Those that choose not to pay extra to select seats..

[macadoo]

Originally Posted by Procrastinator

Interesting thread! I am torn on this. Really dont want to spend the money. And it is 4 of us including 2 young kids so shouldnt be split up. But it is their first time on a plane and i know that if we dont have a window seat i will be in trouble. Im sure i can pick the seats within 5 mins of them opening up so im edging towards chancing this one. But that little seed of doubt...

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We didn’t pay with BA last year returning to Gatwick early August, when we checked in online just after the 24 hours before, they had already allocated us 4 seats together (3 and 1 across the aisle) but there were lots of rows free to choose from and we were able to move a bit closer to the front.

[duchy]

I think this is an urban (or rather fb) myth to be honest.
No one in their right mind who travels frequently is going to do this on a long haul flight when they can pre reserve any seat in the cabin for free using their frequent flyer status for the nine hour plus journey.
Whilst I have every sympathy for anyone who has to deal with those with entitlement issues along with short arms and long pockets who throw tantrums or simply plonk themselves in someone else's seats, there are far more effective ways to "punish" these travellers than subject yourself to a long flight in a middle seat.
If you don't want to pay then don't, but don't make your choice in economising anyone else's problem !

Originally Posted by Guest

It's massively common to do the window/aisle with the middle seat free trick.

What has happened recently though is a bunch of frequent travellers that fly solo for work a lot have started to seek out these assignments and place themselves in the middle seat and then when they get on the flight refuse to leave their assigned seat.

Unfortunately it will only ever "teach" a small few of the selfish people who do this. It's this type of "jigsaw ruining" that makes it more likely others will be split up as the options to seat groups together diminishes with each "non-standard" group

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[animal 1970]

we are debating booking seats as eldest dd suffers anxiety disorder and will have a melt down if not sat with me youngest dd does not mind if she has to sit away but not too far away

[JAF]

We do not pay and have only been split up once which was BA on flights to and from Italy last year. Unfortunately we had not been able to use on line check in and had to wait till we got to the airport.

[Disney Bear]

We were on a flight last Friday - we paid inadvance for our seats as we want to sit together and I like a window seat due to my motion sickness, anyway, when we went to check in online I had a look at available seats and most of the rows of 3 were booked with the middle seat empty. I can tell you now that these were definitely not single travellers.

[Bob_and_Dawn]

I believe with some BA flights when booked Club Europe the seat configuration although 3-3, only allows you to book seats A C D and F. This therefore would look to many people that the passengers have booked an isle and a window seat in order to keep the middle seat free, when it is BAs way of providing extra wide seats.

[Disney Bear]

Originally Posted by Bob_and_Dawn

I believe with some BA flights when booked Club Europe the seat configuration although 3-3, only allows you to book seats A C D and F. This therefore would look to many people that the passengers have booked an isle and a window seat in order to keep the middle seat free, when it is BAs way of providing extra wide seats.

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This is true, although on Friday we flew economy virgin and multiples had booked isle and window - about 20 families did this!

[Stitch73]

When I book the aisle and window seat it's because the seat configuration at the back is 2-4-2. On the whole of the TC plane this year it's a 2-4-2 configuration.
I would never book and aisle and window with the hope of getting a middle seat :angry:

[Bal]

I think it’s such a shame airlines charge these days. As this thread it causes a divisive issue.

I also think it’s terrible that young families are effectively forced to pay as you wouldn’t want to leave a young child sat with people they do not know.

[YorkshireT]

Unfortunately another scam in rip off Britain. It’s only since everyone started paying in increasing numbers it became a problem. With children they have a duty (legal requirement) to sit the children within a row of the parents. It’s not people who don’t pay that are at fault, it’s the greedy airline. They could and should, to comply with their legal and safety requirement as set down by the CAA, allocate seats to families with children up front, but they wont of course because that means lost revenue. So they ask people to move instead, even though that family paid its money, and must be supplied with a seat that is regulated as being very near the parents. The airline has a hefty compensation bill to pay then, but it’s weighed up that and it’s breaches of CAA regulations, against its money making scam.