A family of four could spend up to £200 of their holiday spending money paying to sit together on flights when they probably don't need to, new research has found.
Consumer champion Which? has found that most people end up sitting with their fellow travellers anyway, and unless you want to guarantee particular seats, it's probably a waste of money to pay the supplement.
Which? Travel found that holidaymakers' favourites British Airways and easyJet placed over 90% of passengers with their travel companions. However, the chances of being separated in the cabin are higher if you fly with Wizz Air or Ryanair. Only 66% of Ryanair passengers who booked in groups or pairs, without paying for seat selection, said they ended up together. For Wizz Air that figure was just 61%.
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There’s no legal right to sit next to your family, not even children. The Civil Aviation Authority (Money Saving Expert) says: "Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults." It also says parents should not have to pay to avoid a situation where their child is seated in a different part of the aircraft.
The Which? survey found that most airlines will automatically sit you next to your offspring, although Ryanair does this by insisting that an accompanying adult has to pay for seat selection. Money Saving Expert Tui said: "Airlines rely on the fear factor to convince you to cough up for allocated seating – passengers worry if they don't pay up, they'll be split up. Yet while this does apply to Ryanair, it's not a general rule. With most airlines, if you just check in online as early as you can, you WILL get to sit with the rest of your group – as long as seats are still available."
Money Saving Expert has come up with the following tips to maximise your chances of sitting together without paying for the privilege:
1. Think about when's the best time to check in
All of the major airlines bar Ryanair told Money Saving Expert that their seat allocation systems will always try to seat groups on the same booking together. So by checking in as soon as you can, you should get to sit together, as long as there are seats available which haven't been snapped up by people have paid to reserve their seats. Remember that if you want to be 100% sure you will sit together, you'll have to pay as it's the only way to guarantee it. However, if you want to save £100s, it's a relatively small risk to take if you can check in as soon as the desk opens.
2. If you're travelling as a family, most airlines will seat the kids next to at least one adult
For most parents, sitting next to their children is non-negotiable, so airline seat charges can be a particular issue for families. The CAA guideline say airlines should "aim to sit parents close to children", however, in practice, most airlines guarantee that children will get to sit next to at least one adult in the party, even if you don't pay and forget to check in early. Here are some airlines' policies:
- British Airways, Tui, Virgin Atlantic: Children under 12 will be seated with at least one adult from their booking – although the rest of the group might be split up. British Airways lets you choose your seat for free if you're travelling with a child under two but Virgin warn children may be seated behind or over the aisle from their parents.
- American Airlines: Children under 15 will be seated with at least one adult from their booking.
- Air France: Families with children under 15 will be allocated seats next to each other.
- KLM: Families with children under 12 will automatically be allocated seats next to each other.
- Jet2, Norwegian: Always try to seat children with adults from their booking, though they can't guarantee it.
- Easyjet: Says the algorithm in its booking system places families together "99% of the time" and staff will ask other passengers to move to accommodate them if separated.
- Ryanair: The good news is that children under 12 are guaranteed to sit with at least one adult in their party. The bad news is this is because at least one adult travelling with a group of under-12s must pay for seat selection. See below.
3. Ryanair is the exception
With Ryanair, if you don't pay, you will almost certainly be split up, according to Money Saving Expert: "Ryanair's notorious for its seating policy, which infuriates many passengers," it says. "It 'randomly' allocates seats for those who don't pay for one – and as a result it's become nigh-on impossible for groups to sit together without reserving seats. An extreme example of this came in 2017 when MSE revealed that 15 members of a hen party on a flight to Ibiza were seated in 15 separate rows – with every single person in a middle seat. Ryanair insisted then, as it has ever since, that seats for those who choose not to pay are 'randomly allocated'."
Ryanair's cheapest standard seat reservation is only £3, but there's no way of avoiding this – if you want to have a decent shot of sitting together, you'll have to pay. The rules are:
- If you're travelling with under-12s, at least one adult in the group has to pay for a seat reservation, but you can then reserve seats for free for up to four children.
- If there's more than one adult in your group, the other adults don't have to reserve a seat – but they'll be seated elsewhere if they don't.
- If you don't pay and are sat apart, there's a small chance you might be allowed to swap seats, although Ryanair is clear this isn't encouraged, saying: "For reasons of weight, balance and safety, and to prevent delays during boarding, we advise all customers to sit in the seats they have been allocated. Since all of our seats are allocated, the issue of swapping seats simply doesn't arise."
4. If you have a disability or are elderly, you'll usually be allocated or allowed to select a seat for free
If you have a disability or reduced mobility, or are elderly, you have a legal right to special assistance when you travel. This applies on any flights out of the UK or anywhere else in the EU, or if you're flying to an airport in the EU (including the UK) on an EU airline. The CAA told MSE that while airlines can challenge your claim for special assistance, this rarely happens. While there aren't specific rules, airlines do have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for you, so they should help if you have special seating requirements due to a disability.
You do need to contact your airline in advance to tell it about your requirements and this should be done as early as possible, and no later than 48 hours before you travel. Even better, all these airlines say you'll also be able to have a companion sit next to you free of charge, although there may be some seats you can't sit in, for example next to an emergency exit.
5. Check if your airline lets you select a seat for free as soon as you book
If you're going further afield, long-haul carriers Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways will let economy passengers select a seat for free as soon as they book – so you can get it sorted straightaway and don't have to wait for check-in to open. Virgin Atlantic offers a similar service to any passengers who check in hold luggage – those doing this can select a standard seat for free at any time. And British Airways will allow passengers who check in a hold bag to select a seat for free once check-in has opened.
