RANT: I don't care if you want to sit next to your kids on the airplane

[maxiesmom]

What is your opinion on this :

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

Probably not. I pick the seat I do for reasons of my own. I fly Delta a lot, and unless you are not reading anything on their site, there is no way to miss what kind of ticket Basic Economy gets you. I'm betting she knew, and is now trying to get something for nothing. And expects people to be sympathetic.

 

[tink1970]

The last time I offered to switch seats with a man so he could sit next to his wife (we were all in the first row, 1st class so no big deal), he and his wife tried to "repay" me by playing matchmaker with my seat mate and me. Sweet yet embarrassing...since I'm married.

The one time I declined to switch my aisle seat for a middle seat so a lady could sit next to her teenage/young adult daughter, she announced very loudly "I knew that one wasn't going to switch." Okay, then.

My DD hates the idea (always enjoys it after the fact) of flying next to strangers so I take the extra time whenever possible (sometime AirFrance is weird) to make sure she's next to me, DH or DM AND call the airline to link reservations if we are on separate tickets. It doesn't take too long and avoids her stressing out.

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

I can't speak for online travel sites but Delta's is pretty darn clear what you're getting with Basic Economy. It sounds like gaming the system is a definite possibility. Oh...and no pity for her if she's separated from her family. Those seated next to her 2/4/6 year olds, otoh...

 

[RedSox68]

Probably not. I pick the seat I do for reasons of my own. I fly Delta a lot, and unless you are not reading anything on their site, there is no way to miss what kind of ticket Basic Economy gets you. I'm betting she knew, and is now trying to get something for nothing. And expects people to be sympathetic.

I can't do middle or window, so an aisle seat is vital for me. If someone wanted to switch and I end up with anything other than an aisle seat I paid extra for, I'd have to say no.

 

[RedSox68]

And all of this is why we are doing a driving trip to Miami for our cruise next year instead of flying

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Wrong.

According to the latest ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) report in 2017, Southwest is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction with an ACSI score of 80. Jet Blue and Alaska Air are tied at second with a score of 79. Allegiant brings up the rear at 3rd with a score of 74.

"Southwest Airlines, the report found, held steady for the third straight year with an ACSI score of 80 and was the highest-rated airline. This, the ACSI said, is likely due to the airline’s low fares and laser focus on customer service."​

She was talking about satisfaction of the boarding procedures as tested on mythbusters, not overall satisfaction with the actual airline. And she was right. I retrieved the episode.

The myth was that the procedure used by most airlines was the least efficient.

In all methods, they did the usual pre boarding procedure that airlines do. They also had the usual passengers that gum up the works. Mrs sit in the wrong seat. Mr. Fold up coat neatly and get in the way before stowing it, Mr. And Mrs. What do you mean my bag won't fit? etc etc.

Method Time Satisfaction score

Back to front 24.29 19 Least efficient by far Myth confirmed.
Random with assigned seats. 17.15 19
Wilma Straight. 14:55 102.
Wilma Block. 15:07 105
Reverse Pyramid 15:10 113
Considering both time and satisfaction the three above were both fairly efficient and satisfying.

Random no assigned seats. 14:07 -5 Most efficient but least satisfying. The only method with a negative satisfaction score.

 

[DisneyOma]

ummm....a small child between two male strangers? Even I wouldn't be comfortable!

Why?

 

[NHdisneylover]

Also, don't just take my seat (if you boarded before me) before asking. That is not going to make me want to help you. Except for the man who took my seat (to sit beside his wife) and when I said "I think you might be in my seat", offered me his First Class seat. He had been upgraded but his wife hadn't. Funny thing is (1) I was starting to say "just tell me where your seat is and I'm happy to take it" (it was a short flight with no middle seats, so I really didn't care) and (2) I was the next person on the upgrade list (free upgrades), so if he had turned down the upgrade, I'd have gotten the seat anyway.

Oh good point---yeah, if you assume without asking, you've already got a strike against you for sure.

 

[gillep]

At least half of the flights that I take are red eye flights from CA to the East Coast and my husband and I pay extra to select seats that work for us so that we can sleep on the plane, I would not be inclined to give those up. If it is a shorter flight, and during the day, then I would be much more likely to give up my seat, if needed, especially as I have been on multiple flights where the plane has changed and really messed up seating assignments. That said, if you book a basic economy flight you need to take what you get. You also need to be a savvy consumer to make sure that you know what you are buying before you purchase your ticket. We usually fly Southwest or United, and I always book the Southwest flights and my husband books the United ones, well I have to take a trip in October without him and United worked out much better for me time wise so I booked my own flight on United and I made sure to Google each fare class that I was seeing to ensure that I was booking the option that worked best for me.

 

[mnrose]

Wrong.

According to the latest ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) report in 2017, Southwest is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction with an ACSI score of 80. Jet Blue and Alaska Air are tied at second with a score of 79. Allegiant brings up the rear at 3rd with a score of 74.

"Southwest Airlines, the report found, held steady for the third straight year with an ACSI score of 80 and was the highest-rated airline. This, the ACSI said, is likely due to the airline’s low fares and laser focus on customer service."​

Customer satisfaction with BOARDING as measured by mythbusters in their testing of the various alternatives for boarding a plane. Overall airline satisfaction is quite another matter. I presume boarding is part of it, but only a piece.

 

[mnrose]

Probably not. I pick the seat I do for reasons of my own. I fly Delta a lot, and unless you are not reading anything on their site, there is no way to miss what kind of ticket Basic Economy gets you. I'm betting she knew, and is now trying to get something for nothing. And expects people to be sympathetic.

You are correct. If you select basic economy, it's very clear what you get/don't get, AND they will try to upsell you the more expensive ticket. Of course, some people really are not very smart. So there's that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

ETA: And I believe in the video weren't they testing with adults?

Off-duty Flight Attendants, so potentially skewed results.

ummm....a small child between two male strangers? Even I wouldn't be comfortable!

I'm curious why. Child is about nine times more likely to be in danger with someone you know.

The amount of time savings is so small as to be inconsequential IMO.

For passengers, yes. But expedited boarding could allow the airlines to increase the number of flights.

 

[sk!mom]

There are other things I'd need to know about the situation...
1) Am I traveling by myself or with my family/someone else that I had arranged to sit with?
2) Length of the flight?
3) Did I pay to upgrade to economy plus?
4) Where on the plane am I sitting vs. where I'm being asked to move?
5) Do I have a tight connection?
6) Is this discussed before boarding or after I've gotten settled on board?
7) Is the airline or family offering any "encouragement" to move (or am I just supposed to be nice)?

All of the above would factor into my decision.

I do want to point out, I'm not sure the passenger being asked to move would know whether the family had purchased basic economy, was simply running late, or had a plane change that required trying to find seats together.

Agree with all of the above. I actually switched twice recently on SW flights. Both were short (2.5-3 hours) flights and they upped the ante with free inflight drinks. One of the times, I actually switched to sit in the middle seat next to my DH's window. Worked out fine since I was comfortable leaning onto the guy next to me and I had two free drinks.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Sorry.... but about the child sitting away from family between two strangers.
Have you guys seen the latest info that has just come out about the increase in offenses and sexual advances/assaults in the air?
And. how often the airline staff can look the other way, and not take firm decisive action.
It is what it is.

Here is an excerpt:
"Hudson and others have called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would create standards for enforcement and reporting.

“If you’re a victim of a crime on the ground, what do you do?” said Hudson, who is an attorney and represented rape victims in New York. “You call 911 and report it to a police officer. But if you’re in an airplane, you can’t do that. You have to report through a flight attendant, and they have to report it to the captain, and the captain has to report it to a ground supervisor for the airline. … In many cases, too much time has passed.”

The union representing flight attendants recently conducted a survey asking about reports of passenger-on-passenger sexual assaults.

About 20 percent of 2,000 flight attendants who responded said they had received a report of a passenger-on-passenger assault while working, but law enforcement got involved only half the time. They complained that airlines often do not offer written guidance or training on how to handle such reports, the union said, with flight attendants relying on their own “resourcefulness” to intervene."

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry.... but about the child sitting away from family between two strangers.
Have you guys seen the latest info that has just come out about the increase in offenses and sexual advances/assaults in the air?
And. how often the airline staff can look the other way, and not take firm decisive action.
It is what it is.

Here is an excerpt:
"Hudson and others have called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would create standards for enforcement and reporting.

“If you’re a victim of a crime on the ground, what do you do?” said Hudson, who is an attorney and represented rape victims in New York. “You call 911 and report it to a police officer. But if you’re in an airplane, you can’t do that. You have to report through a flight attendant, and they have to report it to the captain, and the captain has to report it to a ground supervisor for the airline. … In many cases, too much time has passed.”

The union representing flight attendants recently conducted a survey asking about reports of passenger-on-passenger sexual assaults.

About 20 percent of 2,000 flight attendants who responded said they had received a report of a passenger-on-passenger assault while working, but law enforcement got involved only half the time. They complained that airlines often do not offer written guidance or training on how to handle such reports, the union said, with flight attendants relying on their own “resourcefulness” to intervene."

Too bad you don’t post a link so we can read the rest of the article.

To paraphrase an old song...
“ You don’t quote, you don’t link, what do you do?”

 

[lifesavacation]

My DD hates the idea (always enjoys it after the fact) of flying next to strangers so I take the extra time whenever possible (sometime AirFrance is weird) to make sure she's next to me, DH or DM AND call the airline to link reservations if we are on separate tickets. It doesn't take too long and avoids her stressing

I don’t blame your daughter at all. It’s an invasion of your personal space to have some random person sitting so close they are touching you. I only tolerate it because I have to. Definitely not something I look forward to or enjoy.

 

[Hrhpd]

I agree with your stance but I will say with SWA Early Bird Check In isn't connected at all to where you sit on a plane because where you sit on a SWA flight is your choice of open available seating. Paying Early Bird Check In also doesn't guarantee it will happen, by it meaning seats together.

All Early Bird Check In is designed for is to get you on the plane earlier in order to increase the odds you can select the seats you want. Other factors come into play. Connections in which case there is no plane change for the prior flight, number of pre-boards and number of A-listers who have higher priority than EBCI in terms of boarding position given out, along with how many Business Select fares were sold or how many people upgraded to A1-15 at the gate, etc. Those all impact how many people can potentially board the plane before you.

In a nutshell SWA operates slightly differently than other airlines because with other airlines you actually pick your seats OR you pay a reduced fare in order to roll the dice. I wouldn't want to move my seat period but paying EBCI doesn't influence my opinion on that. I paid not for the actual seat I chose but rather the ability to select my seat earlier on in the boarding process.

Yup. If you read my post again, you will see that I said I purchase EarlyBird to UP MY CHANCES of sitting together.

I know exactly how SW works since I fly them numerous times a year, having enough miles for a family member to fly free as a companion, so I don't need a tutorial. With EB, I have never, ever had lower than B5, even on a full flight to Orlando. And that was only because I booked the flight a couple of days before the 36 hour window of EB check-in, so I was at the bottom of the EB list. That is the only time I have ever been in B.

EB does play a factor in that I can pick the best seat possible much earlier than someone who did not pay. Even with all your conditions, I am still going to have a better seat selection than someone who has a late B or C boarding assignment. So, if the A1-A15 is completely full and you add those 15 people to a plane half full of connecting passengers, I still will probably get a few better seats and have a much better chance of sitting either together or at least behind one another. In the above situation, the person who did not purchase EB will probably only find middle seats in the back of the plane. So, yes it makes a difference.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Too bad you don’t post a link so we can read the rest of the article.

To paraphrase an old song...
“ You don’t quote, you don’t link, what do you do?”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/l...tputType=accessibility&utm_term=.d866cb6d2331 in part, "This is statistically still very rare; however, it is very good advice for people traveling to have situational awareness,” said Rodski, one of several law enforcement officials who gathered at the airport Wednesday to warn travelers about the disturbing trend.

In 2014, airline passengers reported 38 instances of sexual assault on flights, compared with 63 reports in 2017, according to the FBI"
That's about seven ten-millionths of a percent (0.00000007%) chance of assault on a plane.
This is out of hundreds of millions of airline passengers http://www.google.com/search?ei=UZAsW8HiJszI5gLa65zoDw&q=number+of+air+passengers+per+year+in+us&oq=number+of+air+passengers+per+year&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.1.2.0j0i22i30l4.25068.31910..32585...0....118.907.5j4......0....1.........0i71.kT5P/GpdHZ4=

 

[mousefan73]

Too bad you don’t post a link so we can read the rest of the article.

To paraphrase an old song...
“ You don’t quote, you don’t link, what do you do?”

This report was all the news this week.

 

[mousefan73]

I need to ask a crew member about this. I work for a european carrier. I would think that in the case of a 2 year old being separated from a parent is also a safety issue or any young child. IF there was an evac. Who would be liabable if said child did not have a guardian instruct/ assist the child to get out? Can a young child understand instructions? Or understand seat belt on, no walking in the aisle looking for mama?

This is why unacccompanied minors on a flight are always in a row near an exit and known to crew so they assist.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Sorry.... but about the child sitting away from family between two strangers.
Have you guys seen the latest info that has just come out about the increase in offenses and sexual advances/assaults in the air?
And. how often the airline staff can look the other way, and not take firm decisive action.
It is what it is.

Here is an excerpt:
"Hudson and others have called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would create standards for enforcement and reporting.

“If you’re a victim of a crime on the ground, what do you do?” said Hudson, who is an attorney and represented rape victims in New York. “You call 911 and report it to a police officer. But if you’re in an airplane, you can’t do that. You have to report through a flight attendant, and they have to report it to the captain, and the captain has to report it to a ground supervisor for the airline. … In many cases, too much time has passed.”

The union representing flight attendants recently conducted a survey asking about reports of passenger-on-passenger sexual assaults.

About 20 percent of 2,000 flight attendants who responded said they had received a report of a passenger-on-passenger assault while working, but law enforcement got involved only half the time. They complained that airlines often do not offer written guidance or training on how to handle such reports, the union said, with flight attendants relying on their own “resourcefulness” to intervene."

Nothing but fear-mongering.