[DysLexie]

I just purchased, after days of research and comparison, 3 tickets to go from Newport News, VA to Minneapolis in June. My husband and I of course needed our own tickets, but we also bought a seat for our then-21-month-old son, in part as a courtesy to the other passengers and in part because it's (usually) worth the extra expense.

It wasn't until AFTER the ticket purchase went through that I was notified we'd have to pay $36 to sit together!!!

What are they going to do... put a toddler in a seat by himself away from his parents??

I had to call back - 4 times - to get them to agree to seat my son and myself next to each other, and they only did that after I pulled the "special needs child" card, which I hate doing.

But then I called back an hour later after I checked the online seating chart. It showed an owed charge of $12 for my seats on two of the legs (they were apparently left out of the no-charge order) and wouldn't let me choose seats for my husband without paying for his AND mine.

The (American) woman I spoke to told me several times that I didn't know what I was doing, that I didn't understand and that I was just plain wrong. When she finally told me she'd reserve my husband's seat over the phone, she seemed gleeful when taking my credit card information.

I'm on hold (AGAIN) with the customer complaint line so I can report her behavior.

I understand that I'm going to get hit with fees left and right. And I understand that not everything is going to work the way it should. But that level of rudeness is intolerable.

[countrynewsman]

Nothing sneaky about it. AirTran's website specifically states that advance seat assignment is available for a "small" fee. However, rudeness is another story. I encountered rudeness with AirTran the first and last time I flew with them.

[jimworcs]

AirTran and Ryanair, twins separated at birth... the only solution. Don't fly with them

[PHXFlyer]

Welcome to the world of "discount" air travel. A la carte pricing is becoming the norm. Everything from seat assignments and checked bags to refreshments on the plane and now even restroom use, in the case of RyanAir, is no longer a part of the ticket price. If you want the extra service or convenience then you pay. Period.

I must disagree with you, however, that you should receive "special" treatment and therefore not pay for your advanced seat assignments. People wish to sit together for many reasons including traveling with children. This shouldn't be an automatic exclusion from paying for a service that everyone else has to pay for. If you didn't like their policy you should have bought a ticket on a different airline.

[DysLexie]

I bought the tickets through Travelocity, and while I admit I did not read every single line of fine print, there was nothing overtly stated that there would be a charge for this. I've never encountered anything like it before, so I did not look for it... much as I did not look for the "no ostriches onboard" policy or the "please do not bring dead rats in your carry-on luggage" addendum.

And since when is needing to sit next to a toddler in a car seat "special treatment?" (Well, yeah, since they started issuing these fees, I guess...) But really... sitting together actually costs EXTRA? WTF? He's breastfed. How do they suppose he's going to eat? And will the people otherwise assigned to sit with him be willing to change his diaper? Granted, that would make for much more pleasant flight for me (and yes, I'm being sarcastic, so please don't call DCYS), but I fail to see how that's even reasonable. I am certainly not saying "I should get special treatment" - I'm saying "sitting next to the people whose tickets I've paid for should be REGULAR treatment."

And lastly, you can call me ignorant if you'd like, but we just moved to this area and I had not ever dealt with, or even heard of AirTran before and thought it was just another regional airline, much like Midwest. Since I had not seen "discount" airlines on Travelocity before (like Southwest, for example), it didn't occur to me that there was anything discount about them. They had the same price as two other very well-known airlines but I chose them because of the flight times. Had I known it was going to be such a PITA, I would never have considered it.

BATHROOM FEES? Are you kidding? Well, that's okay. I guess people will just pee in their seats.

[jimworcs]

Ok, lets clear up some facts.. Ryanair owner Michael O'Leary is a master publicist. He put a story in the press about Ryanair charging passengers to use the toilet. The stupid journalists who ought to know better then printed it, without looking at what is behind it. It was to disguise the fact that Ryanair were now introducing a charge for checking in online, which had previously been free. And here is the trick. When Ryanair originally introduced online check-in, there was a fee for checking in at the airport. If you checked in online, the airline argued they saved money and passed on the savings to the customer. Then, when everyone started checking in online suddenly Ryanair decide to charge for it. To avoid the bad publicity associated with introducing a new fee, O'Leary made a press release about charging for the toilet and then sat back with a smug smile on his face as the brouhaha hides his real motive.. robbing the passengers blind.

Now, onto the child seat issue. My friend PHX is just plain wrong on this one. This rule poses a potential safety risk. If PHX and his squeeze booked a flight and choose not to "buy" the privilege of sitting next to each other, the only consequence is that he pines for the love of his life for an hour or so. If a parent of a three year child doesn't purchase the "right to sit next to each other", the the child can be potentially separated from the parent. This places the child in possible danger..what if the passenger sitting next to him is, for example, a kiddyfiddler? The second danger is if there is an emergency decompression. In such a scenario, the parent must first put there mask on and then see to the child. What if the stranger doesn't? What if the parent, panicked that there child might not be getting helped tries to go to their aide? This could lead to the loss of life. Thirdly, in an emergency evacuation, rapid egress is of the utmost importance. There is typically only minutes to evacuate before passengers die of smoke inhalation. If a parent is doing what comes naturally and frantically looking for their child, they could impede the others leaving in an emergency and endanger others.

Therefore, PHX I respectfully say that it is not a case "special treatment", but rather a case of the airlines going too far with their revenue generators. I have an idea... LETS REGULATE THE AIRLINES!! Why didn't anyone think of that before?

[Corbel]

1st-Ryan isn't charging for the restroom....at least yet. it was an idea, and of course the news media (always mentioning the bad in the airlines and not the good things) mentioned it. it was an idea that Ryan CEO was looking into....and i hope it doesn't fly, this idea was just plain dumb.
2nd-i use to work for allegiant and they charge for advance seating, or free when you check in. and most people would wait and get seats when they check in. get to the airport extra early to get seats. if they seat you away from your child, explain that you cannot. i dont have kids, but would NEVER let my child sit next to some stranger. if im flying with my husband and child then fine, my husband can sit next to my kid and i'll sit somewhere else or vice versa. but i have flown air tran many times and they have always been great with service. im sure you will have no problem getting seats together

[PHXFlyer]

Jim I never suggested that a child should sit alone unless, of course, they are traveling as a supervised unaccompanied minor. My exact words were:

I must disagree with you, however, that you should receive "special" treatment and therefore not pay for your advanced seat assignments.

(emphasis mine)

As Corbel stated there is the option to wait until they get to the airport to have their seats assigned there at no charge. I'm sure not everyone on every AirTran flight opts for pre-selected seats and therefore there would be many unassigned seats to choose from on the day of departure. If there was an issue with getting seats together I'm sure AirTran would ensure that at least one parent would be seated next to the child. As a mater of fact most airlines hold back blocks of seats from pre-assignment to allow for airport assignment of those seats for those who need to travel together.

DysLexie felt that she shouldn't have to pay to be pre-assigned seats together. AirTran charges a fee for this convenience. If they bend the policy and waive the fee for her they would have to waive the fee for everyone who felt they had a "special need" and wanted advanced seating together. Where would it end? What would be the point of the fee if they had to grant every request?

[jimworcs]

Corbel: Exactly my point.. Ryanair are not charging for the toilet, they created a publicity stunt to hide the introduction of charges for checking in online. My prediction.. the toilets will never be charged for. It will be dropped when the objective is met, ie... to hide other charges. They are currently running a contest for their passengers to suggest things they could charge extra and have published the top 5 on their website... They are:

· Charging for toilet paper – with O’Leary’s face on it,
· Charging €2.50 to read the safety cards,
· Charging €1 to use oxygen masks,
· Charging €25 to use the emergency exit,
· Charging €50 for bikini clad Cabin Crew.

Meanwhile, Ryanair progressively adds more and more rip off charges, such as their "credit card" levy, whilst having the gall to complain about airports "rip off" charges.

PHX...

If there was an issue with getting seats together I'm sure AirTran would ensure that at least one parent would be seated next to the child. As a mater of fact most airlines hold back blocks of seats from pre-assignment to allow for airport assignment of those seats for those who need to travel together

This appears to contradict your point. If airlines are holding back seats to allow parents with children to be seated together, whilst charging everyone else for the same priviledge, then indeed Dyslexie is getting "special" treatment. Dyslexie and her child don't have to pay for this service, and still get a guaranteed seat next to each other!! What is that, if not special treatment.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

PHX...


This appears to contradict your point. If airlines are holding back seats to allow parents with children to be seated together, whilst charging everyone else for the same priviledge, then indeed Dyslexie is getting "special" treatment. Dyslexie and her child don't have to pay for this service, and still get a guaranteed seat next to each other!! What is that, if not special treatment.

I don't see any contradiction at all. If the parents want to guarantee that all three will sit together, ie occupy all three seats in a row, then they should fork over the fee to choose those seats in advance. If they don't wish to pay the fee then there is a possibility that one of them may have to sit separately if they don't make it to the airport in a timely manner to try to secure that seating arrangement for free.

[bah humbug]

Where does it say you MUST purchase seats in order to sit together? It is an option that you have. Another option is checking in online within 24 hours of the flight. There are ALWAYS seats together that early. Another option is getting to the airport EARLY. Especially during busy times. If you show up at the last minute and did not purchase your seat in advance, then don't expect to sit together. If everyone is already checked in, we can not remove someone from their seat and put you in it. I have never seen it on the aircraft that some one has not been willing to move to help out.....but PLEASE don't say somone forced you to buy seats to get them together...it is just NOT true.