Report Raises Safety Concerns Over Splitting up Families’ Seats
Jackie Reddy May 25, 2018
An emergency exit sign on a Boeing 737-700 unlit. Written in both the English and Spanish languages
A report by The Aeronautical Society has called for the cessation of seat allocation fees for families who want to sit together, saying that children should “ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult”. Keeping families together during an evacuation is of paramount importance, it believes.
The controversial practice of splitting family groups who decline to pay for allocated seating assignments could cause potential danger during an emergency evacuation situation, reports the Express. The warning comes from a report by Britain’s Royal Aeronautical Society, entitled Emergency Evacuation of Commercial Passenger Aeroplanes.
The society has expressed its particular concerns over the well-being and safety of children and younger passengers during an evacuation situation and in the report, the body calls on carriers to halt their policy of charging family groups who wish together. In the case of adults and children flying together, the society says that young passengers need to “ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult.”
In the case of a plane having two aisles, it also advises that these family groups shouldn’t be more than an aisle apart. “When this is not possible, then children should not be seated more than one seat row forward or aft, from accompanying adult(s),” the report states.
This guidance, advises the society, “is especially important when adults and their children need to be seated near to each other if an emergency situation occurs, such an evacuation, decompression or air turbulence, when the assistance and supervision of an adult is likely to be of paramount importance.”
It also adds, “The UK CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] decided that the seating of family groups should be such that family members are not seated remotely from each other, since group members who are separated might seek each other out in an emergency evacuation, which might have a serious impact on passenger flow to emergency exits.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
That's a very tricky topic. I hear people saying "you get what you pay for", "you shouldn't be travelling if you are short of 10 EUR". But, some people need to travel (funerals, etc) and are by the dollar. And, even if people were on vacations, some will prefer to put those 10 EUR in other things (leisure, ...) than a guaranteed seat assignment. The issue here is not that people are taking their chances by not paying those 10EUR. The issue is that, on some specific airlines, not paying 10 EUR guarantees you that your family will be separated on purpose. That's a hard sell, and is punishable by european laws.
"Only in America." - A practice pioneered by Ryanair, an Irish airline.
Why on earth would an airline split up children and adults in a group? This is just bizarre. Of course a child should be seated with its parent. Don't give me "they should pay extra to select their seat". Why can't the condition of a basic fare be "you don't get to choose your seat - we will seat you together with your child in a row of our choosing". Only in America.
the issue exists, but so does the parents who fly first class and have their children in coach. Should that practice be discontinued too?
@ Kbelyeu, Why should a family with young children have to pay to sit together ?? What a simple solution if airlines planned ahead of every flight and could easily determine bookings of families with infants and young children. Do you want to be the person responsible for some stranger's kid (oxygen mask, seatbelt) when a plane is rocking all over the sky with severe turbulence or worse? Maybe you'll be trampled and stepped on as desperate parents will do anything to get to their child three rows behind them - what parent would not be doing that ? Pay for it, yeah right.