Travel with Children - Family of 4, two small kids -- all middle seats

Just booked a trip and in one leg (2.5 hour flight) there was minimal availability and I had to choose 3 middle seats for my family all rows apart. We are two adults plus a 3 year old and a lap baby. So obviously we need to sit together (or at worst, the 3 year old needs to sit next to one of us). I realize that these things can usually be sorted out on board but this flight could be pretty full and it is a very early morning flight so I'd strongly prefer to resolve it before flying. I have no status on AA. The 800 number agent told me there were a significant number of seats still available (20%+ including first two rows) but those are not assigned until 24 hours beforehand, and only by the airport.

Any ideas? I'm almost tempted to cancel the whole trip if I can't figure this out because I really don't need the headache of getting to the airport at 4 AM to make sure we are sitting together and I'm not going through the aisle asking people to give up their aisle/window seat for a middle seat in the back.

We are all experienced travelers but usually fly airlines where I have status so this issue never arises.

Get there early, checkin in person, they will most likely give you the bulkhead, but if not that they will not leave your 3 year old alone.

<snip>

The 800 number agent told me there were a significant number of seats still available (20%+ including first two rows) but those are not assigned until 24 hours beforehand, and only by the airport.

<snip>



Families with children constitute one of the main reasons why those seats are blocked. You'll be able to get them at the airport. I wouldn't worry... as noted by the other poster, AA isn't going to have your 3 year old sitting by themselves.

AA isn't going to have your 3 year old sitting by themselves.

... and trust me, if he is, one of the people sitting next to him will undoubtedly swap with you :)

Seriously though, don't give it a second thought, just make sure you check-in early for that flight.

Also check frequently within several days of your trip - as upgrades start clearing more seats will become available in coach.

Assuming I can't sort it out before 24 hours prior to flight:

Is it better to do OLCI and then call 800 number with my problem OR should I just show up at airport early without having checked in yet?

On other airlines, when I've wanted to move I have found the agents on the phone much more willing to move me inside the 24 hour window -- they even have control of the bulkhead, etc. over the phone. But the 800 agent for AA said that only the airport controls the bulkhead and other seats. Is that true?

Assuming I can't sort it out before 24 hours prior to flight:

Is it better to do OLCI and then call 800 number with my problem OR should I just show up at airport early without having checked in yet?

On other airlines, when I've wanted to move I have found the agents on the phone much more willing to move me inside the 24 hour window -- they even have control of the bulkhead, etc. over the phone. But the 800 agent for AA said that only the airport controls the bulkhead and other seats. Is that true?

Z-Blocks can be released by special assisstence agents for handicapped pax - but I don't think your situation will qualify for that. Other than that, I don't think RES typically has access - even airport staff are blocked until T-24. Even Q-blocks are a pain for res agents now.

You've had good advice - take it and you will be fine. :)

And even if nobody on the ground is willing or able to help with seat assignment - just walk on the plane when families with small children are called, stand in the middle of the aisle and very very politely point out, that your 3-year-old cannot possibly sit alone. Everybody will agree and FA's are your support group. They will want you out of that aisle as fast as possible.

We had a similar issue and we are a family of 5. Because we were mostly together, what we did won't work for you. Trust me, they will work it out at the airport and most passengers are pretty reasonable. Besides, they won't to sit with someone else's kids no matter how well behaved they are. There are lots of incentives for all concerned for this to work well.

One friend had a child in the middle of another row and a passenger wasn't that cooperative about changing his/her seat. So the mom, while the child was in the mild seat next to the other passangers, showed him where the barf bags are and commented on his motion sickness. A change was willing made.

:D

While I feel for the family, been there done that, there is this very thread on the Travel with children forum and there are posters on FT who seek out this type of thread, posters who have no kids and are out to tell you to not to fly, its all your fault.. I'm just waiting for him to arrive here, you will know it when you see it LOL

in the mean time, the two best options I've seen are

check daily, multiple times a day for that aisle (even one) to open.. that is your big trading card.. its tough without status as you lose half the plane which are reserved for elites or pay.. maybe you could pay for an aisle???

know when the upgrades are processed.. elites will be moved.. again you "may" run into seats you are not eligible for unless you pay

call and see if the bulkhead are held for airport release, if so, I suggest you get there at 4AM.. and grab those or at least two together

and for those who say pax will work with you.. yeah a lot will but don't say all.. LOL.. see my above comments LOL

I would avoid the OLCI. If you do that, then you already have your seats (from the gate agent's view), and he/she can just palm you off with a "work it out on board".

Get there early. Years ago, when my son was about your older kid's age, I had this happen to me on a NW flight (that I was foolish enough to purchase on Orbitz, with no ability to select seats). I didn't check in until 45 minutes before departure, and all they could do was give us 3 widely separated middles. My wife just flat-out poached a seat from a late arrival - and that woman was clearly POed.

(I've since paid back my karma debt more than once, by voluntarily taking one for the team in a middle seat when needed to accomodate families in that spot. I still feel bad about it, though.)

And even if nobody on the ground is willing or able to help with seat assignment - just walk on the plane when families with small children are called, stand in the middle of the aisle and very very politely point out, that your 3-year-old cannot possibly sit alone. Everybody will agree and FA's are your support group. They will want you out of that aisle as fast as possible.

Unfortunately I don't think that this is good advice. The time to deal with this is before boarding, not during boarding. There are other passengers who have their own needs, and not everyone is able to move.

Finding a way to juggle 4 middle seats during boarding just isn't feasable, and I have seen FAs on several flights who refuse to get involved. If the OP waits until that point they may either be told to take their assigned seats or to deplane.

OP, best options are
- keep checking seat assignments daily
- check in as soon as online check in becomes available
- arrive at the airport early and ask again at the ticket counter
- ask again at the gate

Ideally you will have all this sorted before boarding begins. If you wait or cannot get it resolved by then, and if you are on a full flight, your chances of having a resolution which works for everyone involved is much less.

Best of luck, but you may want to consider finding an alternate flight which has better seating options available to you. (And that is from someone who does just that, and who has chosen to deplane myself a few times in past)

(And by the way, this thread was on the first page of threads so I didn't have to 'seek it out', and I am female... ;) )

All the good advice here. The only thing I want to add is that when you check the seats a few days prior, make sure grab any window or isle seat available. It will make the switch easier if necessary

The gate agent can make involuntary seat changes at the gate in cases like this. You might not get three together, but you will get at least two together.

Keep an eye on the seat map...but the person with the power is the gate agent if all else fails.

I had one ga refuse to do this (on paid f tickets), saying the FA's could deal with it. I resolved it myself onboard, which worked easily with pax otherwise faced with sitting next to my then 2 yo son. The was at the STT station. I wrote to AA who sent a very nice apology (not a form) and assured me the ga should have done this for me.

I have had other ga's do invol seat swaps for me. When the pax hear it is a small kid, they never have visibly minded.

Pack your carryons assuming you won't be sitting together. This is important. You don't want half your stuff that you will need in a locker half way back in the plane with your spouse if you are in front of cabin.

The last time I flew, I overheard a passenger behind me pay someone to switch seats so he could sit next to his wife.

I agree that many people would be willing to switch seats out of the kindness of their hearts. Kudos to these people--I am not one of them.

But there are plenty more who would be willing to do so with appropriate financial compensation. I certainly have my price, and the OP might bear this in mind. If it's important enough to ask people to put themselves out of their way, then surely it's worth $20 or $40. @:-)

Call AA. Ask them to unassign your seats so you have nothing. You are far better off without *any* seats than 4 middles. AA holds out a number of seats for airport check-in, including, usually the first 2 rows and the last 2 rows of coach (the last two rows are the crew rest seats!) Anyway, wait and check in at the airport. More than likely, the gate agent working this flight will have already assigned you seats. Really not a big deal.

Bow warning shot: please add helpful information for the OP, or drive on by. Discussions about swapping for spouses or partners, how they should be able to take separation for some time, presumed motivations for same, etc. will be summarily deleted because 1) we have SO done that, 2) we have seen so many of these turn into ad hominem and flames, and 3) they are off topic here.

Thank you, Moderator

Some here have advised to do OLCI (online check-in). I would suggest NOT DOING OLCI unless you are happy with your seat assignments.

If you do OLIC, you will not be able to change your seats online any futher. By not checking in online, you can continue to monitor for seats that open up (people changing flights, upgrades, etc.).

As others had said, get to the airport early. Go to a ticket agent to see if they can help you. If the ticket agent is not able to assist, get to the gate early and ask the gate agent.

With AA selling preferred seating via the kiosks, I'd be surprised if you couldn't find at least 2 seats next to each other that way on the day of the flight.

The gate opens too late in my opinion. Call at the 24 hour mark. If that doesn't help, present yourself at the ticket counter 2 to 3 hours pre flight. Better yet, if you have lounge access seek help there. Sometimes even when I do not, I walk in and ask the desk to help. The lounge dragons who would die at times before letting you in will likely be accommodating if you have your wife and child with you.

If I were OP, I would keep calling AA until I get a generous AA reservation agent.

Question: Since 1st flight is so early, could OP go to origination airport by himself the night before and ask TA to assign bulk head row? I am not sure if airport agent would assign bulkhead in this case without the 4 pax checked in already.

If the seats are released at T-24 and go immediately under airport control would it be out of the question to go by yourself to the airport the day before to get it sorted out? Not sure how far you live/what your schedule is like.

If it is not worth getting there early, think of all the other who booked early, and do it every week.

I see small kids even in First.

And even if nobody on the ground is willing or able to help with seat assignment - just walk on the plane when families with small children are called, stand in the middle of the aisle and very very politely point out, that your 3-year-old cannot possibly sit alone. Everybody will agree and FA's are your support group. They will want you out of that aisle as fast as possible.

That's the silliest thing I've read all day. You might as well tell people to pick any seats they want, and let the FA's deal with it.

The other advice in this thread has been spot on. Make sure you check in early, keep checking to see if seats open up, and be at the gate an hour or so before the flight, so you can politely ask the GA for help. If you can check in 2 hours before at the airport, they can probably assign you better seats then, too.

That's the silliest thing I've read all day. You might as well tell people to pick any seats they want, and let the FA's deal with it.



Yes but it will work 100% of the time. It should be a last resort. I agree that the OP should try to resolve issue earlier.

Just booked a trip and in one leg (2.5 hour flight) there was minimal availability and I had to choose 3 middle seats for my family all rows apart. We are two adults plus a 3 year old and a lap baby. So obviously we need to sit together (or at worst, the 3 year old needs to sit next to one of us). I realize that these things can usually be sorted out on board but this flight could be pretty full and it is a very early morning flight so I'd strongly prefer to resolve it before flying. I have no status on AA. The 800 number agent told me there were a significant number of seats still available (20%+ including first two rows) but those are not assigned until 24 hours beforehand, and only by the airport.

Any ideas? I'm almost tempted to cancel the whole trip if I can't figure this out because I really don't need the headache of getting to the airport at 4 AM to make sure we are sitting together and I'm not going through the aisle asking people to give up their aisle/window seat for a middle seat in the back.

We are all experienced travelers but usually fly airlines where I have status so this issue never arises.

Kind of an obvious question, but did you consider taking a later flight, one that might be less crowded? Or does your itinerary demand this one?

If this flight is your only option then it appears you'll have to bite the bullet and get there super early. I've been through this same situation, not with children but with a handicapped grandparent. Taking the advice of the 800 # rep, we arrived at the airport several hours before our flight, explained our situation, and the GA was very helpful and provided us with available bulkhead seats.

Good luck.

Yes but it will work 100% of the time. It should be a last resort. I agree that the OP should try to resolve issue earlier.

Personally, I'd be for offloading someone who behaves in such a manner.

Personally, I'd be for offloading someone who behaves in such a manner.

And I (and many others I suspect) would give up my aisle seat for a middle seat to allow parent and child to sit together.

Privilege (status), humanity and compassion sometimes come together.

Moving this thread to Traveling with Children.

~moderator

Oh no, I hope it doesn't come to that! Perhaps offer to buy them a drink if they move? (assuming it's paid drinks on that airline).

I'm also assuming the seats are three and three with one aisle down the middle.

Once we were in three separate places, myself and three small children on an 11 1/2 hour flight. I called, called again and sorted it out.

Pick a moment of the day that the revs agents aren't so busy. This depends on the airline, their schedule and where you are. If you're on the West Coast, calling late at night works well, as does calling early in the day on the East Coast. The idea is to avoid business opening hours.

If you can move any of you to an aisle seat, this is a good start. People will swap aisles.

Also, just get two together if nothing else will budge. It's not the end of the world if you have to sit away from them. You can then swap to sit near them, if not next to.

For example, if you manage to get a window/middle and you get an aisle elsewhere, that would be an easy swap. The person with your wife and kids will probably go for that.

The F/A's are more willing to help you if you ask yourself first. Very important. Passengers say no to F/A's but have difficulty saying no to fellow passengers. If that doesn't work, tell them that you have indeed asked and you have made the effort to sort it out yourself. They may know of someone else who wants to move and/or company employees who they can more easily ask to move.

Like the others said, check in early.

If the 3 year old is still separate, don't board the plane before getting a supervisor. I would consider this to be a deal-breaker. Asking that at least the toddler is next to one of you is completely reasonable.

And even if nobody on the ground is willing or able to help with seat assignment - just walk on the plane when families with small children are called, stand in the middle of the aisle and very very politely point out, that your 3-year-old cannot possibly sit alone. Everybody will agree and FA's are your support group. They will want you out of that aisle as fast as possible.

Along with the many other deficiencies with this plan, I don't believe that AA pre- boards families with young children.

Moving this thread to Traveling with Children.

~moderator

I'm sorry but I know how to travel with children and I know how to ask people to move seats. What I need information on is specifically advice for American Airlines since that is the airline I am flying and don't have status or specific experience with that airline -- and the specifics of last minute seating vary from airline to airline.

Call AA. Ask them to unassign your seats so you have nothing. You are far better off without *any* seats than 4 middles.

This was my initial thought when I first spoke to the 800 number person she told me we were better off with assigned seats so GAs could "trade" them. I thought it was terrible advice but took it -- now I am thinking I should ditch those assignments.

This was my initial thought when I first spoke to the 800 number person she told me we were better off with assigned seats so GAs could "trade" them. I thought it was terrible advice but took it -- now I am thinking I should ditch those assignments.

Well, if they were anything but middle seats, I would agree, but since you have virtually the most undesirable seats I wouldn't think that they are much of a trading card (unless to the person next to them if it is a husband/wife who booked aisle/window for example)

I would keep checking daily and snag any window or aisle that you can and keep trying to get a better hand before the check in window.

AA starts giving out upgrades to EXPs at T-100 hours, Plats at T-72 hours, Gold at 24 T-24 hours. The upgrades can happen any time within that window, but seats can open up.

ExpertFlyer is a paid service but you can get a free trial for a few days or you can purchase the service for one month for a very reasonable price. It would probably be a good investment for you in this case.

You might also choose to set up an ExpertFlyer seat alert (for any aisle or window seat) and an upgrade alert. When/if you get an upgrade alert, you know that coach seats should be freeing up. I don't know if this will work, but if you get an upgrade alert, call AA and ask them to upgrade the next elite on the list and give you their seat. :D

AA starts giving out upgrades to EXPs at T-100 hours, Plats at T-72 hours, Gold at 24 T-24 hours. The upgrades can happen any time within that window, but seats can open up.
...
You might also choose to set up an ExpertFlyer seat alert (for any aisle or window seat) and an upgrade alert. When/if you get an upgrade alert, you know that coach seats should be freeing up. I don't know if this will work, but if you get an upgrade alert, call AA and ask them to upgrade the next elite on the list and give you their seat. :D

Hats off to janetdoe for some great advice.

just remember that those aisle/window seat in front of the exit row are usually $39 or something like that for non-status travelers

I would not spend a dime, make phone calls or worry about this anymore. The GA will NOT seat a 3 year old by themselves. End of story.

One friend had a child in the middle of another row and a passenger wasn't that cooperative about changing his/her seat. So the mom, while the child was in the mild seat next to the other passangers, showed him where the barf bags are and commented on his motion sickness. A change was willing made


I'm just wondering if anyone has read one of the hundreds of threads on the topic of children being separated from parents on planes when some poster has not made this same type of comment?

If a parent did do this, I would never switch my seat!

Being polite rather than threatening is far more likely to get you what you want.

We had a similar issue family of 4. HOU-PHX leg of our HOU-KOA segment. At check-in, thank goodness, there was a row of 3 available, and were able to block off the seats.

During our Christmas Break vacation, we did have to request someone to move one seat over, so aisle to aisle, no big deal.. they were more than happy to move.

During our Christmas Break vacation, we did have to request someone to move one seat over, so aisle to aisle, no big deal.. they were more than happy to move.

A like for a like is usually not hard, especially when a polite request is made. It's when someone comes on and insists you trade your aisle seat for their middle.

A thought. If the flight is oversold, and the OP doesn't get assigned seats, could she end up with 'will be ticketed at the gate' ticket, when they get no shows etc? If a flight is full, I would want an assigned seat, then see about shuffling, rather than chance the fact that the airline sold 120 seats for a 100 seat plane, and everyone happens to show up.

I had an AA flight a couple weeks ago with a very similar situation: me, mrsmicah, 3yomicah and lapbabymicah were flying and we were only able to get one pre-assigned seat, since every single other seat outside the exit row (which can't be assigned to anyone traveling with a child in the reservation) was blocked or taken. Luckily that single seat was an aisle, so at least we had decent trading currency, but with only one seat and a party of four, I was nervous. mrsmicah would not be happy to end up in a middle by herself with the baby.

I checked online regularly and a few days before flight time, two whole rows (not the first two or last two--I think it was 22 and 23 on a 738) suddenly became available so I was able to get us a nice block of three.

So I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just keep checking online.

Usually there are seats together, but by the time you book your flight and want seats together, it costs $$$ to book.. So I would wait the day before and phone in.. seems thats when seats get released.

We've had some luck booking seats together this way.

I would not spend a dime, make phone calls or worry about this anymore. The GA will NOT seat a 3 year old by themselves. End of story.

+1 nor any pax