DiamondInTheRough

I wouldn't be too harsh on the mom. She might have been an inexperienced traveler. 2 kids at this age is a handful too.

However, I do find the OP's behavior unbelievable. He had a good seat that he could have offered to a gentleman who ended up in the middle seat, but it didn't occur to him at all. Basically he was willing to help as long as it didn't inconvenienced him.

dilanesp

Holding harried parents to rigid standards of personal responsibility is really low.

The world doesn't exist to mete out punishment at everyone who doesn't meet your personal standards of contract. Raising children is 1000 times more important than anyone's right to an aisle seat on an airplane.

flyerbaby19

The solution is simple. At the gate, deny them boarding and have them pay the walkup fare for that flight or the next flight or whichever flight has seats available together. Or tell them to call expedia and argue since expedia sold them the ticket.

cjermain

UA won't let children under 5 fly as unaccompanied minors, meaning it doesn't think they can sit by themselves on a plane with occasional adult supervision (from the FA). So why would it sell a BE fare to such a child? I get why people are annoyed with the parent who purchased an inappropriate product and wanted to be bailed out, but why is UA selling a product that it knows is inappropriate? UA is not blameless here.

bagwell

nothing wrong with basic economy, you CAN select seats if you want for a SMALL fee (I've paid $5-7 extra DEN-IAH) - if that's not for you - buy a regular economy seat.

IMO, most folks are just trying to work the system - sad state of flying today. Even if everything is perfect on a flight people will complain trying to get something for an airline.

translatejapan

Airlines absolutely need to make sure parents and small kids get sat together. It doesn't matter how - charge families more, whatever - they just need to figure it out and fast. Reasons in order of seriousness least to most:

1. Comfort of other passengers
I have sat next to/near all manner of talkative, squirmy, kicky, tantrum-prone, noisy, crying, messy, first-time plane panicky little kids. I cannot imagine sitting next to such a child without its parent present. It would be dreadful - tomato sauce on my purse, wailing for mommy, who knows. Passengers will absolutely have to play parent to these kids, from opening juice boxes to comforting them when their ears hurt. Do you all fly business and therefore cannot imagine this scenario?

2. Sexual harassment liability
The airlines are already in the news for sexual harassment on planes and flight attendants who aren't trained to deal with it. (Like not moving the passenger, continuing to serve alcohol to the harasser, not calling the cops when landing.) Passengers are getting crammed in closer and closer together and imagine if a kid is forced to ride the whole way next to a molester separated their parent and not knowing what to do.

3. Emergency liability
If there's any sort of emergency or reason to deplane, and a child is sat far behind his/her parent, the first thing the parent is going to do is attempt to barrel down the aisle to the child (parental instinct!), thus blocking others from escaping. Kids on their own could also panic in an emergency and ignore other passengers' attempts to get them to deplane. Or even have a panic attack and fight off attempts by another passenger to help putting on an oxygen mask. If a child dies in a situation that is deemed to have been preventable if the parent was nearby, the lawsuits and public condemnation would be astounding.

The airlines shrugged off the David Dao incident because they know that customers don't really have a choice and are a captive audience. However, the reputation/risk management teams need to get on this and recognize that #2 and #3 above would be an absolute catastrophe and just make sure it doesn't happen, period.

leiserom

While not the same one time we were flying down to Rio for holidays to visit inlaws. We had booked and paid for bulkhead seats. We got on the plane towards the end of the boarding process and someone was seated in our seats. The adult told me we need these seats so I can take care of my daughter. I pointed out these were extra cost seats. I offered to change with her if she gave me 500 cash per seat(no checks). She got up and left and called me a p***k.

JYBritt

If I'm going to a professional sports game or a concert, and I wish to buy more than one ticket, it's ASSUMED by the venue and/or the vendor that those in my party would wish to sit together--and we're not charged a premium for doing so. Doesn't take too much of an imagination for the reader to figure out how the UA President got to be the UA President, and it makes one feel sorry for all those in the organization beneath him.

3Cforme

That's a particularly poor example. Basic Economy is, in effect, open seating among what's left over a couple of hours before flight.

United sells a product the OP wants - seats together. He didn't want to pay for it.

COSPILOT

I've purchased tickets to sporting events as well as concerts, not once did I purchase blindly without knowing what I was buying. Thankfully majority of parents take responsibility, as do I when traveling with my wife and kids. The other group that thinks their issues should be mine, well I'm less sympathetic. That said, research my history on FT, I go above and beyond for families and have taken a middle seat more than once to help others, but I don't think that should be demanded, nor do I think UA should protect you from yourself.

Flying Still Better Over 500mi

Parents should be responsible enough to make that happen. The airline is NOT forcing parents and children to sit separately. They are offering a product that families flying together should likely not take but if they do it is their responsibility. If you were correct and they were required to reseat these people then others who paid more would be dislocated, as did happen in this case. What you are implying is the parents can opt for the lower fee and then the airline MUST give them the higher service. It's ridiculous. I do agree with the person who said one more rule should be added to the list of BE, families flying together may not take that rate. it is too fraught with this kind of irresponsible complaint.

And such assumption would disallow the BE rate for families flying together which solves the problem. But right now it is the irresponsible or negligent parent that is at fault not the airline.

Aussienarelle

Been watching this thread since it was first posted and then the comments.

1. OP understands the rules so when his SIL purchased the tickets did he not think to ask/comment about BE to her?
I certainly understand that she (SIL) may be an infrequent traveler but he obviously travels more frequently. My friends and relatives seek my input when they travel as they know there are "tricks and traps". I warn them about BE.

2. I do not think UA is entirely blameless but I certainly understand they probably thought on the first full flight since one child was sitting behind the mother and the other child that someone in that area may have been willing to move and accommodate them once they were on the plane. However, guilting another passenger into a middle seat was not the answer and I really do not understand why the OP was not willing to trade his "good" seat for the middle seat person. Oh it is okay for some else to suffer. Little sympathy. I am sure on the first flight the GA/FA is looking at OP and thinking why are you not steeping up to help swap your seat?

3. Of course it was easier to find three seats together on the second flight - it was not a full flight based on the information provided.

4. Do not agree BE should not be sold to families - for some people that would mean the difference between flying and not flying. BUT the option is there to purchase seats together. Yes, children are important. I have one, but it was my responsibility (when he was little) to ensure he was seated next to me or his father. Sometimes that meant travelling down the back of the plane when I had less money and/or status - as parents that is OUR responsibility.

Like others and I have posted about some of those experiences, I have proactively offered to move for families, but there are other times when I choose not to - my reasons for choosing not to should not need to be explained. You ask, I answer and I will not be guilted into swapping for a worse seat because of your lack of preparedness.

In the original post, the OP could have avoided this angst for his SIL if he:

1. He had an upfront discussion about BE with his SIL;
2. He had given up his better seat for the third person in the row where his SIL was sitting.

LTBoston

Based on the original post, the child was initially assigned a seat in the row directly behind the mother. That's not a UM situation.

What I want to know is, what if it had been a regional jet with only 2 seats per row? The mother would have had to be separated from one of the children anyway, no? Would she still have been in tears at the gate if that had been the case?

The_Bouncer

Why shouldn't parents be held to personal responsibilty?

Sorry, but when you have children, they are your responsibility. Not mine, not United's and certainly not a random aisle seat passenger's. Yours.

bocastephen

On this point I wholeheartedly 100% disagree with you.

My position as a 1K member retaining my seat completely overrides any so-called "rights" assumed by a family on Basic Economy who knew in advance they had no seat assignments, and decided to dump the problem on everyone else around them.

Ask me nicely and offer a like-for-like seat trade, sure I'll consider it, but make a demand and assume either I will jump up and comply, or be forced to by the crew, then no way.