Best way to beat poor seat assignment

Flying to MCO (PE) in a couple of weeks and getting stressed about our seating

Two Adults three kids 6 / 4 & 2

When I booked there were limited seats available and none that would place us all close together.

I spoke with CS at the time of booking and ended up doing this on the advice of the CS agent-

79 H&K Two Adults - Upstairs
80 H&K Children aged 6 & 4 Upstairs

82K - Child aged 2 Downstairs

Could be interesting handing over my 2 year old for nine hours whilst the rest of us go upstairs!!!!!!

This is obviously quiet stressful the whole idea of us sitting together is that we look after and deal with our kids during the flight, I know VS policy is to sit families together but our previous experience is that you keep getting fobbed off until you get to the airport then they have to deal with your issue not the best way to start your holiday.

I plan to do online check in dead on the dot of 1pm (VS15) my question is if I cannot get better seats ie seats where we are together what's the best solution

Your advice is welcome

1. Don’t complete on line check in and call CS to see if they can resolve it
2. Complete Online check in with the above seats then call CS to resolve
3. Don’t complete on line check in and get to the airport early in the morning to resolve
4. Complete Online check in with the above seats then get to the airport early in the morning to resolve

At what time do CS look at the seating and the penny will drops where they have allowed my two year old to be seated and we as a family are split up.

If you find out - please post!

Planning on flying to MCO next year with VS - there's four of us (2+2) and both boys have behavioural issues...

[honey lamb]

40% of seats are held back and released at OLCI for allocation. This is to enable to seat families together where possible. However it has been noted that sometimes the seats have been released prior to OLCI. I have managed to change my seat on the two occasions when I needed to, once 2 hours before OLCI and the other a massive 5 hours beforehand. That seems to be the earliest they release them as on that occasion I had looked a half an hour before and they hadn't been released then. It was only by chance I went in 30 minutes later. I would therefore suggest that you start looking at the seat map at regular intervals before OLCI opens and change your seats then and then do OLCI at the proper time.

It is worth bearing in mind that the front portion of the upper deck is held exclusively for VH passengers and that also opens up beforehand. ISTBC but I think that this may happen a couple of days before the flight but others may confirm this for you.

Hope this works out for you and with this information it should. Good luck!

It is worth bearing in mind that the front portion of the upper deck is held exclusively for VH passengers and that also opens up beforehand. ISTBC but I think that this may happen a couple of days before the flight but others may confirm this for you.

I'm not sure whether it's a couple of days before but last year when we flew to BGI we could initially only get the 79/80s, with the forward part of the cabin being completely greyed out. Having heard of the VH allocation at T-24 (+ 1 minute) I was on OLCI to see whether the front had freed up, and found that we had been subject to a sprinkling of fairy dust and had been moved to the forward part of the cabin anyway. Whether this had happened before OLCI opened, I can't say, as I'd stopped checking...

[honey lamb]

It is worth bearing in mind that the front portion of the upper deck is held exclusively for VH passengers and that also opens up beforehand. ISTBC but I think that this may happen a couple of days before the flight but others may confirm this for you.

I'm not sure whether it's a couple of days before but last year when we flew to BGI we could initially only get the 79/80s, with the forward part of the cabin being completely greyed out. Having heard of the VH allocation at T-24 (+ 1 minute) I was on OLCI to see whether the front had freed up, and found that we had been subject to a sprinkling of fairy dust and had been moved to the forward part of the cabin anyway. Whether this had happened before OLCI opened, I can't say, as I'd stopped checking...

pjh, I thought it was you that had that nugget of information but I couldn't remember where it was you were going on that occasion. Thanks

three kids 6 / 4 & 2

Unusual names.

If you find out - please post!
Planning on flying to MCO next year with VS - there's four of us (2+2) and both boys have behavioural issues...

I think the answer to your problem is 'Economy'.

I'll get my coat.

three kids 6 / 4 & 2

Unusual names.

If you find out - please post!
Planning on flying to MCO next year with VS - there's four of us (2+2) and both boys have behavioural issues...

I think the answer to your problem is 'Economy'.

I'll get my coat.

That was really helpfull ?|

Twas a joke! :#

Not worth getting stressed out by it all - there's no way they will leave a 2 year old on his/her own. Worst case scenario is one of you will sit with your children whilst the other stays downstairs, likely scenario is they will sit you all together.

I don't work for VS so am happy to be corrected, I thought one of the reasons for not releasing all seats is to allow them the flexibility to ensure families sit together.

If you're still worried, call VS and ask to speak to a supervisor or email/write and explain your concerns. I'm sure they'll sort it for you.

Enjoy Florida but be warned - it's going to be HOT!!

There is a safety issue:

Seating: Allocation : Family Groups

CAA guidelines ask airlines to develop procedures for the seat allocation of family groups, particularly when a group includes children. It is probable that family group members would seek each other out should an emergency evacuation be required, an action that could adversely affect the passenger flow rates towards emergency exits and might seriously affect the outcome of an evacuation.

Additionally, children and infants should be seated where they can be adequately supervised by an accompanying adult in the event of turbulence or a decompression in the cabin.

Airlines procedures should take into account the following factors:

Children, accompanied by adults, should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. In wide-bodied aircraft, children and accompanying adults should not be separated by more than one aisle. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults.

Seat allocation procedures for family groups and suitable seating arrangements for large parties of children should reflect the above criteria.

Whenever small numbers of infants and children are travelling together, the airline should make every effort to ensure that they are allocated seats where they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adult in both normal and abnormal conditions.

Look to put it bluntly, VS are going to keep you and your family together - especially with the age of your kids (might be different if they were teenagers) - and will move other people in order to do so.

So there is no point in worring about something that (a) you should be able to sort out at OLCI or failing that (b) at the airport.

They'll sort it out, always best to get to check in early though because if you don't and they haven't sorted it (unlikely) the staff will be able to sort it out alot quicker.
Don't check in online in them seats though, if you do that you automatically (probably without realising) are accepting them seats and are less likely to be moved.

Also, just as an FYI if it got to the point where they couldn't move you, one adult would have to sit upstairs with the kids and one adult downstairs.