Do airlines seat families together?

A parent who purchases airline tickets for a family should receive a guarantee from the airline that it will seat the parent and child together without fees or a last-minute scramble at the gate or having to ask other passengers to give up their seat to allow the parent and child to sit together.



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2 x 4 x 2 configuration...which seats to choose? When travelling as a family of 4 I choose two rows of 2, opposed to the middle aisle of 4 seats. Having a window is so handy to rest up against and also means no sibling fighting! If the configuration is 3 x 3 I will put 2 of us 2 rows (one aisle and one window)...

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Choose your family's seats when booking, whether it's included with your fare or you have to pay an additional fee. If you are unable to get your family's seats together at the time of booking, call the airline and speak with a reservations agent to determine the best course of action.

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Ryanair says if a person doesn't pay for their seat assignment, they are “randomly” assigned, which may result in them not sitting with their party. But the CAA found that when a passenger flies Ryanair, as compared to other airlines, the likelihood of being separated from their party doubled.

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For a party of five who likes to occasionally chat during the flight, sit three in a row and two directly behind or in front in the window or aisle seat to easily socialize with each other without bothering the passengers around you.

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Airlines seat people according to how the tickets or reservations were made. If the reservation defined which seats were needed as a group or whatever then that is what you get. If families want to be seated together the tickets and reservations must be purchased together.

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In fact, most regular airlines now charge for seat selection anyways. It's often around $10-$30 per seat per flight segment, so if you cave in and pay for that, it can add up quickly. You shouldn't do it. No matter which airline you're flying on, don't ever pay to select a seat.

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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.

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Skipping seat selection doesn't mean you won't get a seat on the flight. You might get stuck in the middle seat if you don't pay for one. Even if seat selection is free, you might want to skip it if only lousy seats are available (see the upgrade hack” below).

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However, there are ways you can achieve this for free.
  1. Pick your airline carefully. ...
  2. Check-in early. ...
  3. Make a specific request. ...
  4. Ask another passenger to swap seats. ...
  5. Sit near the front or the back. ...
  6. Use a seat map. ...
  7. Choose a window seat. ...
  8. Select extra legroom.


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British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will allow you to select a seat free of charge. Easyjet, Emirates, Norwegian, Jet2 and Ryanair say you'll be allocated a suitable seat free of charge.

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If Lufthansa has to change your advance seat reservation, e.g. because of a late change in the aircraft type used, Lufthansa will do its best to reserve an equivalent new seat for you. In such cases, priority is first given to seating passengers who are travelling together, e.g. families, next to each other again.

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Depending on their ages and which airline you have chosen, some airlines invite families to board in front of everybody else, while others allow those with kids to slide in somewhere between elite passengers and regular coach-flying folk.

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You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.

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Although airlines allow for children under 2 to sit on a parents lap, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) recommends for all young children to sit in a FAA approved car seat at all times during a flight. Flight attendants with the AFA are pushing for FAA to update safety regulations to not allow lap babies.

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Ryanair offers the option to purchase reserved seats or free seats, which are assigned randomly during check-in. Passengers who choose 'random seat allocation' can check in between 24 hours and 2 hours before the flight departure time.

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If you don't choose your seats in advance, we always do our best to seat your family together based on flight seat availability. This may mean that you'll be seated in adjacent rows or across the aisle. All children under 12 will be seated with an accompanying adult. Anyone over 12 may be seated separately.

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