The Mystery Machine
Sunrise at my house. :+)
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2001
IF you NEED to sit with your child on a flight, buy assigned seats. That is all.
And that's when I say, "yup, I do mind...you're in my seat". I guess that's just how I roll!
I have also come across some people who won't move. Period. That's their seat, it's printed on the ticket, and daren't, that's where they're sitting! It's almost like sitting somewhere from where you're told is breaking a rule. I guess that's just how they roll!
Paying "extra" for assigned seats... Why do we put up with this crap?
Everybody gets assigned seats. And people board back to front. Period. No "early" boarders. No "Ultra Plus Platinum" boarding. Back to front. End of story. Yes, first class. You board last. Why? Because you get in everybody else's way up front if you board first.
Why do things have to be so complicated?
IF you NEED to sit with your child on a flight, buy assigned seats. That is all.
I flew with my daughter on JetBlue. She intentionally wanted to sit alone and I paid for a bulkhead for myself due to an injury. We had a hard time explaining to the flight attendants who seem puzzled we declined their offers to move her up.
As for the mom, I agree that demanding was rude. But with blizzard/Snowmageddon, we just don't know what caused her particular situation. If OP was looking for folks to commiserate, then the additional details of airline and age of child are useful. Absent that, I'm sure the situation is the typical story that has 3 sides.
I mean poor Andie MacDowell got bumped to coach. Sometimes with blizzards--we just have to deal with steerage.
Yep, I've done the same thing with folks who assume I'll switch with them before I've even gotten to my seat. Most of the time, though, when I come across someone sitting in my seat, they're just hoping that it's an unassigned seat and just move to their own seat as soon as I point out they're in the wrong seat.
I've also heard someone on a flight tell someone that they have to be in their assigned seat because "if the plane goes down, the FAA needs to know that everyone's in the proper seat to identify the bodies"
Equal or better.I have no problem with someone asking to switch seats with me, but if you want to switch, you better be offering a BETTER seat than the one I'm in. That's just common courtesy.
I didn't read the whole thread, but after a page or two, all I can think about is that maybe if we all just treated each other with a little more kindness and grace, the world might be a better place.
Maybe if the mother didn't demand, maybe if the OP had moved anyway...
It doesn't kill anyone to be NICE - even if the person you're interacting with isn't being nice. You never know what the other person is going through at that moment. What if the two were traveling because her father died suddenly and she needed to get to a funeral at the last minute?
You just never know. That's all I'm saying. And I'm not going to go down swinging over something like letting a mother sit next to her child on a short flight, but to each their own.
I didn't read the whole thread, but after a page or two, all I can think about is that maybe if we all just treated each other with a little more kindness and grace, the world might be a better place.
Maybe if the mother didn't demand, maybe if the OP had moved anyway...
It doesn't kill anyone to be NICE - even if the person you're interacting with isn't being nice. You never know what the other person is going through at that moment. What if the two were traveling because her father died suddenly and she needed to get to a funeral at the last minute?
You just never know. That's all I'm saying. And I'm not going to go down swinging over something like letting a mother sit next to her child, but to each their own.
is this a new rule? I ended up spread out from my kids many times when they were under 8. Flight Attendants were usually aware and only once asked someone to switch (he refused, which was fine).Why didn't the mom have the kid trade places with the person sitting next to her assigned seat? If the kid was in an upgraded seat, it would have been fair to have the person they were moving into the better seat.
The kid had to have been older, because the flight attendant wouldn't have let a young child (8 years or younger) sit with a stranger. They usually go over the intercom and ask if anyone would like to switch seats if it's a warranted situation.
Paying "extra" for assigned seats... Why do we put up with this crap?
Everybody gets assigned seats. And people board back to front. Period. No "early" boarders. No "Ultra Plus Platinum" boarding. Back to front. End of story. Yes, first class. You board last. Why? Because you get in everybody else's way up front if you board first.
Why do things have to be so complicated?
I didn't read the whole thread, but after a page or two, all I can think about is that maybe if we all just treated each other with a little more kindness and grace, the world might be a better place.
Maybe if the mother didn't demand, maybe if the OP had moved anyway...
It doesn't kill anyone to be NICE - even if the person you're interacting with isn't being nice. You never know what the other person is going through at that moment. What if the two were traveling because her father died suddenly and she needed to get to a funeral at the last minute?
You just never know. That's all I'm saying. And I'm not going to go down swinging over something like letting a mother sit next to her child on a short flight, but to each their own.
IF you NEED to sit with your child on a flight, buy assigned seats. That is all.
I do realize that--it stinks and that policy drives me crazy.You guys do realize that those passengers travelling internationally with a codeshare ticket being serviced by these airlines dont have the option to choose there seat or purchase early bird if there "home" airline doesnt service these options right?
I see alot of selfish attitudes here.
Depends on the kind of plane you are talking about. Often, planes board from the middle. Then, first class gets in no one's "way." And, you can forget the airlines not letting premium class board first. Will.never.happen. As long as those people are paying premium prices, they are going to get premium service. A sure way to guarantee yourself a smooth boarding process and all the overhead space you desire is to pay for first class. No sense complaining about it. Just do it. Plus, if they didn't get to board first, there wouldn't be time for their pre-departure beverage.
and the flip side of the issue. I am a mom traveling with 3 kids. Someone is always separated. Typically I will try to get things so that I fly with the youngest, and my oldest dd sits next to her younger sister as close as I can get them to me. On our last flight we ended up with aisle and window seats no middles. So I offered our window seat to the lady who was in between my son and I, which she happily took. Grumpy old guy gets on the plane and he is sighing and grumbling about sitting between kids. My older DD offers him her AISLE seat so she could be next to her sister and to be polite and he snaps at her and takes his middle seat. Then he had to fly - to IRELAND with younger dd asking her sister for help with things, passing things over him, and he had to get up a dozen times to use the bathroom and had to climb over, plus he was larger and all scrunched up in the middle whereas my kid was all stretched out in the aisle. Guy made himself miserable just to hold a grudge against kids who had no control over the seats they were assigned.
is this a new rule? I ended up spread out from my kids many times when they were under 8. Flight Attendants were usually aware and only once asked someone to switch (he refused, which was fine).
They were good travelers and we flew a lot so inevitably ended up with weather issues or other bumps which caused reseating. Other than the time DS cracked his head up at LAX and we were rebooked on a later flight after he got 5 staples in his head (he was 2) I never asked anyone to move so I could sit with my kids. I always told people where I was and offered to switch with them if they did not want to be next to kids, but also told them they were welcome to stay in their assigned seats of course, and welcome to tell me if the kids caused any issues (OK; I did not offer to switch once when DH and i were in first and hte kids were in coach together,but by then they were over 8 and I was not worried about them at all lol ).
As a mom with two kids under 4, I agree with you. However, hypothetically, what happens if the person DID pay for assigned seats, their flight got cancelled and the airline was able to squeeze them on this flight? Then they are at the mercy of fellow passengers to be able to sit next to their kid. I never condone people demanding things of others, but things aren't always as black and white as they outwardly appear.
I recently paid an extra $50/flight so my kids could be next to one of us because the airline would not guarantee that my 3yr old or infant would be seated next to a parent. It's a little insane to me that kids can't fly unaccompanied until they are what, 6 or 7 but they were willing to seat my 3yr old and infant by themselves. But that's a rant for another day.