Here's a bit of a straw poll, to help settle a discussion with a mate.
When flying with your partner, and reserving seats in advance costs money, do you
a) pay for reserved seats on any flights,
b) only pay for reserved seats on flights over a certain duration (if so how long)
c) not reserve seats and take a chance that you will end up being seated together
d) something else I've not thought of
If you have said that you'd pay, what's the most you'd pay?
Thanks :-)
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(c) but we check-in online when available (so some form of seat selection possible) or turn up in plenty of time at the airport.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 17 Jul 16 at 14:13
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e) Just get on the 'plane and sit anywhere suitable. Last time I flew (Easyjet), there was an empty seat in the first row by the door. I bagged it as I'm a six footer. SWMBO understands and it doesn't matter where she sits as she's so nervous she shuts her eyes and grasps the armrests.
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I always get the above-wing emergency exit seat.
i'm 6-foot and change, size 12, and also have a better-than-average understanding of emergency procedures.
That is in the computer system, and I always get the seat.
So imagine my surprise one day, boarding the flight, to find my standard spacious window seat is free, but I have a woman with babe-in-arms next to me...
Cabin crew did not see a problem with this.
Fortunately, after much 'referral upwards', the first officer decided I had a point.
It transpired that some check-in folk had done some free enterprise, and were selling the 'better' seats for a backhander. And the half-trained - and witted - cabin staff couldn't see the problem with this.
(A friend tells me of a 300lb chap in the same seats on one of his flights.)
Last edited by: Ian (Cape Town) on Sun 17 Jul 16 at 17:14
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Let me begin by saying I don't understand what 'pre-booking' means; I do though get what 'booking' a seat means.
I never pay extra for booking a seat but try and choose one for free when possible - e.g. BA charges you to choose a while in advance but it's free 24 hours before the flight time. You'll often see me hovering over a keyboard with exactly 24 hours to go.
Ryanair is an interesting case; they claim you are allocated a random seat for free but need to pay to reserve a specific one. False ! Free seats are allocated in a system starting around the middle row of the aircraft, jump a row or two forward then jump a row or two back. I'm not quite sure of the sequence now, but found a website giving the info, used it and found it actually works.
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I normally fly Jet2 out of Leeds on my numerous European short haul flights... Canaries, Costas, capitals and don't pay extra for my seats, even when travelling with friends. If it were a fiver each way I would pay for a window seat with a view ( not over a wing) but no more. And I don't pay extra for hold baggage either unless going for 4+ weeks, unless skiing and a baggage allowance is normally included on such winter hols. In fact last Jan/Feb I just had my 10kg allowance for 6 weeks holiday in Finestrat.
Long haul I always fly KLM via AMS and with KLM/ Delta seat selection is currently free, although friends are flying out this week on a Canada road trip with BA and some of them ( 2 out of 6) have paid to pre select seats.
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Never paid to reserve a seat, i don't care whereabouts onboard i sit. On occasion if its important to sit next to someone, I'll check in online or ask at the desk never had an issue with getting two seats together.
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If I'm on my own I don't care, if its the four of us there's no really successful way of sitting together, and they do not separate child and parent.
So no, I don't worry about it.
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We never pre-book seats, just ask if there's any chance of a window seat and I've never been disappointed! - We've also been upgraded on two occasions which is something you will never get if you pre-book a seat.
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Please, I know I'm becoming a boring irritant - but anybody please, please tell me the difference between pre-booking and booking.
The use of 'pre-book' in place of' book' started maybe 10 years ago - is it a US thing?
Last edited by: Dulwich Estate II on Mon 18 Jul 16 at 12:03
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You book your flight, but reserve your seat, shirley?
You could feed your irritation with pre-planning and reiterating too, Dulwich.
Last edited by: Manatee on Mon 18 Jul 16 at 12:11
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A quick Google shows Virgin call it pre-assign, Air Lingus, Jet2 and FlyBE call it pre-booking, Monarch and others pre-allocation, Thomson & Norwegian use reserve, Lufthansa booking, FinnAir "purchasing your preferred seat in advance" - the choice is endless!!
Oddly, none that I noticed on a non-comprehensive search called it plain old booking...
Anyway thanks for responses so far. Three of us (old school friends) are travelling out to California with Virgin in Oct. We wouldn't mind sitting together but the costs of the trip are frightening enough already! :-)
One reckons we can leave it till much nearer the time then judge how full the flight is to inform our decision. I'm all for just taking a chance, the difficulty I see is that it's three separate bookings so if they pre-allocate seats (i,e. prior to check in time) then we are less likely to be together. So we may end up negotiating with people on the plane to move. Or just not sit together... :-)
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Well I call it pre-book if I request a window seat at the time I book the flight either at travel agent or online, but now I book most of my flights online without requesting a specific seat, but ask at airport check in if there's any chance of a window seat, plus we get there in plenty of time as mentioned elsewhere, the earlier you book in the better chance you seem to have of getting what you ask for!
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Never paid for specific seats.
If you are travelling with children, airlines must allow one parent at least to sit adjacent to them.
If you check in early (as soon as it allows) enough, you are more likely to get adjacent seats. This is because if software allocates seats randomly then paid customers may not get adjacent seats.
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A former poster would have had a field day with this one! - not funny really, but I couldn't help a chuckle at the comment that stated: "He must have been beside himself... but no wait! he wasn't, he was 2 rows apart!" ;-)
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Probably had half a mind to complain.
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Now we are all checking in on line checking in your own baggage and printing your own labels via a self service machine seems to be be becoming the norm not just on low cost airlines. Air Canada now have these machines at Heathrow.
Fly the plane yourself too soon I expect.
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>> Fly the plane yourself too soon I expect.
Why not. I managed to land the plane across the runway once on my ZX81 with Psions flight simulator. You ended up going for more risky options. It got boring. Match Point was my favourite I think.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 19 Jul 16 at 01:48
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Flights - pre-booking your seats - rtj70
