Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I booked a United flight with a connection for 4 people. Once I got to choosing seats, only seats available were rows apart. I then put in a request to “sit together” but there was no movement. Long story short, I refunded the ticket and bought KLM tickets for same price and had no issues reserving seats together for our family without having to put in extra requests to be seated together and hope for airline largesse.

I had this same experience also flying domestic, but there I was at least able to pay to pre book seats together.

I don’t know if United block seats, or it was an in demand flight, but I don’t get these issues flying with European or middle eastern carriers where I buy tickets in advance and the only seats available are 1 seat each, many rows apart.

This is an airline issue, not “many idiots asking to switch seats” issue.

Most people don’t do this. They would have booked the flight and assume people will switch. They are in fact the idiots asking who switch.

Focus on the airline. Not the people. Somehow, KLM, AF, Lufthansa, Turkish, and so on, manage to seat families together with no associated seat switching drama or passing the buck to the customers to figure it out among themselves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just on a flight where they put my 5 year old across the aisle from me. I booked the tickets together in one transaction and included his age so this was baffling. I talked to the check in people and gate agent and they couldn't do anything because the flight was fully booked. Fortunately I was offering to trade an aisle seat for a middle seat and one of the middle seats next to us was a solo traveler who was happy to take the switch.

Two aisle seats in the same row IS considered sitting "next to."

Realistically though you can't manage a small kid's drink or let them sleep on you or control them physically across an aisle. Airlines should know this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just on a flight where they put my 5 year old across the aisle from me. I booked the tickets together in one transaction and included his age so this was baffling. I talked to the check in people and gate agent and they couldn't do anything because the flight was fully booked. Fortunately I was offering to trade an aisle seat for a middle seat and one of the middle seats next to us was a solo traveler who was happy to take the switch.

Two aisle seats in the same row IS considered sitting "next to."

Anonymous wrote:I was just on a flight where they put my 5 year old across the aisle from me. I booked the tickets together in one transaction and included his age so this was baffling. I talked to the check in people and gate agent and they couldn't do anything because the flight was fully booked. Fortunately I was offering to trade an aisle seat for a middle seat and one of the middle seats next to us was a solo traveler who was happy to take the switch.

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad we only fly PRIVATE.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I booked a United flight with a connection for 4 people. Once I got to choosing seats, only seats available were rows apart. I then put in a request to “sit together” but there was no movement. Long story short, I refunded the ticket and bought KLM tickets for same price and had no issues reserving seats together for our family without having to put in extra requests to be seated together and hope for airline largesse.

I had this same experience also flying domestic, but there I was at least able to pay to pre book seats together.

I don’t know if United block seats, or it was an in demand flight, but I don’t get these issues flying with European or middle eastern carriers where I buy tickets in advance and the only seats available are 1 seat each, many rows apart.

This is an airline issue, not “many idiots asking to switch seats” issue.

Most people don’t do this. They would have booked the flight and assume people will switch. They are in fact the idiots asking who switch.

Anonymous wrote:I was just on a flight where they put my 5 year old across the aisle from me. I booked the tickets together in one transaction and included his age so this was baffling. I talked to the check in people and gate agent and they couldn't do anything because the flight was fully booked. Fortunately I was offering to trade an aisle seat for a middle seat and one of the middle seats next to us was a solo traveler who was happy to take the switch.

Anonymous wrote:No. I will not change my seat because you want to sit next your spouse or kids. It isn't my problem you can't sit together.

I also booked special meals I picked or the flight, so get it through your stupidly thick skulls that even if we switched seats, it causes even more problems when people have pre-specified meal picks. And no, I'd never, ever in a million years give up my aisle or window seat for a worse middle seat.

Why do so many morons insist with sitting next to family members if they can't book next to each other? It's a flight. They're not going anywhere and you'll be fine for a few hours. Requesters for switching seats cause so many stupidly awkward situations and can cause even more problems when other passengers may have specific meals or bought items on shops they have to locate your seat in order to deliver to you. Just sit in your own damn seat people and shut up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One reason: Last week we flew and had booked our seats in advance all next to each other. A few hours before the flight when we went to check in our seats had been changed to unassigned. And when we got to the gate they had been reassigned to the only four seats left in the plane. That’s why.

Yes. It's the airlines screwing things up. If they have to change aircraft for some reason,the seats chosen should stay together.

Sure when there are same # of seats. What happens when the replacement plane is smaller?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One reason: Last week we flew and had booked our seats in advance all next to each other. A few hours before the flight when we went to check in our seats had been changed to unassigned. And when we got to the gate they had been reassigned to the only four seats left in the plane. That’s why.

Yes. It's the airlines screwing things up. If they have to change aircraft for some reason,the seats chosen should stay together.

Anonymous wrote:One reason: Last week we flew and had booked our seats in advance all next to each other. A few hours before the flight when we went to check in our seats had been changed to unassigned. And when we got to the gate they had been reassigned to the only four seats left in the plane. That’s why.