If you don’t pay for your chosen seat on a flight the airline allocates you one.
When booking a flight, the price you see on screen is almost always a starting point. The cost of a flight is now often bumped up by a number of extra charges including booking baggage onboard and booking a seat of your choice.
If you’re travelling in a group you might decide to pay the money in order to guarantee a seat next to the people you’re travelling with. And parents flying with children are likely to take the hit in the pocket to ensure they are sat next to them.
But those passengers trying to keep the costs down might prefer not to add on the cost of booking a guaranteed seat.
While airlines are not required to seat families together on flights, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidelines do state that airlines should always try to seat children under the age of 12 in the same row.
If this cannot be done, they should be no more than ‘one row or aisle away’ from the parent or guardian they are travelling with.
The CAA explains: “Many airlines charge for seat selection. Carriers should aim to seat children under 12 in the same row, or no more than one row or aisle away, from their accompanying adult and make all reasonable efforts to seat a disabled person or person with reduced mobility with the person accompanying them.
“Most airlines have processes in place to ensure this happens, but we recommend you contact the airline to confirm their seating policies,” reports The Express.
For passengers not flying with children in tow, there is no guarantee you will end up sat next to the person or people you are travelling with.
And all airlines have different policies on seating allocation for those who choose not to pay. So what are the different policies on the most popular airlines?
British Airways
British Airways says passengers can see which seats are available together 24 hours before their flight, or when online check-in opens, and can choose their seat for free, unless you’ve booked a Basic ticket, in which case your seat is allocated to you.
But passengers also have the option to pay in advance to choose specific seats to guarantee sitting together for their flight. The cost of selecting a seat will vary depending on the type of seat and the cabin you’re travelling in.
The airline states: “We’ll do our best to seat your family together by assigning seats a few days before your flight departs. However, seat selection may be limited at that time and your seats may be split across different rows or the aisle.
“We’ll make sure each child under 12 years sits next to an adult from your booking but children over 12 years are booked as an adult in our system and may sit separately.”
easyJet
easyJet operates an allocated seating system, allowing passengers to select seats for an additional fee at the time of booking, or afterwards online. Passengers who choose not to select their own seat will be allocated one automatically when they check in.
The airline says: “Our system will try to allocate you seats close to other passengers on your Booking, but this depends on availability and is not guaranteed.”
Jet2
Jet2 will allocate seats on a first-come, first-served basis if passengers don’t select their own seats online before check-in. It’s possible to choose your seats when you book your holiday, or up to six hours before your flight.
The airline recommends pre-booking your seats for a fee if you want to guarantee sitting together, with prices varying depending on the location and route. Those who don’t pre-book will be allocated seats by the airline.
Jet2 says: “If you don’t pre-book your seats, they will be allocated when you check in online or at the airport on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seats across the aisle or in the row behind or in front are classed as ‘together’. If you want to change your seat once you have booked and paid, you will need to pay the relevant seat charges.
“As a family-friendly airline we will always endeavour to seat children and infants under the age of 12 next to their accompanying adults. If this is not possible for any reason, we will ensure children are seated as close as possible, and no more than one row away. We would encourage you to pre-book your seats in advance to ensure you reserve the seats you want for your travelling party.”
Ryanair
Ryanair offers the option to buy reserved seats or free seats, which are assigned randomly during check-in. Those who opt not to reserve a seat will be assigned one free of charge at check-in between 24 hours and two hours before departure, but this likely means you won’t be seated with your travelling party.
The airline says: “We recommend that you reserve your seat when booking or when checking in to guarantee a seat beside your travel companions. If you choose not to reserve a seat, then a seat will be randomly allocated to you free of charge when checking in, but it is unlikely it will be beside your travel companions.
“For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult’s lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.
“A maximum of four children for every one adult on the same booking will receive a reserved seat free of charge. This ensures parents of young children sit together during the flight. This will also allow you to check-in for your flight 60 days before departure. It is not mandatory for any other adults or teenagers in the booking to reserve a seat, however they may choose to do so if they wish to seat with the rest of the family.”
