[Jtmj2k1]

We planned our family vacation back in Jan 0f 2010 for over the Thanksgiving holiday. We bought our plan tickets on May 28, shortly after the flights were posted. We were booked our flights on United (Continental) through AAA. I checked with my AAA person, and called United, both told me it was a united flight. So upon checking in, United said no...it is Continental. Ok, no big deal went down to Continental, was very nice since out of the 5 of us, only my husband has flown before. They were helpful. Flight was great...vacation great. Disney sent up our boarding passes Sunday morning. On two of my childrens, it was posted NS for seats... So upon arriving at the airport they told me I had to check at the gate desk. Ok...no biggie. Went to the desk, was told I had to come back one hour before boarding. It was 2... Ok. So going back to the desk, I was told the plane had been overbooked and the two children didn't have seats! WHAT! I paid for them months ago... "We are working on finding your children a seat somewhere on the plane". They found one seat, but not with us...no good. Then they tried to tell me that we could split the three adults up...um only 2 adults, "no your tickets are for three adults", 12, 10, and 7 none of them are adults.! Finally after a mother and two older girls said they would fly the next day...did we find a seat...finally while everyone else was boarding did they find us seats. 2 in row 35, A&B and 3 in 36 A,B, and F. Atleast we were close...but after this being my first flight, and all...I will never fly Continental again. Familes dont matter!

[mars6423]

Did you reserve your seats/do a seat assignment online before the flight? If not then the airline will try and keep the family together or as close as possible around those who have requested specific seats

Since disney is a very popular destination many flights will be filled of families and it would be a nightmare to keep the families together unless the seats were assigned prior

But kids should never be separated from parent(s) as strangers should never sit next to someone young and they shouldnt have to put up/deal with a child that isn't theirs especially if the child is misbehaving

Sometimes the family may have to split up as in 1 parent goes with a child and the other parent sits with the others

[Jtmj2k1]

Actually yes we had reserved or requested the seats all together and had seat numbers when we booked the flight. And yes, I could understand 1 parent going with a child and the other parent with the other child. Just upset with the fact of buying the tickets early, requesting the seats, was at the airport 2 and 1/2 hrs prior to the flight, and all.

[mars6423]

well then there should be no reason why you didnt have those tickets beforehand and to be seated together, they will say oh seat assignments arent final but we will try and keep them blah blah.....they can at least see how many are going in a party and to keep them together

continental messed up with this

[cortney]

delta did the same thing to us to. we all had seats, went to check in, only 2 out of 7 of us had seats then, 5 of us were stick in atlanta for the night

[jimworcs]

I think the whole way airlines manage these situations is appalling and we need some kind of regulation which requires an airline to place any child under the age of 14 seated next to a responsible adult. All other seating arrangements should take lower priority. Children are vulnerable and should be treated as such.

Having said that.. this story has a reasonable ending. The staff did take the necessary steps in the end to resolve the situation, and it sounds as if the computer booking was showing the children as adults, which may explain why this happened in the first place. it sounds as if the family are not particularly experienced flyers... but believe me, you got off fairly lightly. These boards are full of horror stories you wouldn't believe. I think in the end, Continental messed up but did their best to fix it.

Overbooking of flights is endemic in the industry and is no longer justified. In the past, it was necessary because so many tickets were flexible and the airlines had no method for predicting the actual numbers of passengers who would show up at the gate. Today, the majority of tickets sold are non-refundable and specific to the actual flight. The airlines know perfectly well what the demand levels are for each flight and overbooking is not justified.

[Jtmj2k1]

Yes, in all in ended fairly well... I just wanted to get this out there. This was the first round trip (or any flying) for 4 out of the 5 of us. So for the first experience, it didn't bode to well.