This is our first time to fly with Virgin Atlantic, and it provides us the option to reserve seats on flights with fees. Paying for flight seat assignment is new to us. We would like to sit together as a family (us and a 13 year old son) at least for long-haul flights. So should I bite the bullet and pay the price? Wait and see until it opens up for free 24 hour before the departure? What is your experience with this? I would really appreciate your comments and suggestions! Thank you!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
If there are three of you and you want to sit together, bite the bullet. Many overseas airlines are charging the fees until 24 hours before nowadays.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8881 posts
If it is important to be together, go ahead and pay the fee. While you might get seats together at 24 hour check in, you will have no way of knowing for sure until then. Don't expect people who have paid a fee to select their seats to trade with you upon boarding. I'm not suggesting that you would have done that, but mentioning it because such requests have become a sore point for many.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2688 posts
I am persnickety about where I sit and don't want to take a chance on what's available 24 hrs prior to flight, so I pay the fee. I figure it's part of the cost of travel.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
I agree with the others. If you wait until the last minute, there could only be random single seats left. If you want to sit together, it would be a good idea to pay the seat reservation fees.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Alas, more and more airlines are doing this. As everyone else has said, if you wait you will get what's left over, and there's no way to predict that. Further, since people will have paid for certain seats, they will not be willing to change once on board. So, if it's important to you to sit together, reserve the seats now, and just consider the fee part of the ticket cost.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5507 posts
I go on the website exactly 23 hours and 59 minutes before flight a pick my seats for our family of 4. Many people do not give in and pay in advance.
Posted by
OP
USA
46 posts
Thank you everyone for your valuable feedback. I read each one of them, and will talk to my husband about this. I am leaning towards reserving the seats because... I just don't need this kind of thrill (not knowing where we will be sitting in the long-haul flights) in my life right now. Thank you all!
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
40 posts
I, too, am very persnickety about where I sit on a plane. But even if I weren't, I would (and always do) pay the fee to ensure my 12 year old daughter isn't sitting next to a stranger on a flight. For me, there's just no dollar sign on my peace of mind when it comes to her in these scenarios.
Posted by
Walnut Creek
233 posts
I agree with most of the others that you need to bite the bullet and pay the fee. Otherwise, your 13 year old could be sitting between two strangers far away from you. I was on a Air France flight from Paris to SF, having paid for my aisle seat. Some person, who was sitting in a middle seat of a five seat row asked if she could switch seats to be closer to her adult son. Needless to say, I declined. So think of the seat fee as another tax to pay.