airplane -- seats not together with 5 year olds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the type of situation that money was invented for.

The upside value of the trade for the OP is greater than the downside value for the other person, since the OP is getting both a better seat and the chance to sit next to their kid, while the other person is getting a worse seat but not necessarily worse seatmates. So they should be able to come to a deal that fairly compensates the other person for the seat downgrade, while still giving OP a net gain from the trade.

+1. I'd bring a couple of hundred dollar bills, if I were you, OP.

Try $20s first, actually. No need to pay a ridiculous amount if you don't have to.

I am probably strange but I would almost get offended if you offer to pay me $20 or $40 for switching seats. I would switch if it is a reasonable request (a family with young kids, a person with a disability...) and somebody asked politely. Honestly, I don't really get the whole thing. Who wants to travel next to a young unattended child or a over stressed mom/dad separated from the little one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:last year i took lufthansa flight to franfkurt with my then 18 mo. we booked the seats with extra legroom well in advance. when we were on the plane, we were asked to take inferior seats so that some person who had a problem with his leg could take our seats. in the middle of the flight, the person with leg problem left those seats and set somewhere else, and they didn't even offer those to us! somebody else moved there.

Why didn't you just show your ticket to the new people who sat in your seat? That would have forced them to move.

Also, never agree to switch if you don't want to. That man would have found another seat. It's his issue for not paying more to get a seat with more leg room. Totally ridiculous.

You are right but it happened fast and I didn't think it through, it didn't occur to me at the moment to refuse (nor to approach other passengers later). I was stressed out for flying alone with the toddler, it was my first overseas flight with a kid.

I actually flew last week from LAX to DCA. I was seated in Economy Plus (I'm platinum status) and specifically took the aisle seat with extra leg room in a two seat pod on the right side of the plane. The guy sitting next to me was a married executive and his wife was seated toward the back in normal Economy. She got pissed and super passive aggressive when I would not agree to switch seats with her. I explained my situation that I pay extra for additional leg room and that I needed the extra space so I could do work.

I could see her tremble and her upper lip quiver as she tersely said: "It is your right and your prerogative to keep your seat next to MY husband." I apologized to Hubby and he just sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. Hubby didn't seem to mind that he was separated from his DW for over 5 hours

Good for you for standing your ground. If she wanted to sit next to her husband she should have offered her seat companion the extra legroom seat up front with you.
When you want something, you need to be willing to give up something in return. Geez people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had to book last minute flights overseas last year with my almost 4 yr old twins & a one year old. I brought a friend to help me but the airline was zero help in getting us seats together. They said it was out responsibility as it was last minute. My kids were already sad over the death of their grandma but we could only get one person to switch. I sat with the one year old but everyone else was spread out. It was awful because 3 year olds can't easily claim over people and find the bathroom, open up the stuff in their meals, etc. I tried offering to buy drinks and anything I could think of but people wouldn't switch.

How awful. I have switched many times for families with small kids, I have never seen a situation like the one you described. It is hard to believe that in a whole plane you couldn't find a few simpathetic travelers.

You are surprised people don't want to give up an aisle seat for a middle seat on an overseas flight?!? I'm not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:last year i took lufthansa flight to franfkurt with my then 18 mo. we booked the seats with extra legroom well in advance. when we were on the plane, we were asked to take inferior seats so that some person who had a problem with his leg could take our seats. in the middle of the flight, the person with leg problem left those seats and set somewhere else, and they didn't even offer those to us! somebody else moved there.

Why didn't you just show your ticket to the new people who sat in your seat? That would have forced them to move.

Also, never agree to switch if you don't want to. That man would have found another seat. It's his issue for not paying more to get a seat with more leg room. Totally ridiculous.

You are right but it happened fast and I didn't think it through, it didn't occur to me at the moment to refuse (nor to approach other passengers later). I was stressed out for flying alone with the toddler, it was my first overseas flight with a kid.

I actually flew last week from LAX to DCA. I was seated in Economy Plus (I'm platinum status) and specifically took the aisle seat with extra leg room in a two seat pod on the right side of the plane. The guy sitting next to me was a married executive and his wife was seated toward the back in normal Economy. She got pissed and super passive aggressive when I would not agree to switch seats with her. I explained my situation that I pay extra for additional leg room and that I needed the extra space so I could do work.

I could see her tremble and her upper lip quiver as she tersely said: "It is your right and your prerogative to keep your seat next to MY husband." I apologized to Hubby and he just sheepishly shrugged his shoulders. Hubby didn't seem to mind that he was separated from his DW for over 5 hours

Good for you for standing your ground. If she wanted to sit next to her husband she should have offered her seat companion the extra legroom seat up front with you.
When you want something, you need to be willing to give up something in return. Geez people.

Exactly, he should have tried to switch to the worse seat.

He's kind of a dick for having his wife sit in the cheaper no leg room seat while taking a nicer one for himself. He could've switched with her.

[Anonymous]

Before I had kids, at a time where you could get bulkhead seats just by getting to the airport early, we got there early and got our bulkhead seats. We were on our honeymoon, so it was particularly nice to have good seats. The people behind us has a lap baby and practically demanded to switch with us. The flight attendant was standing there, so we said "we would be happy to give up our seats IF we can move forward in the plane" (as in, first class). They wouldn't give us first class, and the woman never asked politely. Instead she said loudly several times "yes, go kick that seat as much as you want." and "you can cry louder than that". I felt really bad for a minute, but you certainly don't get your way by being a bitch.

[Anonymous]

I can not believe that *this* post has 14 pages of useless opinions.

[Anonymous]

I loved this post. Just *bumping* for the holidays.

FYI - when we did this, we got in the 'waiting line' for the soft block (a held back row most airlines keep to adjust seats at the last minute), and the rule on that airline (or how the staff on the flight we were on chose to deal with it) was the youngest set of kids sitting apart from their parents got to switch to the reserved soft block. So, we got it.

We had last minute notice of the trip (husband's work).

[Anonymous]

Wow, if I paid $100 extra to get an aisle or window seat, I would not give it up to you for your child. And I'm a parent. Sorry. Give 5 year olds a hand held gaming device and earphones and check on them, take to bathroom and feed them.

[Anonymous]

If I paid extra for a more coveted seat, I don't mind switching to help out a family, but I will expect that family to reimburse me that fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, if I paid $100 extra to get an aisle or window seat, I would not give it up to you for your child. And I'm a parent. Sorry. Give 5 year olds a hand held gaming device and earphones and check on them, take to bathroom and feed them.

Hell no I'm not switching to a middle seat all the way to California! Your 5 year olds better be well behaved

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the type of situation that money was invented for.

The upside value of the trade for the OP is greater than the downside value for the other person, since the OP is getting both a better seat and the chance to sit next to their kid, while the other person is getting a worse seat but not necessarily worse seatmates. So they should be able to come to a deal that fairly compensates the other person for the seat downgrade, while still giving OP a net gain from the trade.

+1. I'd bring a couple of hundred dollar bills, if I were you, OP.

Try $20s first, actually. No need to pay a ridiculous amount if you don't have to.

I am probably strange but I would almost get offended if you offer to pay me $20 or $40 for switching seats. I would switch if it is a reasonable request (a family with young kids, a person with a disability...) and somebody asked politely. Honestly, I don't really get the whole thing. Who wants to travel next to a young unattended child or a over stressed mom/dad separated from the little one?

+1 Sad testament to what humanity has come to. You need to PAY someone to be able to sit next to your young child?

[Anonymous]

For those people that won't switch with a child what do you do when that 4 or 5 year old needs help, gets upset, is having trouble with whatever? Do you assist or do you ignore?

[Anonymous]

I believe most people are kind. I would and have given up my seat so a family with young children could sit together.

[Anonymous]

The airline will assure that one parent + one child together. Prepare to be split into two groups. No way would they put a child next to an unsuspecting stranger.