NYTs Etiquette - "I Refused to Switch Seats on a Plane. Twice. Was I Wrong?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We could fix this if Congress just passed a law that required airlines to provide pre-booking of seats to families with a child under the age of 13 at no-cost. There should not be a fee for a family to select their seats in economy class so that they can ensure they sit together.

Of course, Congress wouldn't need to resort to this if airlines just had a modicum of responsibility toward their customers. If it's not explicitly legislated, they will degrade service and quality in the pursuit of another buck.

As long as this doesn't give families the first shot at aisle seats. Families should be able to choose window and middles together.

Why shouldn't they get to choose aisles?

I've seen aisle seats on some flights as an extra fare, when the window and center were not. (Would have been either American or United. I've been booking on both airlines recently.)

[Anonymous]

The author's point of "they could have booked in advance, too" is faulty logic/excuse-making. Funerals happen, so do family emergencies, so do "grandpa is having emergency surgery and might not make it out so come say goodbye." Things happen. That's the only point of their original post that I don't like: the smug "you could have planned, too."

I planned to fly home to visit my ailing grandma. I certainly didn't plan to book another flight literally the day after I arrived back home when my other, healthy grandma died very unexpectedly, and I had to return for her funeral. Things happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We could fix this if Congress just passed a law that required airlines to provide pre-booking of seats to families with a child under the age of 13 at no-cost. There should not be a fee for a family to select their seats in economy class so that they can ensure they sit together.

Of course, Congress wouldn't need to resort to this if airlines just had a modicum of responsibility toward their customers. If it's not explicitly legislated, they will degrade service and quality in the pursuit of another buck.

As long as this doesn't give families the first shot at aisle seats. Families should be able to choose window and middles together.

Why shouldn't they get to choose aisles?

I've seen aisle seats on some flights as an extra fare, when the window and center were not. (Would have been either American or United. I've been booking on both airlines recently.)

Really? This is your quibble against families with minor kids who need to sit together?

Typically, a family needs 3-4 seats. They should be able to book their row together for free, including the aisle seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We could fix this if Congress just passed a law that required airlines to provide pre-booking of seats to families with a child under the age of 13 at no-cost. There should not be a fee for a family to select their seats in economy class so that they can ensure they sit together.

Of course, Congress wouldn't need to resort to this if airlines just had a modicum of responsibility toward their customers. If it's not explicitly legislated, they will degrade service and quality in the pursuit of another buck.

As long as this doesn't give families the first shot at aisle seats. Families should be able to choose window and middles together.

Why shouldn't they get to choose aisles?

I've seen aisle seats on some flights as an extra fare, when the window and center were not. (Would have been either American or United. I've been booking on both airlines recently.)

NP I disagree with this too. If you want the aisle, pay up. A family of 4 can be in 2 windows and 2 middles. No need for them to get an aisle for free. If it's a mom traveling with 2 little children, then she should pay for the aisle and her kids can get the window and middle for free.

Really? This is your quibble against families with minor kids who need to sit together?

Typically, a family needs 3-4 seats. They should be able to book their row together for free, including the aisle seat.

NP I disagree with this too. If you want the aisle, pay up. A family of 4 can be in 2 windows and 2 middles. No need for them to get an aisle for free. If it's a mom traveling with 2 little children, then she should pay for the aisle and her kids can get the window and middle for free.

[Anonymous]

Serious question: why would a family want a bulkhead? I have a big carry-on bag full of kid stuff: snacks, games, tablet, etc. In bulkhead you can’t have it under the seat in front of you so where do you keep that bag? In the overhead and have to keep getting up to get stuff in and out? Kids are short and don’t need the extra legroom, either.

[Anonymous]

I think the airlines create a lot of their own problems like charging everyone for checking a bag but then begging people to gate-check luggage because there is not enough overhead bin storage for all the bags. Just as airline systems prevent minors from being assigned an exit row seat, they should also prevent young children (at least 10 and under) from being separated from at least one parent.

If you paid for a specific seat, I think it's you're right to stay there, but honestly moving one row up or back or exchanging an aisle or window for another aisle or window in the same section of the cabin isn't really that big of a deal in my opinion and I would try to accommodate families in that situation. It's nice if the airlines or people can offer a better/more forward seat, if possible.

I don't like people blaming parents for not paying for specific seats because airline travel is basically a sh**show at the best of times. I fly a lot and so many times the plane changes, the crew times out, there's a mechanical issue, the flight cancels, the connection is missed, etc, which means that even if you planned everything perfectly way in advance, there is still a good chance that it won't work out as planned. A little bit of compassion goes a long way instead of this smug "should have planned better" attitude. For various reasons, we often end up flying standby and my kids are used to sitting alone, with each other, or without a parent because of it and I don't ask people to switch but my "favorite" people are the ones that book the aisle and the window and then act indignant if the flight is full and someone is actually assigned to the middle seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: why would a family want a bulkhead? I have a big carry-on bag full of kid stuff: snacks, games, tablet, etc. In bulkhead you can’t have it under the seat in front of you so where do you keep that bag? In the overhead and have to keep getting up to get stuff in and out? Kids are short and don’t need the extra legroom, either.

This only applies to international flights, but bulkheads have infant bassinets. You can't get the infant bassinet in any other seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s behind a paywall so I can’t read the article and comment. Please remember not everyone has a subscription to NYT. These posts with links that people can’t see are annoying.

If you're already hitting the paywall, it means you've read your articles for the month.

Subscribe you cheap f#ck. Good journalism isn't free.

Not everyone can afford it.

First PP, you might want to try accessing it through your public library. When the pandemic started, our library (PG County) started making NYTimes, WaPo, and WSJ available online from home. Prior to the pandemic, you could only access it from inside the actual library branches. If you have a library card, you go through the library's website to create an account at whatever paper you want to read, and then you will have digital access for a week. After a week, you have to go back into the library's website and do it again. No limit, just have to reactivate weekly.

This is literal robbery.

[Anonymous]

I’m seeing more and more flights with extra charges for ANY window or aisle seat, and for all seats in the first few rows. Typically I will pay so my family and I can sit together, as I have young kids, but I completely agree that it’s an airline problem because they’ve monetized every aspect of flights in order to cut costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s behind a paywall so I can’t read the article and comment. Please remember not everyone has a subscription to NYT. These posts with links that people can’t see are annoying.

If you're already hitting the paywall, it means you've read your articles for the month.

Subscribe you cheap f#ck. Good journalism isn't free.

Not everyone can afford it.

First PP, you might want to try accessing it through your public library. When the pandemic started, our library (PG County) started making NYTimes, WaPo, and WSJ available online from home. Prior to the pandemic, you could only access it from inside the actual library branches. If you have a library card, you go through the library's website to create an account at whatever paper you want to read, and then you will have digital access for a week. After a week, you have to go back into the library's website and do it again. No limit, just have to reactivate weekly.

This is literal robbery.

It’s a service provided by the library, there’s no robbery involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We could fix this if Congress just passed a law that required airlines to provide pre-booking of seats to families with a child under the age of 13 at no-cost. There should not be a fee for a family to select their seats in economy class so that they can ensure they sit together.

Of course, Congress wouldn't need to resort to this if airlines just had a modicum of responsibility toward their customers. If it's not explicitly legislated, they will degrade service and quality in the pursuit of another buck.

As long as this doesn't give families the first shot at aisle seats. Families should be able to choose window and middles together.

Why shouldn't they get to choose aisles?

I've seen aisle seats on some flights as an extra fare, when the window and center were not. (Would have been either American or United. I've been booking on both airlines recently.)

Really? This is your quibble against families with minor kids who need to sit together?

Typically, a family needs 3-4 seats. They should be able to book their row together for free, including the aisle seat.

So a family should get an aisle seat for free, but everyone else has to pay for it? No.

[Anonymous]

Pressure Congress to pass a bill limiting what airlines can do in terms of charging for seating AND moving around families with kids under a certain age after seat assignments have been made.

There are parents out there who book the cheapest tickets that warn you families won’t be sat together, with the thought that someone will move for them, because “who’d want to sit next to my 3 year old hahahah!” Those folks should be SOL and/or not permitted to even buy those cheaper tickets.

But there are families out there who do buy tickets and pay for seating so they can sit together and are then are moved around by the airline. There the airline has the responsibility to make sure they are seated together and compensate those who have also paid and have to move.

The story in the article has me more sympathetic to the traveler who refused to move, as that is a premium seat and the airlines/parents should have shuffled down the aisle to a row of crappier seats.

But yea, real culprit is the airlines. Contact your representative and The Department of Transportation to have them strong arm airlines.

[Anonymous]

I think airlines should be rained in in terms of all their extra fees for different seating arrangements. Family should sit together. At the same time, nobody should be required to give up a seat, especially if you paid extra for it. This really is on the airlines. I probably won’t give up a seat I paid extra for but I also wouldn’t expect anybody to do that for me. It’s a tough situation all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting to hear that families who paid a premium to choose seats together with children got separated, as in all of my traveling, that never happened to me and my kids. I always paid the extra fee to ensure we sat together and regardless of the airline, That’s always been honored. That said, I have definitely been on airplanes where the flight attendants walk up and down the aisle looking for people to change seats to accommodate a family with small children. I always assumed that they did not pay the extra fee and that’s why that happened. But it looks like, from some of these responses, I might have been wrong in that assumption.

It happened to my family once. We always pay to select our seats and sit together. For some reason, the airline changed our seating and one of our kids was sitting alone. We were fortunate that they had no problem getting someone to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't read the article but I have seen the issue come up on various boards. In my opinion, being a family or traveling with kids doesn't entitle you to special treatment. When I travel with my family I pay to pick seats, early check-in, extra space - whatever I think we might need. If you're not willing to pay for that then you can't afford the trip. Other travelers have also paid for those services and they don't owe you anything.

I would like to live in a society that gives a little more grace and has a little more patience for society’s very young and very old (and their caretakers). Kindness is a value I love to see in companies and individuals alike.