I'm so confused by this whole thing. I don't fly too often but every time I do, I can pick our seats for each flight. Is that only certain airlines, or have they stopped doing that? I don't *have* to sit next to DH but I'd be shocked if I didn't seeing as I picked my seats months ago. Plus, I'd just rather annoy DH every time I have to get up rather than a stranger.
This is where I am. I always pick my seats and print my boarding pass ahead of time. It always has my seats.. .
I'm not sure what the original post said (where'd it go?) but this happened to H and I on a recent flight on American Airlines. We booked about 2 months in advance and you could choose seats. BUT: they wanted $15 extra for ANY aisle or window seat on the entire plane. So basically, unless we wanted to pay extra, we could only choose 2 middle seats and not sit together. I refuse to pay on principle, so we were sitting apart on that flight.
This policy is insane. And, as expected, there was a family with 3 kids under age 6 that were all sitting apart. One daughter was next to me and she was crying because she was afraid to be sitting amongst strangers. I felt awful and would have switched with the mom, but they did end up finding a way to seat the family together.
I will NOT fly American again if they continue to do this. We had the same problem with a flight to Europe, but we ended up canceling and rebooking on another airline. I can handle a 2 hr flight apart from H, but no way I'm doing a redeye to Europe without being next to him. He's my pillow.
This is where I am. I always pick my seats and print my boarding pass ahead of time. It always has my seats.. .
I'm not sure what the original post said (where'd it go?) but this happened to H and I on a recent flight on American Airlines. We booked about 2 months in advance and you could choose seats. BUT: they wanted $15 extra for ANY aisle or window seat on the entire plane. So basically, unless we wanted to pay extra, we could only choose 2 middle seats and not sit together. I refuse to pay on principle, so we were sitting apart on that flight.
This policy is insane. And, as expected, there was a family with 3 kids under age 6 that were all sitting apart. One daughter was next to me and she was crying because she was afraid to be sitting amongst strangers. I felt awful and would have switched with the mom, but they did end up finding a way to seat the family together.
I will NOT fly American again if they continue to do this. We had the same problem with a flight to Europe, but we ended up canceling and rebooking on another airline. I can handle a 2 hr flight apart from H, but no way I'm doing a redeye to Europe without being next to him. He's my pillow.
Wow that is crap. I typically always fly United/continental and haven't had this issue, but I think we have to fly USairways coming up. Hope it isn't a problem!
This is where I am. I always pick my seats and print my boarding pass ahead of time. It always has my seats.. .
I'm not sure what the original post said (where'd it go?) but this happened to H and I on a recent flight on American Airlines. We booked about 2 months in advance and you could choose seats. BUT: they wanted $15 extra for ANY aisle or window seat on the entire plane. So basically, unless we wanted to pay extra, we could only choose 2 middle seats and not sit together. I refuse to pay on principle, so we were sitting apart on that flight.
This policy is insane. And, as expected, there was a family with 3 kids under age 6 that were all sitting apart. One daughter was next to me and she was crying because she was afraid to be sitting amongst strangers. I felt awful and would have switched with the mom, but they did end up finding a way to seat the family together.
I will NOT fly American again if they continue to do this. We had the same problem with a flight to Europe, but we ended up canceling and rebooking on another airline. I can handle a 2 hr flight apart from H, but no way I'm doing a redeye to Europe without being next to him. He's my pillow.
Yup. Delta has a few rows in the back set aside for anybody to book, but if those fill up, you're in this same situation where you can only get a middle seat free, which means you can't sit together with anyone.
I cannot fucking believe that American charges for a ticket and then adds a surcharge for a window or aisle seat. Airlines are completely out of control with this shit.
What happens if you book your flight after all the middle seats are taken and you have no choice? Is there a fee for being forced into an aisle or window seat? Do they simply make it part of the ticket price?
Someone really needs to get going on inventing the individual jet pack suitable for widespread use and complete with built-in Baby Bjorn.
I cannot fucking believe that American charges for a ticket and then adds a surcharge for a window or aisle seat. Airlines are completely out of control with this shit.
What happens if you book your flight after all the middle seats are taken and you have no choice? Is there a fee for being forced into an aisle or window seat? Do they simply make it part of the ticket price?
Someone really needs to get going on inventing the individual jet pack suitable for widespread use and complete with built-in Baby Bjorn.
You must not have flown recently. Most airlines do this now.
If there are no seats, they will assign you one at the gate, and sometimes it's a 'premium' seat but you don't have to pay for it. Which is why if everybody refused to pay this fee, they'd be forced to give it up. They can't make you pay more and there are only so many seats on each aircraft.
Post by meshaliuknits on Sept 19, 2012 11:47:25 GMT -5
I haven't flown anything other than SW in a few years, so I had no idea about this nonsense. It doesn't really make me want to fly anything but SW and Hawaiian (just to get to sibil).
This is where I am. I always pick my seats and print my boarding pass ahead of time. It always has my seats.. .
I'm not sure what the original post said (where'd it go?) but this happened to H and I on a recent flight on American Airlines. We booked about 2 months in advance and you could choose seats. BUT: they wanted $15 extra for ANY aisle or window seat on the entire plane. So basically, unless we wanted to pay extra, we could only choose 2 middle seats and not sit together. I refuse to pay on principle, so we were sitting apart on that flight.
This policy is insane. And, as expected, there was a family with 3 kids under age 6 that were all sitting apart. One daughter was next to me and she was crying because she was afraid to be sitting amongst strangers. I felt awful and would have switched with the mom, but they did end up finding a way to seat the family together.
I will NOT fly American again if they continue to do this. We had the same problem with a flight to Europe, but we ended up canceling and rebooking on another airline. I can handle a 2 hr flight apart from H, but no way I'm doing a redeye to Europe without being next to him. He's my pillow.
This sounds sadistic, but what if someone is a rager and has to sit next to a crying 6 year old and whacks them or does something inappropriate b/c they won't shut up for 2 hours. I'd love to be the lawyer who sued the airline over that!
I cannot fucking believe that American charges for a ticket and then adds a surcharge for a window or aisle seat. Airlines are completely out of control with this shit.
What happens if you book your flight after all the middle seats are taken and you have no choice? Is there a fee for being forced into an aisle or window seat? Do they simply make it part of the ticket price?
Someone really needs to get going on inventing the individual jet pack suitable for widespread use and complete with built-in Baby Bjorn.
You must not have flown recently. Most airlines do this now.
I've flown multiple times (Delta, US Airways) in the past few years and not encountered this. We are flying next month and (thus far) this is a non-issue.
You must not have flown recently. Most airlines do this now.
I've flown multiple times (Delta, US Airways) in the past few years and not encountered this. We are flying next month and (thus far) this is a non-issue.
Wow - maybe US Airways doesn't do this. I don't remember when Delta started doing it but it was fairly recently I think (last few months maybe?).
The specific situation that this arose in, prompting the article, was one where the family DID choose seats, months in advance, together. THEN - the airline decided to change planes (presumably to stuff as many people onboard as possible), and failed to honor the original seat assignments/requests. That happens a lot, often at the gate due to schedule issues, mechanical problems, etc.
By and large, I think people switch seats to accommodate families and to avoid having to "babysit" another person's kid. A few extra inches of legroom aren't going to make up for the fact that you had a kid who needs to go to the bathroom every 27 seconds while you're in the aisle.
I fully intend to play chicken. If, after booking seats together the assignment changes, it's not my problem and I won't pay for the airline to fix it.
And, to be morbid... does anyone know how often the oxygen masks come down, save people's lives and the plane lands safely? My gut instinct is that if those things are coming down, we're all kind of toast. In that case I'd like to be with my child, but I don't think it's fair to hold parent hostage for $60 in the unlikely event we all go down :/
If we really get to a point where people aren't nice enough to switch seats so that a parent can sit w/ their child - somehting is REALLY wrong.
I've seen it happen. I offered up my seat, but it did no good because no one else around me would. Fortunately the kid was 10 or so, and not 4.
Seems to me that if I book the two seats at the same time, it is entirely reasonable to expect to have the seats be together - just like if I purchase concert tickets or any other type of ticket with assigned seats. This is all absurd.
I've been stuck in a different row than my husband on multiple occasions because we bought the "cheap seats." Not the same as a small child, of course, since he's rather independent at the age of 38, but the vast majority of the time, when we ask people if they would mind switching, they decide they don't want to. Once H and I both got middle seats and there were 2 people on the aisle, next to each of us, who were traveling together. But they didn't want to sit together. They both wanted aisle seats. It was weird.
The worst was when I booked a flight to go to H's friend's wedding (H was a GM) about 2 months in advance and they overbooked. They hadn't assigned us seats (again, cheap tickets!) so we almost weren't able to board the plane. They had to get people to voluntarily bump themselves to another flight. I was PISSED. And this is the airport 1.5 hours away from us. AND I booked the tickets at a specific time (red eye) so we could make the RD the next night.
I don't have a problem with the fees. They exist because the flight costs have declined and there are tax advantages to structuring costs as fees. Truthfully, I'd rather pay a lower base price and then add the upgrades I need than pay a higher base price that covers upgrades I don't need (like checked baggage). In any event, I understand the fees, am willing to pay $15 more for an aisle knowing my overall price is still lower than if there were fewer fees and a higher base.
Post by karinothing on Sept 19, 2012 13:05:39 GMT -5
Well, you all just encouraged me to buy tickets for our trip at Christmas right now. And I am glad I did becuase there were only two rows of three empty seats left! Hopefully they airline won't mess it up when it comes time for us to fly!
It was USairways and there were only three seats listed as premium seats (in the frnt rows) but maybe the others had bene booked already.
I don't have a problem with the fees. They exist because the flight costs have declined and there are tax advantages to structuring costs as fees. Truthfully, I'd rather pay a lower base price and then add the upgrades I need than pay a higher base price that covers upgrades I don't need (like checked baggage). In any event, I understand the fees, am willing to pay $15 more for an aisle knowing my overall price is still lower than if there were fewer fees and a higher base.
Have flight costs declined? I just paid $650 per ticket to fly from DC to AZ...6 years ago when I moved here? $250.
I've flown multiple times (Delta, US Airways) in the past few years and not encountered this. We are flying next month and (thus far) this is a non-issue.
Wow - maybe US Airways doesn't do this. I don't remember when Delta started doing it but it was fairly recently I think (last few months maybe?).
You know I'm now going to get an email from US Airways messing with our seats for next month's trip, right? I'll be sure to come here and blame you.
I'm seriously considering driving home to CT for Christmas this year from Alabama because of how asinine flying has become. I'm also a medallion member on Delta, and can choose premium seating, and still think this is a load and a half of bullshit I would rather not deal with.
Post by heightsyankee on Sept 19, 2012 13:44:11 GMT -5
Didn't read all the responses so, knowing this group, this thread could be about something completely different by now but I did have a woman refuse to switch from her aisle seat next to me and my 2 kids to my husband's aisle seat one row down. She said she "carefully chose" that seat and that "she loved kids." While all this was true, it left me juggling a lap baby and a toddler in the window seat and rudely reaching across her several times to hand something/someone to my husband. She honestly didn't seem to mind but what a PITA it was.
We chatted about this on my neighborhood family forum yesterday and one mom posted this. I believe it from United. They suck huge donkey balls.
Similarly, on a United flight a few months ago, the flight was less than half full, but they crammed all of us in the back of the plane and wouldn't let anyone move to the empty rows (there were about 12 completely empty rows) unless they deboarded before the flight left the gate and paid the gate agent $29 to switch seats. Since I had a baby in my lap, I was restricted on which seats I could move to, and I was seated next to this random guy, and across the aisle my toddler and husband. I asked the flight attendant if there were changing tables on board and was told no, that I would have to change diapers in the seat. The guy next to me grimaced and left the plane to pay to move his seat - thankfully. And no thanks to United.
Post by orangello on Sept 19, 2012 14:03:53 GMT -5
I'm so confused. I booked a United flight a few months ago for travel over labor day weekend. I was able to choose a window seat, no extra charge, for both legs of my flight. I signed up for the mileage awards that same day, so no special status.
Is it just some flights/locations? Is it because you're booking too close to your travel dates? Curious. And I agree it's gotten ridiculous.
Holy cow. You guys are scaring the crap out of me, as if I'm not already terrified enough about our flight to SF in November.
H and I reserved seats next to each other and are planning on taking turns holding the kiddo. My mom is also traveling with us, although she bought her ticket on her own since she's returning on a different airline.
We booked our tickets one right after the other so we could sit together (and again, have more help with the babe) on the outbound flight, but now...heaven only knows if we'll all be together.
It's enough to make me never want to get on a plane again. Seriously. It is out of control. I'm really glad H works in the cruise industry and we live near two of the biggest cruise ports in the world, so we have lots of options. We've already taken two cruises with the baby and they've both gone hassle-free.
Someone else can watch my almost two year old on my upcoming CA/NY flight? sweeeet!
(When we bought the tickets, more than a month in advance, it wouldn't let us pick seats together so she is currently alone. I'm not paying to change that. The fucked up airline can figure it out).
(Oh, and FAA regulations require her to be in a window seat because of the car seat. Which there were none of. So she's by herself in a middle far from both of us.)
Once H and I both got middle seats and there were 2 people on the aisle, next to each of us, who were traveling together. But they didn't want to sit together. They both wanted aisle seats. It was weird.
This actually sounds like a great idea to me, I would to make it through a flight without being in the middle seat with DH trying to sleep on me or take the earphones out of my ear.
The airlines don't pay the same taxes on the fees as they do for the flights.
And I disagree strongly on the cargo. Cargo is paid for by the pound. Having travelled to NYC with my mother and my mother-in-law, I strongly feel that extra fees for checked bags are absolutely appropriate and necessary. No way should I pay the same with my little rolly bag as someone who has three big suitcases.
I don't have a problem with the fees. They exist because the flight costs have declined and there are tax advantages to structuring costs as fees. Truthfully, I'd rather pay a lower base price and then add the upgrades I need than pay a higher base price that covers upgrades I don't need (like checked baggage). In any event, I understand the fees, am willing to pay $15 more for an aisle knowing my overall price is still lower than if there were fewer fees and a higher base.
Tax advantages to who? Because if the airline is getting a benefit, they aren't really passing those along.
Oh they're passing those along to shareholders all right. Just not customers.
But all fees - baggage, seat choice, unaccompanied minor, ticket change fees - are tax free because the IRS has determined that they are not "related to the transport of passengers" and thus are not taxable. THAT'S why airlines have broken everything out so that you pay more in fees than in fares - because they pay taxes on fares but not on fees.
Post by iammalcolmx on Sept 19, 2012 19:28:44 GMT -5
You guys know how I feel about this from the "No kids in First Class" epic post we had before. I will choose the kids over adults. That said, I will always change to let families sit together.
Post by LoveTrains on Sept 19, 2012 20:33:13 GMT -5
I should add that this airline bullshit is why I take the train. Even after my 30 hour delay this summer, we are still taking the train to Florida this summer.
I'm seriously considering driving home to CT for Christmas this year from Alabama because of how asinine flying has become. I'm also a medallion member on Delta, and can choose premium seating, and still think this is a load and a half of bullshit I would rather not deal with.
I'm doing this in October. I'm traveling alone with a toddler from GA to PA. Partly because I don't want to haul her car seat or rent a shitty one, but mostly because I'm tired of the airlines' bullshit.
That might change if SW ever decides to add on an Atl-Pit route, but for now.....screw flying.
I'm seriously considering driving home to CT for Christmas this year from Alabama because of how asinine flying has become. I'm also a medallion member on Delta, and can choose premium seating, and still think this is a load and a half of bullshit I would rather not deal with.
I'm doing this in October. I'm traveling alone with a toddler from GA to PA. Partly because I don't want to haul her car seat or rent a shitty one, but mostly because I'm tired of the airlines' bullshit.
That might change if SW ever decides to add on an Atl-Pit route, but for now.....screw flying.
You can fly from ATL-PIT with one stop on SW, which may be worth it to not have to drive that long!