Originally Posted by
flyingfran
My daughter, son-in-law and 6 year-old grandson fly into Orlando several times a year to visit us. They do not have status and are never assigned seats together. My daughter just gets on the plane and puts my grandson in the center seat where he has been assigned. She just smiles at the passengers on either side and explains that Delta could not seat her next to her son. Passengers are never excited about having a six-year-old child as a seat companion.
Our grandson has never flown without a parent next to him. Someone always elects to take daughter's middle seat rather than flying across the country with a six-year-child. On her flight last week she put grandson in center seat and said to the adjoining passengers that grandson was quite cranky and she was glad that Delta did not require her to sit next to him. Both passengers gave their seats to daughter and son-in-law.
I do agree, however, that Delta could do more to help families sit together. Occasionally a gate agent will do that for my daughter, but only about 50% of the time.
Something that might help as welel would be if the FA's offered the PAX a couple dree drinks if they switch seats.
I have been on southwest flights before where they had late connects and only middle seats were open and the FA's had luck getting passengers to switch to a middle seat in exchange for drink coupouns. One time they got two people to move and I can't remember if it was in exchange for free dirnks the entire flight or a book of four drink coupons. If I wasn't a frequent flyer, and flew once or twice a year, four free drinks or unlimited drinks on a chicago to vegas flight may be enough to encourage me to switch to a middle seat
Delta should just block out the last few rows from being booked and only allow them to be booked by people travelling with young children. It would save them a lot of hassle from trying to sit kids and a parent together and wouldn't tick off their loyal customers since those aren't desirable seats anyway and it would make deplanning a lot faster having the small kids in the back as well.