'I refused to swap seats on plane so mum could be with toddler as it's not my problem'

The Mirror ^ | Aug 17, 2023 | 'I refused to swap seats on plane so mum could be with toddler as it's not my problem'

[where's_the_Outrage?]

With last minute bookings, confusing websites and the general chaos of flying it's easy for fellow travellers to get split up when they board the plane. For most this can give a relaxing few hours of alone time before or after the holiday but for parents with young children it's a little more tricky.

Someone with a young child might be nervous about leaving them on the other side of a busy plane, worried about what they might get up to. That's why often parents might ask someone to move so they can sit with their children.

post read: "Had a woman ask me to change on a TPAC flight from Japan. I was bulkhead window and her toddler daughter was in the middle next to me while she was in the middle seat in the row behind me.

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I would not change from a window or aisle seat to a middle during a very long flight. I might do it for a short flight, but definitely not a transpacific.

But I was once a beneficiary of someone giving up an aisle seat for my window so I could sit next to my 5 year old daughter. But that was because we were upgraded to 1st class at the last minute to different rows.

[P.O.E.]

Sign I used to see around the office:

“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”

[pepsionice]

Once they started price-listing certain seats....like aisle or window...the crap hit the fan.

If I want a aisle seat and pay $20 extra for it....I’m not swapping under any circumstances.

Airlines started this mess, and I expect it to get worse. Just wait till you have to pay $5 to use the toilet.

[Tax-chick]

It would be funny if the toddler threw up on “them.”

[A_perfect_lady]

Given that there were other members of the mom’s tour group surrounding them that she could have asked, I don’t blame the girl for not wanting to give up her seat. People always think a single female can be prevailed upon to do anything. They rarely ask men.

[Guenevere]

What is funny about that?

[poinq]

If mum did not have an isle seat and you did. You should not swap. She could have paid for a seat next to her child and chose not to. Letting you do it. I would never give up my isle seat unless I was getting another isle seat. Remember the stewardess could also work something out.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

My immediate answer would be: “What are you offering?”

My bottom price would be $500 in cash, $1000 if it’s a long flight.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I would never give up my isle seat unless I was getting another isle seat.”

I wouldn’t, either, again. I did that once between Hawaii and LAX just to be nice to a honeymooning couple so the could sit together. The lady next to me smelled SO BAD ... for 5.5 hours. Never again.

[poinq]

They rarely ask men.

---

No, they ask men all the time. I was asked 100s of times. They may think a petite young women may not care as much. My daughters like the window seat. And big men have a hard time getting into a middle or window seat. So, men, especially big or tall men are less likely to yield a isle seat because its too obvious. But that does not stop them from asking us and appealing to our chivalry gene. If I did have a window seat I would move, because the middle verses window does not matter much to me.

[SamAdams76]

I would never board a plane with a small child without first having reserved seats ensuring that we would be sitting together.

Boarding a plane without that guarantee and then relying on somebody else giving up their seat to accomodate me does not seem like the thing to do.

The airlines should not even board passengers with small children unless it has been confirmed at the gate that their boarding passes are for adjoining seats.

[cherry]

I put this squarely on the airlines...they ask about children and ages....to make a parent and a young child sit by themselves is ridiculous....

I think our pill taking complainer is a 15" of famer....

[A_perfect_lady]

I stand corrected. I have never seen anyone ask a man anything like that, but maybe I just never noticed.

[dforest]

This baby wouldn’t care who sat next to him.

https://www.tiktok.com/@beyoutiful_balayage/video/7249384013713100078?_r=1&_t=8eTwEeXMR3b

[unixfox]

You don’t fly much, do you?

[silverleaf]

Airlines make every effort to seat kids with parents.
Some even allow preferential early seating selection
I would suspect some of these people are not willing to pay for prime seats and expect to play on good will and sympathy to bully other passengers.
I cannot imagine an airline booking a toddler apart from a parent
Would leave it up to the cabin crew to sort
Would not be giving up my window bulkhead on a long haul Pacific flight

[where's_the_Outrage?]

It’s happened to us (wife, daughter (aged 4-9), and myself) probably half a dozen times where we were upgraded to business class on a transpacific flight at the last minute and switched once we got on the plane. There has never been an issue as every seat is an aisle and there are a lot of single travelers that easily switch.

It also happened to us where they switched to a different aircraft causing seat changes, again there was no hassle to change with people.

Surprisingly we have never had the issue in coach as we pre-booked the seats.

[P.O.E.]

I don’t buy the “last minute booking, confusing websites” argument. It’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure they are sitting with their child when they book the flight. (My guess is they were trying to save a few bucks and figured they could cow somebody else to accommodate them).

If it’s an emergency flight, then take it up with the airline.

[I want the USA back]

No one is obliged to agree to changing a reserved seat. It’s OK to say “NO.” No explanation or apology is needed.

[catnipman]

“My immediate answer would be: “What are you offering?””

exactly ... once i was asked to exchange my reserved aisle seat for a window seat because of “split family”, and i said i’d be very happy to give up my seat if they would upgrade me to first class which had plenty of empty seats ... naturally, they refused, which means the airline itself didn’t give a shite about the split family ... so why should i? ...