Booked flights but couldn’t choose seats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's husband just wanted to do this on the cheap. So he picked the cheapest flights without understanding what he wasn't getting.

100%

Op - if you read all the replies you will see that my DH did book economy (not basic economy) but there was still no option to choose seats.

You repeating this lie does not make it true. When you book an option besides Basic Economy, it absolutely lets you choose your seats.

Your husband chose pennies over his daughter's safety. That is gross!

Op - well I went into my email and my ticket specifically says economy. Not basic economy. Not sure how this is a lie.

See above.

Often you can't book seats on the 3rd party site and need to go to the airline site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's husband just wanted to do this on the cheap. So he picked the cheapest flights without understanding what he wasn't getting.

100%

Op - if you read all the replies you will see that my DH did book economy (not basic economy) but there was still no option to choose seats.

You repeating this lie does not make it true. When you book an option besides Basic Economy, it absolutely lets you choose your seats.

Your husband chose pennies over his daughter's safety. That is gross!

DP here. False. Once the amount of available seats falls below a certain amount, they stop allowing anyone to choose the free seats and just assign them later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's husband just wanted to do this on the cheap. So he picked the cheapest flights without understanding what he wasn't getting.

100%

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate parents like OP.

Me too. Terrible parenting to even allow for the possibility that your very young child may not be sat with you on a flight. I've been on a flight with my own child, where they sat a tiny 3 year old girl next to us, and her dad was a few rows ahead. Luckily for them, me and my teenage son are not weirdos, but if we were, there was certainly nothing to stop any bad actors during the flight.

The risk of harm to your child on a flight are not worth whatever pennies you're saving. Piss poor parenting right there.

Neither you nor your teenage son offered to switch seats with the dad?

So OP planned ahead and most likely paid for seats and they are expected to switch? That's all on the dad for not being responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate parents like OP.

Me too. Terrible parenting to even allow for the possibility that your very young child may not be sat with you on a flight. I've been on a flight with my own child, where they sat a tiny 3 year old girl next to us, and her dad was a few rows ahead. Luckily for them, me and my teenage son are not weirdos, but if we were, there was certainly nothing to stop any bad actors during the flight.

The risk of harm to your child on a flight are not worth whatever pennies you're saving. Piss poor parenting right there.

Neither you nor your teenage son offered to switch seats with the dad?

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate parents like OP.

Me too. Terrible parenting to even allow for the possibility that your very young child may not be sat with you on a flight. I've been on a flight with my own child, where they sat a tiny 3 year old girl next to us, and her dad was a few rows ahead. Luckily for them, me and my teenage son are not weirdos, but if we were, there was certainly nothing to stop any bad actors during the flight.

The risk of harm to your child on a flight are not worth whatever pennies you're saving. Piss poor parenting right there.

Neither you nor your teenage son offered to switch seats with the dad?

NOPE. We happily sat in the seats THAT WE PAID FOR.

I don’t care about cheap people’s sob stories when I travel. Not my problem!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate parents like OP.

Me too. Terrible parenting to even allow for the possibility that your very young child may not be sat with you on a flight. I've been on a flight with my own child, where they sat a tiny 3 year old girl next to us, and her dad was a few rows ahead. Luckily for them, me and my teenage son are not weirdos, but if we were, there was certainly nothing to stop any bad actors during the flight.

The risk of harm to your child on a flight are not worth whatever pennies you're saving. Piss poor parenting right there.

Neither you nor your teenage son offered to switch seats with the dad?

NOPE. We happily sat in the seats THAT WE PAID FOR.

I don’t care about cheap people’s sob stories when I travel. Not my problem!

I DGAF what I paid for: I’m not going to be a self-righteous a** at the expense of a 3 YO.

[Anonymous]

New story: I had my husband buy tickets for me and my kids, and he didn’t get me the ones that I wanted. What should I do?

[Anonymous]

The issue is the husband didn’t book with United.

[Anonymous]

If you go to United’s site, search for your flight and they show a seat map.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The issue is the husband didn’t book with United.

+1 And most probably did not save even 1 cent on airfare when DH did so….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why I won’t let my husband book flights.

lol. For real.

OP when you book basic economy there are a million warnings and flags telling you that you won't be able to pick seats and explaining what to do if you want to be able to pick seats (i.e. get economy of higher seats). So I think this is on your husband IF they are basic economy tickets, which you haven't said yet. SO who knows.

I always fly United. I always can pick my seats (and we fly at least 6-7 times a year)

We recently booked United flights and yes you can book seats. Agree with PPs you have to pay for that class of ticket. Yes flying is expensive these days but it is how it is. (We are paying way more than $650pp and also for a domestic flight.)

Wow, these prices are outrageous for domestic,, unless it’s coast to coast 6 hr flights. And then people say they can’t afford to fly to Europe with kids!! Well, if you spend $650 pp to fly from DC to Florida… you could fly DC-Paris instead and go to Disneyland there.

Ok, maybe OP isn’t going to WDW and maybe the ppl spending $3000++ or $650+ pp for their family’s short domestic flight are not the same ones complaining they can’t afford Europe, but still… these fares are astronomical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also be aware that with United Basic you can not bring a carry on..only something that will fit under the seat. You can pay to check a bag but there is no option for a carry on at all. The one time I did it....as we waited to be the last boarding group they really gave us the peon treatment. That said I ended up with a window seat next to an empty middle so it worked out fine.

I’m looking at my basic economy confirmation email right now and it says carry-on baggage allowed.

for which airline? Delta and American basic economy tickets do allow full-size carry-ons which only fit in the overhead bin. United is the one of the "Big 3" which does not allow that for basic economy.

And yes, even with United basic economy you can have a backpack sized carry-on, as long as it's no bigger than 17x10x9. Most roller type carry-on sized bags are between 20-23 inches in length, so they wouldn't qualify and have to go in the overhead bin. That's what United basic economy doesn't allow for free.

How do they even know this when you board? I have flown United many times (never basic economy though), and I can't think of ever seeing someone stopped for trying to board with carry on luggage as long as it's regular carry on size. Does a big X come up on the scanner?

The last two flights I have been on had an attendent come through the waiting area and look at people's tickets to see their baggage allowances. If you weren't in certain classes, you were gate checked right there. It was great.

But gate checking is for free, so isn't that sort of defeating the purpose of the basic economy prices - from United's standpoint at least.

No- if you are basic economy they will charge you to gate check. This is only for United, to be clear, for basic economy in the US, Caribbean and Mexico.

We’ve also seen this on European airlines, they will charge to gate check.