www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Interesting article about airline fees.

Preferred seating hits parents with sit-with-your-children fees

The story of a couple taking their daughter on vacation has come to national attention due to a controversial fee. John Parish and his wife Amanda, according to NBC News, thought taking their 5-year-old daughter Megan to Disney World would be a fun vacation, as so many parents do. However, American Airlines had some ideas about the seating. After booking the trip in March, Parish was informed that the flight had been switched to a larger plane but Megan was relocated to a seat five rows away, on the other side of the plane. He was then told to secure seating together, he’d have to pay an extra $60.

A number of mothers and fathers have seen some air carriers are charging more to sit down with their Ch*ldren, due to preferred seating fees. The seating charges are becoming “Sit with your children” charges. It’s been around for a little while, as a Wall Street Journal article from Nov. 2011 deals with the subject. A plane ticket guarantees that a person has a seat on the plane, but not necessarily the one they want.

After dozens upon dozens of flights on American, I can tell you this. They have been less likely to nickel and dime me than other carriers (Spirit for one). And, once on board, the flight crew has always been very accommodating if I want to change my seat. I do this all the time and get a preferred seat that nobody else was willing to pay for. And, if not that, I'm sure one word with someone seating next to the Ch*ld and they would gladly switch with one of the parents. Bottom line, once one is face to face with people, they are much nicer. So I don't see this as difficult a problem as it sounds.

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Been to Costa Rica more times than most! Been there, done that 100fold!

It's wrong in moral terms because either the fee must be paid or the passengers/flight crew have to make the accommodations necessary, and it's so avoidable by the airline given modern software AND so unavoidable by the passengers. Any other fee can be avoided with planning customer--this one, not so much.
As Blanche Dubois once said, "I have often depended upon the kindness of strangers." but why should you have to?

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Yeah I totally agree with you Jazz, from the way the story reads, this is some real bullcrap.

Yes, there is a price difference between seats. Yes the Emergency seats, Seats toward the front, Bulkhead, First Class, and whatever else seats they choose can cost more (Economy Comfort or whatever they call it).

But once they take your order & assign you 3 seats together, then they need to adhere to that.

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* These are the "Good Ole Days". Enjoy Them.

* RENT but, "Don't Buy a Home in Costa Rica" until you have lived here for THREE years.

Not a total hijack is this piece on some companies "Chief Customer Officer" who is supposed to be the advocate for customers in some firms: http://www.economist.com/node/21563295
Somewhat aligned with this is a site that can help getting an actual human on the phone--results are very YMMV:
http://gethuman.com/
Here's another: http://www.get2human.com/

Hope this helps.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED