Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, TUI passengers warned over swapping seat 'punishment'

Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, British Airways and TUI passengers have been warned over a "punishment" for refusing to swap seats. Passengers have been warned by a flight attendant and airline worker that people requesting to swap seats is becoming increasingly common.

The airline worker told Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, British Airways and TUI holidaymakers people requesting to swap seats happens on eight of her ten monthly flights. The flight attendant told the Wall Street Journal that when people aren’t willing to move, she tells them they will be babysitting the unaccompanied child.

“I have said before, ‘OK, so you're going to watch the toddler? You'll want their snacks and their coloring books then, because they're going to need that.’," she said. She said: “The next time you feel yourself getting angry or getting frustrated that you're not getting the seat you want, you need to remind yourself you didn't pay to pick your seat.

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"Otherwise, you'd be in it.” Mitra Amirzadeh, a flight attendant based out of Florida, says passengers who expect a specific seat should pay in advance for it. The trend of additional requests coming from couples who have been split due to the flooring plan and are sitting apart is growing, she said.

She said the requests are coming from couples who have sat separately due to additional fees for seat selection. Ryanair offers the option to purchase reserved seats or free seats, which are assigned randomly during check-in. Passengers who choose ‘random seat allocation’ can check in between 24 hours and 2 hours before the flight departure time.

It says: "We recommend that you reserve your seat when booking or when checking in to guarantee a seat beside your travel companions. If you choose not to reserve a seat, then a seat will be randomly allocated to you free of charge when checking in, but it is unlikely it will be beside your travel companions."