Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
Not getting a seat that you want, and waiting until you get onto the plane before you try to coddle/shame/ask someone to move is not a good solution. Seats are often released 24 hours in advance, so you should check in online, or ask when checking in to get a reasonable seat.
Exactly - I fly with my (numerous) kids all the time. When we can't pre-reserve seats, we always use on-line check-in exactly 24 hours in advance. There have always been a couple of rows of seats available at that time that were not available in advance. It has worked like a charm on Alaska several times for us. Waiting until you get to the airport usually means no seats are available.
- Frank
PS As a parent, I am very sympathetic to the OP's rough time. We have had great experiences flying with our kids on Alaska, though. I hope the OP has better flights in the future.