Holidays can hit your wallet hard, particularly when it comes to flying. Airlines often have a string of additional charges that can see the initial cost of your flight quickly mounting up.
From paying for checked luggage, to booking fees and check-in costs, you can quite easily find you’re paying a lot more than expected. And this only gets worse when airlines charge you extra fees for seat selection, just to ensure you’re sat next to your family and friends during the flight.
Currently, there’s no UK legislation that states airlines have to allow families to sit together, which often results in passengers shelling out extra cash to secure adjacent seats. However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) does offer guidance, recommending that airlines should attempt to ensure children under 12 are seated in the same row, or at most one row or aisle apart, from their accompanying adult, reports the Mirror.
The CAA advises: “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.”
For travellers without children, the likelihood of sitting alongside friends or family varies depending on the airline’s policy. Several airlines, including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, and Ryanair, have specific seating policies that passengers should be aware of before booking, as reported by the Express.
While some airlines automatically seat individuals together at no extra cost, it is crucial to review each airline’s policy to find out whether seat selection requires an additional fee. Here are the seating policies for British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, and Ryanair.
British Airways
British Airways allows passengers to view available seats for selection 24 hours prior to their flight, during online check-in. Seats can be selected for free, except for Basic ticket holders, who have seats allocated.
However, there is an option to pay in advance to choose specific seats. According to the airline: “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
On easyJet flights, passengers have the option to choose their seats for an additional fee, which can be paid during booking or later online. Passengers who do not choose their seats prior to check-in will have one assigned automatically by the airline.
According to the airline’s policy: “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 operates with allocated seating, offering passengers the opportunity to select their preferred spot at the time of booking their holiday, or up until six hours before their flight. Seats are distributed based on a first-come, first-served principle if not chosen online prior to checking in.
Jet2 recommends that passengers pre-book their seats for an additional cost – which varies based on location and route – to guarantee they can sit together. If not pre-booked, the airline will assign seats during online check-in or at the airport counter.
Jet2 states: “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.”
The airline continues: “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 provides passengers with the option to pay for seat reservations or receive a free, randomly assigned seat. Passengers who opt not to pay will be allocated a free seat during check-in, which can be done anywhere from two to 24 hours before departure.
The airline suggests: “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.”
Additionally, Ryanair offers a policy where a maximum of four children per adult on the same booking can receive a reserved seat at no extra cost, ensuring young families can sit together during the flight and allowing them to check-in 60 days prior to departure.
While it is not required for other adults or teenagers in the booking to reserve a seat, they can do so if they wish to sit with the rest of the family.