Sitting together - Family international AirNZ

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CokemonZ

1047 posts

Uber Geek

#315464 19-Jul-2024 11:41

My family and I (2 Adults 4 Kids) are going to the US later this year.

To choose seats AirNZ want to charge us $19 a seat. We don't care where we sit, just want to be together.

Will they do this by default? Or will we be spread all over the plane? Online booking, so haven't spoken to anyone.

Interesting side note - the connecting united airlines flight has assigned us seats together.

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#3261400 19-Jul-2024 11:57

I imagine it depends a lot on how full the flight is.

If you are booking a long way ahead and the plane is empty, it will probably try and book them in a block (or row).

Six seats is probably quite a lot to block book. Can you pay the money to select seats after you have booked if they are not the seats you want?

Seem to recall you usually get shown the auto selected seats and the seating plan shows other seats and how much it might cost to select them instead.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

wellygary

8260 posts

Uber Geek

#3261405 19-Jul-2024 12:25

How old are kids?? Pretty sure they can't legally sit minors without a non parent/guardian

I would give them a ring, tell them you don't want to select seats but just to find out what the process is for kids seating flying international?

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#3261415 19-Jul-2024 12:44

Most likely, you will end up in separate places "to balance the plane"

A small fee will magically "balance the plane" and put you together.

johno1234

2736 posts

Uber Geek

#3261423 19-Jul-2024 13:17

If you check in together at the airport they will put you together unless the plane is so full that they can't. If you have young children they will move people if necessary to put them with a parent.

CokemonZ

1047 posts

Uber Geek

#3261446 19-Jul-2024 14:13

freitasm:

Most likely, you will end up in separate places "to balance the plane"

A small fee will magically "balance the plane" and put you together.

Lol - this was my worry.

See other comment above, thats what I was hoping, that there is a level of sensibleness to this.

I guess I will give them a call to make sure, but this seems incredibly dumb.

bagheera

539 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3261448 19-Jul-2024 14:29

a: 6 seats in a row is alot

b: there are some seats people like more than others - ie Aisle vs middle

c: if someone has paid for their seat, they are not going to move just because you are being cheap

if you want to sit together, then pay for it or you run the risk of 6 random seats.

noroad

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#3261452 19-Jul-2024 14:42

CokemonZ:

My family and I (2 Adults 4 Kids) are going to the US later this year.

To choose seats AirNZ want to charge us $19 a seat. We don't care where we sit, just want to be together.

Will they do this by default? Or will we be spread all over the plane? Online booking, so haven't spoken to anyone.

Interesting side note - the connecting united airlines flight has assigned us seats together.

Um, you have paid for flights to the US for 6 people and $114 to sit where you want is even a question? That's a small drop compared to all the rest, just pay it and move on I would suggest.

https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Air_New_Zealand/Air_New_Zealand_Boeing_777-300_V2.php

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Ruphus

464 posts

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#3261455 19-Jul-2024 15:05

You'll probably end up being split into two groups of three with an adult and 2 children.

hairy1

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#3261460 19-Jul-2024 15:30

Are you sure you are being charged to select any seat on the aircraft? The seats further back in the aircraft should be free to seat select.

We normally break up into a 3 and a 2 sitting behind each other for the 5 of us which works really well (rather than all in a row)

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

richms

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#3261467 19-Jul-2024 15:55

So many reddit threads about entitled people with kids wanting others to give up their seats to suit their cheapness with not paying to get them by each other, and the comments normally roast the cheap parents. Why would it go any different on here?

Richard rich.ms

trig42

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#3261470 19-Jul-2024 16:03

hairy1:

Are you sure you are being charged to select any seat on the aircraft? The seats further back in the aircraft should be free to seat select.

We normally break up into a 3 and a 2 sitting behind each other for the 5 of us which works really well (rather than all in a row)

I've just checked for a couple of flights we've got coming up next year - flight to Hong Kong has no free seats in seat select (cheapest is $30). Flight SYD-AKL has a heap of free seats.

It may be that the flight to HKG is codeshare (we are booked on Cathay but flying on AirNZ tin). Both bookings show in the AirNZ app.

freitasm

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#3261477 19-Jul-2024 16:21

richms:

So many reddit threads about entitled people with kids wanting others to give up their seats to suit their cheapness with not paying to get them by each other, and the comments normally roast the cheap parents. Why would it go any different on here?

Because the OP asked for advice and the advice could go two ways: "Call to see what happens if you don't buy the seat allocations" or "Buy the seat allocations and don't worry about it any more".

Anything else (the "roasting") would go completely against the values we have here.

Eva888

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#3261482 19-Jul-2024 16:40

I don’t think it’s being entitled expecting your kids to sit with you on an international flight that you’ve paid plenty for. It’s common sense and if the airlines make passengers pay to ensure a seat together that’s a cheap shot by the airline and the victims are the parents. So the airline can find you a seat together, only if you pay them extra? Not on!

nova

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#3261492 19-Jul-2024 17:12

Personally I'd pay for the seat select. The other option is Koru membership which gives free seat select for the whole booking, but it is a bit expensive now. Reaching gold status also works. I'm flying Cathay Pacific later in the year, and the seat select was even worse, roughly $800 for 2 adults and 2 kids for 4 sectors. Their seat price depends on the seat, CHC-HKG is $74 for a middle seat, $84 for an aisle seat and $79 for a window. Preferred seats are $97. So hopefully that makes you feel better. Definitely agree it is a rort, but unfortunately charging for extras is the way the airline industry has been moving for some time.

SpartanVXL

1270 posts

Uber Geek

#3261575 19-Jul-2024 19:35

If you book together then it will pick the largest available block when checking in. For a group of four it ended up being 3+1, three together and one on the next row.

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