She hates dealing with kids and parents and doesn't (and brags about it at family events - she isn't my favorite person) - and she doesn't HAVE to. Its certain passengers - most people will probably move so you can sit next to your toddler because most people will see the advantage in that. But they don't HAVE to. Its certain itineraries - on a flight with a lot of business travelers, its generally easier to find someone who doesn't care where they sit. Also, shorter flights are less of a big deal if you are crammed into a middle seat that if your flight is Seattle to Orlando. It depends on how crowded the flight is - when the flight is underbooked (which is rarer now) its easy to move. When the flight is oversold, the FAs are busy just trying to get people on the flight.

All this adds up to - if you want to take the risk to not go with assigned seats, it might work out for you. But the airline is not obligated to fix it if you end up sitting away from your child. And nowadays, you don't make a scene over such things or you may be left at the gate.

 

[tjmw2727]

I guess my main point is that if the OP checks in at the 24hr mark...she shouldn't have a problem getting seats together.

...and FWIW it isn't about getting away with something or being cheap it is about being logical. Both of my kids had their own seats (paid for) on flights when flying before two years old.

It doesn't make sense for the OP to lay out $90 for seats that she will get together if she does online check in. If the OP said she had no intention of checking in online...then by all means pay the $90 and be done with it!

You can not guarantee that the OP will get seats together at 24 hours.

This is not always the case and definately not something I would rely on with a 3yo or suggest to others.

The seats could be few and far between at T24 especially if she is flying at a busy time, if there are connecting passengers who could pick their free seats prior to the OP's 24 hour mark or there are just alot of folks who did pay.

What may make not make sense for you may make sense for others.

 

[crisi]

I was talking to my husband about this. He said "no doubt, the aisle seat is worth $20 to me on a flight and I'd pay for it. So if your kid is in the middle seat and you want my aisle seat (for what is very likely a middle seat farther back in the plane), you have to pay me at least what I paid for it, and more likely what its worth to me, which is probably more like $50. And I don't mind sitting next to your kid."

(He also really prefers the front of the plane so he can deplane faster.)

Bring cash to pay back the person who paid for their seat.

 

[ccgirl]

OP- what airline are you flying? As some posters have indicated it does depend on the airline. With SW, you are paying extra for a boarding position not an actual seat assignment. You board when your position is called and take any open seat. None have been pre-assigned. I do not pay for EBCI with SW as I am eligible for family boarding. With low cost carriers, such as Air Tran you pre- purchase your actual seat for a fee. Depending on the location of the seat, the price varies. Their lowest seat is $6. I chose $6 seats for each member of my family as it was important we sat together. If you check in 24 hrs in advance with AirTran the only seats left are the ones people did not already get assigned to them. Think middle seats scattered around the plane. I have seen familes with children split up on SW and United. They cannot make anyone change their seat. Especially, when they have paid for a specific seat.

In summary, if it is important to sit together pay the fee. Else, take your chances and live with the consequences. Might you get lucky; sure. Personally, I wouldn't take the chance. Good luck.

 

[AndreaDM]

(He also really prefers the front of the plane so he can deplane faster.)

Same here! I want to grab my carry on and get the heck off the plane!

Another tip for adults travelling without kids, pick the seats in the exit rows, the airlines won't allow anyone under 18 to sit there.

 

[wmharley]

I just learned from someone on the boards that on the larger Airtran planes that if you select the last row of seats on the plane there is no charge. I was able to book all of our seats this way and not pay anything.

Kelley

The smell of the toilets is the reason... plus they don't recline.

Apparently over the last ten years of parenting...with over 24 flight with at least one child, on four different airlines...I have been in some Utopian travel bubble.

In all that time I haven't seen any families that were forced to sit apart from their children...in fact it has been he exact opposite where FA's (even on packed flights to & from MCO) went out of their way to seat them together.
I also asked a friend of mine her experience. She has logged tens o thousands of air miles with her kids (takes them on business trips often)... and she said he same thing. Has never seen it and would be stunned if an FA didn't step in and reseat passengers until the small child was with a parent.
I stand by my original recommendation to the OP. Skip the pricey reserved seats, check in online at 24hrs out, and enjoy visiting Mickey with an extra $90 in your pocket!

each airline is different. If your plane is empty then its easier.

the airline I fly to my #1 destination for family is routinely packed. I have flown both JB and AA there. All the times its packed, and since all the recent trips (last 2 yrs) I've flown exclusively JB, I can select seats. Seats are usually almost all taken several days out, and only ONCE have I changed seats at the last minute. I also am the main reservationist for my family so I know from their tickets, only ONCE too, have they moved, but I think that is for my mother's saleswoman experience schmoozing the agents and getting a 1st class at the last minute.

i've asked at the gate that i'm with a smaller child and if I can move my location. Again, only once, have I gotten changed.

That said, sicne JB doesn't charge for most seats, its fine for me. However, if I'm traveling with my family, I'd rather pay to be assured a seat as I want them to be. I usually have offered the better seat in my family to a passenger who was next to another family member. If I was an aisle in row 10, i'd ask the middle dude in row 21, if he'd like to move.

Of course YMMV..

I guess my main point is that if the OP checks in at the 24hr mark...she shouldn't have a problem getting seats together.

...and FWIW it isn't about getting away with something or being cheap it is about being logical. Both of my kids had their own seats (paid for) on flights when flying before two years old.

It doesn't make sense for the OP to lay out $90 for seats that she will get together if she does online check in. If the OP said she had no intention of checking in online...then by all means pay the $90 and be done with it!

having seats for under 2 isn't a statement about not being cheap. I like my money, but I prefer my kids to have their own seats for the reason I can get an entire aisle for my family, my children can be strapped better and stay calmer for periods of time. They can move around in the row better. AND I get the baggage quota for that ticket. Its actually smart. i'd rather deal with the hassle of a carseat and the price than handle my DS (now 2) and formerly my DD(now 5) for a 3 hour trip in my lap.

And again, if the plane is capacity or overbooked, and you checkin later, there is NO guarantee you will get seats together. My mother works for a legacy carrier and its a fact. As hard as they might try, there is no 100% guarantee.

now as karma goes, I bet your family is split up next trip.

 

[Minniemouse07]

now as karma goes, I bet your family is split up next trip.

LOL... actually, next year we are driving for the first time!

Purchasing seats for my kids for ME is a safety thing (and a no brainer) but I often hear from other parents that they DON'T purchase seats because it is too $$ to do so...which is why I mentioned it. FWIW, my kids sit in carseats on the plane until they are over 40lbs (or around 4ish).

Our last trip in June was the first in 10 years that we didn't have anyone in a car seat. It was also the first time we needed anything upon arrival (previously used DME, this trip rented a car) so we had two low back boosters as carry ons!

Our first trips w/ kids were on AIr Tran, USAirways and I think one Delta... all post 9/11 and most were to Orlando with three other destinations thrown in as well. We now fly Southwest exclusively since they started flying out of Philly. They are all direct flights, and I make sure I check in at 24hrs out... have never had a problem getting an A or early B number.

I guess my utopian bubble is of my own making because of our choices before we even get on the plane??

 

[tjmw2727]

LOL... actually, next year we are driving for the first time!

Purchasing seats for my kids for ME is a safety thing (and a no brainer) but I often hear from other parents that they DON'T purchase seats because it is too $$ to do so...which is why I mentioned it. FWIW, my kids sit in carseats on the plane until they are over 40lbs (or around 4ish).

Our last trip in June was the first in 10 years that we didn't have anyone in a car seat. It was also the first time we needed anything upon arrival (previously used DME, this trip rented a car) so we had two low back boosters as carry ons!

Our first trips w/ kids were on AIr Tran, USAirways and I think one Delta... all post 9/11 and most were to Orlando with three other destinations thrown in as well. We now fly Southwest exclusively since they started flying out of Philly. They are all direct flights, and I make sure I check in at 24hrs out... have never had a problem getting an A or early B number.

I guess my utopian bubble is of my own making because of our choices before we even get on the plane??

If your talking about SWA then ITA, yes the OP can checkin at T24 and the worst case senario is she boards with the 3yo during family boarding between A and B.

Since the OP talked about "paying to select seats" she is likely flying airtran or one of the other airlines where you purchase an actual seat assignment in advance. In that case it is very likely that she won't find two seats together to pick for free at T24.

 

[Minniemouse07]

If your talking about SWA then ITA, yes the OP can checkin at T24 and the worst case senario is she boards with the 3yo during family boarding between A and B.

Since the OP talked about "paying to select seats" she is likely flying airtran or one of the other airlines where you purchase an actual seat assignment in advance. In that case it is very likely that she won't find two seats together to pick for free at T24.

I realize she's not on Southwest...but I've flown on the other airlines as well and haven't had an issue (IME).. which is why I suggested it.

Maybe all of this comes down to choosing airlines where you don't have to pay for seats to sit together...and it really does come down to making smarter choices BEFORE you get on the plane??

 

[tjmw2727]

I realize she's not on Southwest...but I've flown on the other airlines as well and haven't had an issue (IME).. which is why I suggested it.

Maybe all of this comes down to choosing airlines where you don't have to pay for seats to sit together...and it really does come down to making smarter choices BEFORE you get on the plane??

Yes, ITA you have to calculate all the costs before choosing.

Airline A may have cheaper flights but once you factor in charges for bags and seats it may end up costing more in the long run.

Like you I fly SWA most of the time - from PHI

When I am costing trips I reasearch what airlines charge the extra fees and what they are. Some charge for the 1st and 2nd checked bags, seat assignments and lately even carryon bags! Then when you look for fares you know what additional charges to factor in. In the OP's case I would have simply figured in the extra $100 as part of the cost of flying.

 

[crisi]

I realize she's not on Southwest...but I've flown on the other airlines as well and haven't had an issue (IME).. which is why I suggested it.

Maybe all of this comes down to choosing airlines where you don't have to pay for seats to sit together...and it really does come down to making smarter choices BEFORE you get on the plane??

That's part of it - you have to realize which carriers are going to nickle and dime you over things like seat assignments or baggage fees....and which won't. Which can be hard to do when all you are doing is comparing prices on Expedia and you don't travel much.

We usually fly Delta, with a Delta Amex card. So we don't pay $25 a bag. We don't pay for seat assignments. We do generally pay more for the seat when we buy it than we would if we flew Airtran or another low priced carrier. We don't fly enough to get treated special, but we fly enough that even our kids have their own FF numbers. We book months in advance, through Deltas website and choose our seats when we book. This is after booking through Travelocity once and being told that my seats would open for booking 30 days out. And by the time 30 days out happened, I had six people scattered throughout the plane, and a three and four year old. (We did, through the kindness of strangers, manage to get an adult to sit with the kids.)

And we still get screwed up - Delta changed our flights and now - although we are still "together" - 2 and 2. What had been two seats behind two seats are now two seats in the front and two seats in the back of the plane. And instead of two windows seats each way, we got two windows seats down and only one back.

 

[bettymae1121]

For those of you that are okay with sitting away from your kids...

The odds of anything really bad happening on a flight are astronomical, but on the very slim chance you need to have an emergency evacuation, the oxygen masks drop down, etc. do you really want to be apart from your kids? Probably not.

I'm all for saving money but some things are just worth the cost. I think this is one of them.

ETA: I'm not saying people should be forced to sit with their kids or anything like that, I just want eveyone to think their choices through a bit. On a normal flight, having your 5 year old 5 rows in front of you isn't a bid deal maybe, but have that flight run into problems mid-flight and what was an okay choice at first can turn into a nightmare!

 

[Vickie46]

we flew on Southwest and have seen where a family got split up.. the Dad complained and they told him sorry he should have bought the early ticket... I heard them say that! I was shocked... one of his kids sat with us on an aisle seat... I felt terrible for the family. The kid that sat with us was probably 6 or 7 ... we were in the back of the plane and the Mom was in the front with an infant on her lap and her other kids where in the middle... Dad was also in the middle but not together.. I felt so bad for this family. My child was only 4 herself.. I couldnt' switch to help.

 

[Hannathy]

For those of you that are okay with sitting away from your kids...

The odds of anything really bad happening on a flight are astronomical, but on the very slim chance you need to have an emergency evacuation, the oxygen masks drop down, etc. do you really want to be apart from your kids? Probably not.

I'm all for saving money but some things are just worth the cost. I think this is one of them.

ETA: I'm not saying people should be forced to sit with their kids or anything like that, I just want eveyone to think their choices through a bit. On a normal flight, having your 5 year old 5 rows in front of you isn't a bid deal maybe, but have that flight run into problems mid-flight and what was an okay choice at first can turn into a nightmare!

Actually there have been studies done that show kids do better in emergencies than adults because they actually follow the directions and listen to the FA's. And it really isn't any different than sending them alone on the school bus or to school.

 

[ktlm]

We also saw a little girl get separated from her mother on Southwest this summer. She was 5- I know because her mother was throwing a fit that she did not want to be separated from her 5 year old. The mother also had a 3 year old. There was room for the 2 of them together, but not the other little girl. We couldn't move to help because we had our 4 year old. There were lots of kids on that plane. I felt sorry for the little girl because she looked really scared at first. Luckily the person next to her was really nice and was talking to her.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We also saw a little girl get separated from her mother on Southwest this summer. She was 5- I know because her mother was throwing a fit that she did not want to be separated from her 5 year old. The mother also had a 3 year old. There was room for the 2 of them together, but not the other little girl. We couldn't move to help because we had our 4 year old. There were lots of kids on that plane. I felt sorry for the little girl because she looked really scared at first. Luckily the person next to her was really nice and was talking to her.

Vickie46 and it'll - just so you know, Southwest takes unaccompanied minors starting at age five. Since they let kids this young fly with their parents not even being on the plane, there's no reasonable argument against allowing young children to fly separated from their parents by just a few rows.

For parents concerned.about emergencies, well, apparently kids are better at following instructions - because of fire drills - than adults.

 

[Swimalie]

For parents concerned.about emergencies, well, apparently kids are better at following instructions - because of fire drills - than adults.

My husband has to go through fire drills at his office all the time. Guess I should make sure he sits with our 5 year old every time we fly

 

[marcyinPA]

I paid the extra for our upcoming February trip. It was $6 per seat, each way. An extra $24 wasn't going to break me. My son is 11, and although he's probably capable, in the airlines eyes, of sitting alone, I don't want him to. God forbid, what if something tragic happened? I wouldn't want him sitting next to a stranger.