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My 3 year old and I were assigned to sit in separate rows of planes on a recent trip.
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I have tried changing seats online, by phone and at the gate.
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I was told that I would have to take matters into my own hands and ask other passengers to change seats with me.
we walked to the gate get on our planeAfter touring Northern Delaware’s Fairy Gardens, it’s time to pack up your sparkling wings and go home.
was assigned separate rows of seats—It doesn’t matter if your traveling companion isn’t a three-year-old daughter.
Attempts to modify seat assignments online have failed. Then I struck out with an airline customer service representative on the phone.The representative gave the money to the gate agent. The gate agent then gave me the money. “Nobody in your row could change seats,” they said. “Get on the plane and try it yourself” was the extent of their assistance.
we got on the plane When she got to her daughter’s line, she burst into tears when she realized what was going on.
Passengers right behind us were also waiting in the aisle and groaned. that throughout the flight. After all, I’ll switch seats with you.” Nothing is shaky, but after two long pandemic years, it’s like I want to turn to my child when she re-enters the public space. It is not a simple action.
Nothing is stopping airlines from separating families on planes
It turns out there is no standard policy for family seating on planes, and the Department of Transportation recognizes it’s a problem. encouraged airlines to adopt policies that let families sit together The airline has announced a four-month period for doing this.
Once the grace period expires, it is clear that it is not All airlines pay attention to notices.
in the department website with suggestionsThis includes checking the airline’s family seating policy before booking, booking tickets early, booking as a single booking, checking in with customer service if necessary, arriving at the airport early And so on. However, I inadvertently followed almost all the tips, so I can’t say it helped me much.
One of the department’s top suggestions is to buy a higher class seat if sitting together is important to you. To me it’s a bogus proposition. In my case, I was a pretty broken mom trying to pull off a post-vaccination trip together for my little girl. It was an economy or a recession.
Leaving your child in public for a few hours with a stranger may result in a call to child protection services or the police. So why fair game on planes?
Click here for recommendations for traveling with children
The Department of Transportation doesn’t have the answers to make vacation travel better. Many fellow travelers don’t mind. But I wanted to share something that might help others make their stressful flight experience less of a problem.
I always think that unpleasant things happen in air travel. I stay calm and make sure everyone is well rested and well fed before boarding to avoid being overweight.
It’s also a good idea to “pack the party.” I pack my toddler’s activity and snack bag with both surprises and familiars (throw in some streamers and noisemakers for good measure). That way, even when you’re separated, you can still act like you’re cool, like you won prizes and parties in parentless brawls. I was able to get through the moment.
Try to reverse the energy and reset the stressful situation instead of getting caught up in the vortex of the stressful situation. I was like, ‘Oh, split the line? Cool! Look, they chose us to sit alone to prepare them to be pilots! Thank you for choosing us for this opportunity! Let’s celebrate!”
These offers may or may not help you get your seat back, but they can get you ahead of the measly $75 travel credit the airline gave you for flight trouble. increase.
Read the original article at insider