You're assuming people are intentionally not booking seats together when there are many scenarios where this could happen and it was not their fault. For example a family could have missed their connecting flight due to a delay on the first flight and had to get bumped to a later flight. And that flight doesn't have seats together. Or there is a last minute plane swap and all the seats get reassigned.

Or in my case, I work for an airline and travel with my husband and son often. Many times the flight is packed so we get assigned random seats. I NEVER ask anyone to switch unless its to an equal or better seat. However most times people offer to switch when they see I'm with a young child, even when it meant switching to a worse or middle seat. I'm always thankful for people like that - lets me know there are still some kind and unselfish people left in the world.

Because airlines treat their customers like dog shit and then pit them against each other

I blame the airlines. It should be an automatic, free service, to sit families together.

We booked flights months in advance and had our seats together. The night before the trip, everything was still as we’d planned. The first of our connecting flights was scheduled for 6:15 am. It was cancelled overnight, less than 6 hours before the scheduled departure. We got rebooked, but at that point, but the airline couldn’t seat us together. Because we had to take a later flight out, we couldn’t make our connecting flight. Same issue; we were rebooking just hours before the flight, so there weren’t seats together. Our kids are teenagers, so we were okay with being split up and didn’t ask anyone to switch. If our kids had been little, you bet I would have asked people if they were willing to switch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flying back to DC a week ago we had our flight canceled because of the storm. They rebooked us through a different city, but put us in center seats all over the airplane. We had previously paid to all sit together but we had to take the rebooked flight or stay overseas until after the storm. There were no other seats or flights. I have two small kids, 5 and 8 yo. It was a a 5 hour long international flight. The gate agent said she had no way of seating us together so we'd have to ask on the plane.

What exactly should I have done differently?

Nothing, some times you can't get your way.

Because requesting to sit next to your young child on a long, international flight is about wanted to "get your way."

DD was placed in the last row of the plane/middle seat. She did not pay extra for seat selection so she had no options and headed to her seat (overseas flight). Turns out the aisle and window people were married and offered her the aisle. Since they were literally right at the rest room DD did not want to sit any closer to the people waiting or restroom smells than needed. She declined. They were annoyed. They gambles that they might end up with an empty seat between them and lost!

My 7 year gets motion sickness Op, you can definitely keep them seated next to you. I’ll be napping.

There was a guy on my last flight who was in the emergency row with a very religious couple who had a lap baby. He claimed he didn't want to sit next to a baby, but the vibe was really that he didn't want to be near Jewish people either. It started getting loud so I told the flight attendant I love babies and would be happy to switch with the man from my aisle seat if that would help.

He agreed and I whispered to the couple that I was jewish too, and spent a three hour flight with extra leg room, a window seat and playing patty cake with a cute baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An aisle for an aisle won’t be difficult- I will do my best to make sure you get your veg Italian meal, because while I appreciate your efforts sincerely, you do not want to sit next to my 10 year old. He will be have but does not craft ever. We had seats together, but new plane changed things

People are perfectly fine to sit next to a 10 yr old. Your 10 yr old will be ok too. If not, maybe the next flight can accommodate your seat request.

Kids have been molested on planes in the dark. No thank you. They should seat minors with adults. Sure two adults not seated together, fine.

If we can’t get seats together without fee we choose window and aisle seats, then offer to switch to seats together, often times a middle seat gets our window seat. It’s a weird game and you have to get seats that have some currency to horse trade.

Often the gate agent will do it, but it takes FOREVER.

Stuff happens. Also, airlines are more difficult than before.
I can only remember being asked to switch once in the past few years.

Anonymous wrote:Flying back to DC a week ago we had our flight canceled because of the storm. They rebooked us through a different city, but put us in center seats all over the airplane. We had previously paid to all sit together but we had to take the rebooked flight or stay overseas until after the storm. There were no other seats or flights. I have two small kids, 5 and 8 yo. It was a a 5 hour long international flight. The gate agent said she had no way of seating us together so we'd have to ask on the plane.

What exactly should I have done differently?

Nothing, some times you can't get your way.

Anonymous wrote:The last two times my family wasn’t seated together it was because the airline changed the aircraft after we’d booked the tickets.
We’d done our part and paid for seats together and the gate agent was able to move us around.
Sometimes the outrage over “people were too cheap” just isn’t warranted.

This happened to me. I picked seats together and then they changed the plane and our assigned seat numbers were in an exit row, which kids can't be in, and no open seats were together.

I think this should be on the airline to solve, and that airline booking systems shouldn't allow minors sitting alone. But as is, it gets screwed up despite best efforts.

Is this thread and repeat thread with practically the same scenario and sequence?

Flying back to DC a week ago we had our flight canceled because of the storm. They rebooked us through a different city, but put us in center seats all over the airplane. We had previously paid to all sit together but we had to take the rebooked flight or stay overseas until after the storm. There were no other seats or flights. I have two small kids, 5 and 8 yo. It was a a 5 hour long international flight. The gate agent said she had no way of seating us together so we'd have to ask on the plane.

What exactly should I have done differently?

Anonymous wrote:You are what’s wrong with the human race.
I flew Iceland Air with my spouse and our 4yo. They assigned us 2 seats in the emergency row and one in the back. Then when I sat with the 4yo they said she wasn’t allowed in the emergency row. I’m certainly not having my 4yo sit alone that far away from us. Luckily some complete strangers said they would switch with us.

I’ve switched a row with someone and ordered a vegetarian meal. When they brought the meal to my original seat the person said, “ she’s in the seat behind me” they gave it to me. Took 5 extra seconds if that.

I don’t think you should give up a window or aisle seat for a middle if you paid for it. But any other scenario. Just be kind.

Yeah, but in this scenario -- the flight attendants need to handle this, not you.