mdf-nyc

I'm seeing families with middle seats apart from one another, and one or more of the members is a child. Have others seen this trend? And is it within United's policy to allow this?

On a flight from IAH to SMF a few weeks ago, a couple with a 2-year old came down the aisle and announced to the general assemblage (in the elite section right before the exit rows) that they had 3 middle seats. They stated that they made a last-minute flight arrangement and that "probably no one will want to trade their aisle or window seats for our middle seats" -- and then stood there waiting...presumably for other passengers to do exactly that. As you can imagine, the cabin crew wanted nothing to do with this and were not getting involved.

When no one jumped up to solve their problem, the wife pointed out to me that the 2-year old was assigned to the middle seat next to mine (I had the aisle). I guess I was supposed to just give up my seat (after having arranged my own flight weeks in advance) for the convenience of someone who a) made a last-minute decision and b) accepted those seat assignments. I found that astonishing and replied: "You're going to put your 2-year old by himself next to a total stranger? That sounds like a bad idea." Not what she expected to hear, but come on! In the end, a pilot who was traveling in coach gave up his window seat.

I understand the challenges of traveling with children. And obviously there are times when one MUST be on a particular flight (to a funeral or ??). But if you have a toddler and make last-minute arrangements that result in your not being able to sit with your child, maybe you need to accept that this flight doesn't have room for you, and make other plans. The alternative is to expect that people who planned ahead (and thus have decent seats) to simply give up their convenience for yours. As we'd say in NYC, what a chutzpah!

Thoughts?

mgcsinc

Protip: give up your seat, and ask the FA's for assistance in being re-seated in a non-middle. You very well might end up with an op-up or at least some free food.

I once was next to a woman, who was in a middle seat, and whose a-hole boyfriend was in the middle in front of her. After they got settled, he looked at her and said "well, go ahead, ask!" and she proceeded to ask me to switch with her boyfriend.

mdf-nyc

Thanks, mgcsinc. Would have considered doing so if there was any chance of getting a better seat. But like many flights these days, this one was completely full, and all upgrades taken. As for free food vs. aisle seat...no contest: aisle seat wins every time!

mherdeg

If you're male and you were flying on Qantas, Air New Zealand, or Virgin Australia, you would not have had a choice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline...cy_controversy

LASUA1K

I have booked 2 flights with my family, wife and 3 kids, when UA thought it was a smart idea to change our seat assignments for no reason. No aircraft change no flight number change, just change of seats, for everyone.. I know the feeling.

greg99

I don't know if the OP is a man or a woman, but I would have tried to trade, but not for a window seat. I would have tried to find a woman sitting in an aisle and ask her to trade with me so that I wasn't sitting next to a child by him/herself.

Sounds paranoid, but these are crazy times (and I say this as a cub scout leader who has gone through all the training around how adults (in particular men) should behave around children who aren't your own.

If no women sitting in an aisle (or maybe a window, depending upon how long the flight is), I would have stayed carefully in my seat.

Oh, and I would have watched nothing non-rated G on my iPad...

Greg

weero

As for the OP's question: it's not ORD-HKG. Everyone survives a few hours without sitting next to family members, including the kids.

If someone cannot live with that - book a flight that has seats available next to each other, it's not hard science.
I hope you are not serious? That is beyond creepy . So what are men not supposed to do to children not their own what other people can do to them ?

Who would even think such a thing??? It's an airplane, wide open with gazillions of spectators - no one is doing anything or accusing you of improper behaviour for heck's sake!

unclpaully

Having been on both sides of the issue myself, I believe it happens more than it should. I too have had random seat changes break up our toddlers from us only to be disclaimed by flight attendants who choose not to "deal with it". Fortunately, I have never run into a situation where some passenger wasn't willing to change.

That being said, I'm also surprised by the number of GMs who don't realize they need to assign a seat in advance (nevermind the last minute flights or schedule changes). On here we all take it for granted that everyone should know to check their flight daily to insure against equipment swaps and the "random seat changes" but many, many flyers (and families) don't even think of such a thing. When they book, they use common sense to wonder why an airline wouldn't seat a family. I'm just as surprised when they don't realize the problem until they are on board, versus catching it at check in or at the gate when at least the GAs could make some attempt to fix it.

greg99

Deadly serious. No smiley face.

And frankly, it's not just for the child's protection, but also for the adult's protection against untrue/unfair charges.

I would rather sit in a middle seat ORD-HKG than sit next to a child who is not sitting next to a parent/guardian. And I'm 6'3"/225, so this is meaningful.

If you're curious, take a look at the Boy Scouts of America's training materials around youth protection.

http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx

It is scary and it is creepy, but that's the way the world is in 2013.

Greg

janehoya

I was on a flight PDX-SFO. The flight before us had gone mechanical and our plane was packed. Travelling with my mother. Aisle and middle. A woman boarded with four daughters, aged infant, 3, 5, 8 (approximately). She didn't ask anybody to move for her or her children, but rather instructed the girls where to sit (a collection of middle seats). Without much ado and without being asked to, myself, and two gentlemen gave up our window/aisle seats so that this family could sit together.

FWIW, this family was on the flight that went mechanical prior to ours.

XCstud

Either you missed the part about the kid being a 2 yr old or you don't have kids and haven't been around them much. I have a 2-1/2 yr old and I'm pretty certain it would be a better deal for somebody to give up an E+ aisle seat and sit in E- than have my daughter sitting unsupervised in a middle seat away from mommy or daddy.

They should have talked to the gate agent and tried to get the seating arrangement worked out prior to boarding. There isn't anything to prevent UA from moving my family's seating arrangements around since the seat assignments aren't guaranteed so I'm not going to limit myself to flights that only have multiple seats next to each other showing as available. People get upgraded, people change flights or miss flights so the flightmap at booking doesn't necessarily look like what it is going to be when the flight leaves.

Almost 2 yrs ago when our daughter was 9 months old, we were flying WN out of DEN and we were late getting to the gate because of an agent lacking common sense at the ticketing counter who went to extreme measures to prove that our 9 month old was <2 yrs and really didn't need a ticket. Since WN is first come, first serve and we were the last people on the plane, we could only find middle seats about 10 rows apart. The flight attendants asked if anybody would give up a seat so we could sit together, but nobody would. We took our middle seats but I found some consolation in the fact that my daughter screamed for a while and annoyed the lady sitting next to my wife, but I guess she preferred the window and screaming baby to a quiet middle seat 10 rows up.

Often1

There are three ways to handle this:

1. Kid stays where s/he is and nobody moves.
2. Carrier moves people around to make it happen (well within the carrier's discretion, so long as any fees charged for seat assignment are refunded).
3. Common sense prevails.

fahrradman

I once was on Thai Airways going from BKK to FRA in F on an award ticket. Family of five boards and complains to FAs that only 4 F seats were available when they made their last minute purchase and their teenage son had to sit in C alone. Oh the horrors.

Mom and Pop asked FAs to ask F passangers if anyone would accept a downgrade so their son would not have to accept the cabin of horrors that Thai Airways C class in the upper deck of a 747.

Overhearing the conversation, I offered to the family I would accept a downgrade to C in the interest of averting the family's seperation trama for modest downgrade compensation. For a family that can afford to walk up and purchase 5 F tickets, 5000 Euro seemed reasonable downgrade compensation. The family seemed open to my generous offer, however balked at my terms of payment upfront or some for of colaterial such as possession of one of their passports. Sadly a mutually benefical arrangement was not consummated.

Ah, first world problems.

nnn

That doesn't always work.

Once, on PMUA, our family got booted out of pre-assigned, paid First Class seats in row 3 (the only seats together when we booked), due to what I recall were last-minute equipment changes from a 320 to a 319 then back to a 320. After discovering the problem, I raised it with a ticketing agent (and I believe a phone agent) and gate agent, and none would help. The gate agent said I had to let the flight attendants deal with it on-board, and this was well before boarding time.

Surprise, surprise, the FAs would not deal with it, either, and none of the other F passengers wanted to move when we asked on-board. After finally facing the prospect of sitting next to an unattended 1- or 2-year-old (can't remember exactly), one of the passengers moved, but with a lot of grumbling.

aacharya

You're implying that by not giving up my Row 8 E+ seat to sit in 27E with a 45minute connection, in ORD I have no common sense.