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We don't pay extra to sit with our kids, but the trick does require a little bit of chutzpah. Nobody wants to get stuck sitting next to someone else's unattend

We don't pay extra to sit with our kids, but the trick does require a little bit of chutzpah. Nobody wants to get stuck sitting next to someone else's unattended kid on a flight. And no flight attendant wants unattended kids on their plane, either. So all you have to do is, when you get on the plane tell the flight attendant stationed by the plane's door that you weren't seated next to your kids, and what seats everyone is sitting in. Then proceed to your assigned seats. They will gladly sort things out for you, so you should only have to wait a few minutes for someone to come along and tell you your new seat assignments.

jjulius 2y ago
I appreciate that you acknowledge the inconvenience to others by using the word chutzpah. Your method slows down, and complicates, the boarding process for everyone else on the plane. Everyone's different, but with my kids, I'd much rather just pay for the convenience of being able to quickly get on the plane and get seated without making folk around me frustrated.
- bombcar 2y ago
  Every airline I’ve ever flown boards families with children right after elderly and wheelchairs. Just take that opportunity. That’s why they’re asking!
  - jjulius 2y ago
    That's there for people who need to deal with getting strollers collapsed and ready to be stored with the luggage, and kids safely in their seats. OP's method extends into the normal boarding process, because you have to wait for other passengers to get on and be willing to move their seats.
    - bunderbunder 2y ago
      It also applies to small children, in my experience. But if you're flying with a toddler it's a lot easier to convince the gate agent to help you sort it out before boarding begins.
    - ryandrake 2y ago
      Also, the early boarding is for whatever people interpret it being for. Most airlines are intentionally vague about justifications for early boarding. "If you need extra time or assistance to board...", and lots of people take advantage. I know a particularly "chutzpah" guy (who is young, has no disability, nor children) who always boards during this period because "nobody's stopped me!"
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Early boarding does nothing to help with different assigned seats. It actually does the opposite because no one else who could consent to a seat swap is on the plane
    - bluGill 2y ago
      I've had the stewardess notice my kid in an adult only seat (turns out only one side of that plane has airmasks that fit kids or something like that) and move us, then tell whoever we displaced to take our old seats.
      - Scoundreller 2y ago
        If I was a flight attendant, I’d use this reasoning regularly even if it wasn’t true. Hard to disprove on the spot. And these kinds of things can even vary from order to order of the same aircraft between (and within) airlines.
    - bombcar 2y ago
      The idea is to get noticed early, if you have a seat assignment issue, or get a row if it's a free-for-all seating airline. Again, it's entirely different if it's a toddler/small child vs a teenager; teenagers are probably happy to be away from the parents for awhile.
- bunderbunder 2y ago
  Absolutely. I'm not happy about this way of doing it, either, but it's the best overall option that has been provided by the airlines. The upcharge for getting seated together at booking time is extortionate, and not at all proportional to the inconvenience created by sorting it out at boarding time instead.
  - Gud 2y ago
    Talk to them at check in instead.
- grecy 2y ago
  It is interesting you make it sound like it is that person's fault the airline did not seat their family together. It sounds almost like you think a multi-billion dollar company is more important that regular old families. I know I'm old now because I shake my head at the world we have created with sadness and disgust.
  - enthulhusiastic 2y ago
    Seat booking is hard. If a parent chooses the option of unattended seating, that’s just the reality of limited resources. The OP is acting like parents and kids are the only people who will ever want to sit together. What happens when OP’s kid is sitting next to another family? You gonna pull off your swap then? Airlines suck don’t get me wrong. This is someone blaming an airline for bad parenting and/or poor planning ahead.
    - enthulhusiastic 2y ago
      Oh… hackernews…
    - metabagel 2y ago
      Seat booking isn't hard. It's a solved problem, for decades.
      - enthulhusiastic 2y ago
        Two seats are free on a plane, but each is in a row of three, and each of those rows already has a couple. Book 2 seats side by side. There you go, algorithm geniuses
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - Scoundreller 2y ago
        Then why do airlines keep fiddling with it?
- chongli 2y ago
  Everyone's different, but with my kids, I'd much rather just pay for the convenience of being able to quickly get on the plane and get seated without making folk around me frustrated The airlines have engineered this situation in order to extract some extra money out of you. They are inflicting a social externality (annoyance) on both you and other passengers in order to upsell you and profit from the arrangement. That’s why this law is needed.
  - jjulius 2y ago
    Completely agreed, and just to clarify, at no point have I argued in favor of this law. But in a situation such as this, whether or not I agree with what an airline is doing, I'll typically take the path of least resistance for me and mine (same with OP!). /shrug
- b112 2y ago
  It's that airlines are causing this issue though. They have websites to choose seats, and could very easily do this for free. Flight attendants already verify other aspects of seating, so does preboarding, so the entire workflow is done. Instead the airline makes people pay, or they'll break up a family. That includes the lack of a guardian if there are issues. 100% the airlines' purposeful fault, attempting to extort cash or everyone is in a bad situation. Even the poor flight attendants, their own employees. As a single dude, I applaud this law, and buddy's attempts to not pay extortion.
  - jjulius 2y ago
    For the third or forth time in this thread, I've never argued against the fact that the root cause of this all is the airlines being extortionate. I was clearly (at least I figured it was, my bad I suppose) discussing a reaction to a reaction to a root cause.
    - b112 2y ago
      Fair enough.
- adrianmsmith 2y ago
  > I appreciate that you acknowledge the inconvenience to others by using the word chutzpah. Your method slows down, and complicates, the boarding process for everyone else on the plane. I disagree it is them at the root cause of this inconvenience. If I were implementing a seating algorithm, my instinct would be to sit members of the same booking together. Presumably members of the same booking are family or friends. However the actual algorithm the airlines chose to use do not do this. This must be a conscious decision. And the reason for that is they want you to pay extra to sit together. They have decided to make the deliberate choice to not seat families together. They have decided that their profits are more important than your annoyance.
  - jjulius 2y ago
    I don't disagree with any of this, nor did I, to clarify, imply that OP is the root cause.
  - meowfly 2y ago
    So I mostly agree with you if assigned seating was free. The problem I've had twice is where someone had asked me to trade a paid seat for a worse one to sit with a spouse. Obviously different than a child, but it speaks to something else I hate about flying. The airline makes their problems your problems. For example: flight delayed but we can rebook you for a flight that would have been cheaper if you had just booked that one, and you have no recourse. Imagine going to a restaurant and they say they are out of steak but here is a burger, but we won't give you the difference because that's what you originally ordered. What the rule should be is airlines can't charge for seats in the back half of their airplane.
- cameldrv 2y ago
  Personally I pay for seat assignments but I’m sympathetic. He didn’t create this problem. The airline knows the birthdate of every passenger before they show you the option to pay for seats. They are deliberately seating young kids alone. They didn’t do this before, but they made an intentional business decision to do this to extract more cash.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
Scoundreller 2y ago
Also going to say if anyone asks me to change seats for this (and wouldn’t involve me separating too much from my own co-travellers, and even then, we’re adults that can deal with a few hours apart on a trip together), I’ll 100% do it. Absolutely nothing wrong with asking. Worst that should ever happen to anyone making a reasonable ask is a “no”. I’ll enjoy being a part of the snub against the airlines and their junk fees. I fly often enough that I don’t really care for my aisle/window/whatever seat if I have one. They’re all pretty much the same.
harha 2y ago
I actually find the idea of the chaos that would unfold after putting my toddler in one seat and then going somewhere else to sit quite amusing. Haven’t had the chance yet, but I’m not paying a high fee for a seat on a short flight. Edit: just adding to that, pretty sure flight attendants or other passengers would gladly resolve the issue that the airlines created.. it’s just not practical with small children
- kyleee 2y ago
  That is the real power move
EasyMark 2y ago
If I pay for an aisle seat, I’m not going to give it up for some unprepared parents who skipped going on an airline where you can pick your seats. That’s not my problem. I tend to travel alone and when I don’t I get an assigned seat for my partner/friends. I will of course be courteous to anyone asking but if they keep it up I’ll ask the attendants to please help me, I’m being bullied.
- warkdarrior 2y ago
  Have fun sitting next to my unattended 5yo for eight hours.

jjulius 2y ago

I appreciate that you acknowledge the inconvenience to others by using the word chutzpah. Your method slows down, and complicates, the boarding process for everyone else on the plane. Everyone's different, but with my kids, I'd much rather just pay for the convenience of being able to quickly get on the plane and get seated without making folk around me frustrated.

bombcar 2y ago
Every airline I’ve ever flown boards families with children right after elderly and wheelchairs. Just take that opportunity. That’s why they’re asking!
- jjulius 2y ago
  That's there for people who need to deal with getting strollers collapsed and ready to be stored with the luggage, and kids safely in their seats. OP's method extends into the normal boarding process, because you have to wait for other passengers to get on and be willing to move their seats.
  - bunderbunder 2y ago
    It also applies to small children, in my experience. But if you're flying with a toddler it's a lot easier to convince the gate agent to help you sort it out before boarding begins.
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    Also, the early boarding is for whatever people interpret it being for. Most airlines are intentionally vague about justifications for early boarding. "If you need extra time or assistance to board...", and lots of people take advantage. I know a particularly "chutzpah" guy (who is young, has no disability, nor children) who always boards during this period because "nobody's stopped me!"
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  Early boarding does nothing to help with different assigned seats. It actually does the opposite because no one else who could consent to a seat swap is on the plane
  - bluGill 2y ago
    I've had the stewardess notice my kid in an adult only seat (turns out only one side of that plane has airmasks that fit kids or something like that) and move us, then tell whoever we displaced to take our old seats.
    - Scoundreller 2y ago
      If I was a flight attendant, I’d use this reasoning regularly even if it wasn’t true. Hard to disprove on the spot. And these kinds of things can even vary from order to order of the same aircraft between (and within) airlines.
  - bombcar 2y ago
    The idea is to get noticed early, if you have a seat assignment issue, or get a row if it's a free-for-all seating airline. Again, it's entirely different if it's a toddler/small child vs a teenager; teenagers are probably happy to be away from the parents for awhile.
bunderbunder 2y ago
Absolutely. I'm not happy about this way of doing it, either, but it's the best overall option that has been provided by the airlines. The upcharge for getting seated together at booking time is extortionate, and not at all proportional to the inconvenience created by sorting it out at boarding time instead.
- Gud 2y ago
  Talk to them at check in instead.
grecy 2y ago
It is interesting you make it sound like it is that person's fault the airline did not seat their family together. It sounds almost like you think a multi-billion dollar company is more important that regular old families. I know I'm old now because I shake my head at the world we have created with sadness and disgust.
- enthulhusiastic 2y ago
  Seat booking is hard. If a parent chooses the option of unattended seating, that’s just the reality of limited resources. The OP is acting like parents and kids are the only people who will ever want to sit together. What happens when OP’s kid is sitting next to another family? You gonna pull off your swap then? Airlines suck don’t get me wrong. This is someone blaming an airline for bad parenting and/or poor planning ahead.
  - enthulhusiastic 2y ago
    Oh… hackernews…
  - metabagel 2y ago
    Seat booking isn't hard. It's a solved problem, for decades.
    - enthulhusiastic 2y ago
      Two seats are free on a plane, but each is in a row of three, and each of those rows already has a couple. Book 2 seats side by side. There you go, algorithm geniuses
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - Scoundreller 2y ago
      Then why do airlines keep fiddling with it?
chongli 2y ago
Everyone's different, but with my kids, I'd much rather just pay for the convenience of being able to quickly get on the plane and get seated without making folk around me frustrated The airlines have engineered this situation in order to extract some extra money out of you. They are inflicting a social externality (annoyance) on both you and other passengers in order to upsell you and profit from the arrangement. That’s why this law is needed.
- jjulius 2y ago
  Completely agreed, and just to clarify, at no point have I argued in favor of this law. But in a situation such as this, whether or not I agree with what an airline is doing, I'll typically take the path of least resistance for me and mine (same with OP!). /shrug
b112 2y ago
It's that airlines are causing this issue though. They have websites to choose seats, and could very easily do this for free. Flight attendants already verify other aspects of seating, so does preboarding, so the entire workflow is done. Instead the airline makes people pay, or they'll break up a family. That includes the lack of a guardian if there are issues. 100% the airlines' purposeful fault, attempting to extort cash or everyone is in a bad situation. Even the poor flight attendants, their own employees. As a single dude, I applaud this law, and buddy's attempts to not pay extortion.
- jjulius 2y ago
  For the third or forth time in this thread, I've never argued against the fact that the root cause of this all is the airlines being extortionate. I was clearly (at least I figured it was, my bad I suppose) discussing a reaction to a reaction to a root cause.
  - b112 2y ago
    Fair enough.
adrianmsmith 2y ago
> I appreciate that you acknowledge the inconvenience to others by using the word chutzpah. Your method slows down, and complicates, the boarding process for everyone else on the plane. I disagree it is them at the root cause of this inconvenience. If I were implementing a seating algorithm, my instinct would be to sit members of the same booking together. Presumably members of the same booking are family or friends. However the actual algorithm the airlines chose to use do not do this. This must be a conscious decision. And the reason for that is they want you to pay extra to sit together. They have decided to make the deliberate choice to not seat families together. They have decided that their profits are more important than your annoyance.
- jjulius 2y ago
  I don't disagree with any of this, nor did I, to clarify, imply that OP is the root cause.
- meowfly 2y ago
  So I mostly agree with you if assigned seating was free. The problem I've had twice is where someone had asked me to trade a paid seat for a worse one to sit with a spouse. Obviously different than a child, but it speaks to something else I hate about flying. The airline makes their problems your problems. For example: flight delayed but we can rebook you for a flight that would have been cheaper if you had just booked that one, and you have no recourse. Imagine going to a restaurant and they say they are out of steak but here is a burger, but we won't give you the difference because that's what you originally ordered. What the rule should be is airlines can't charge for seats in the back half of their airplane.
cameldrv 2y ago
Personally I pay for seat assignments but I’m sympathetic. He didn’t create this problem. The airline knows the birthdate of every passenger before they show you the option to pay for seats. They are deliberately seating young kids alone. They didn’t do this before, but they made an intentional business decision to do this to extract more cash.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

Scoundreller 2y ago

Also going to say if anyone asks me to change seats for this (and wouldn’t involve me separating too much from my own co-travellers, and even then, we’re adults that can deal with a few hours apart on a trip together), I’ll 100% do it. Absolutely nothing wrong with asking. Worst that should ever happen to anyone making a reasonable ask is a “no”. I’ll enjoy being a part of the snub against the airlines and their junk fees. I fly often enough that I don’t really care for my aisle/window/whatever seat if I have one. They’re all pretty much the same.

harha 2y ago

I actually find the idea of the chaos that would unfold after putting my toddler in one seat and then going somewhere else to sit quite amusing. Haven’t had the chance yet, but I’m not paying a high fee for a seat on a short flight. Edit: just adding to that, pretty sure flight attendants or other passengers would gladly resolve the issue that the airlines created.. it’s just not practical with small children

kyleee 2y ago
That is the real power move

EasyMark 2y ago

If I pay for an aisle seat, I’m not going to give it up for some unprepared parents who skipped going on an airline where you can pick your seats. That’s not my problem. I tend to travel alone and when I don’t I get an assigned seat for my partner/friends. I will of course be courteous to anyone asking but if they keep it up I’ll ask the attendants to please help me, I’m being bullied.

warkdarrior 2y ago
Have fun sitting next to my unattended 5yo for eight hours.