Paying to sit together on flights ‘is a waste of money’

PAYING extra for airline seats to sit next to a family member is a waste of money nine times out of ten, according to a study.

Passengers are unnecessarily spending £175million paying for seats they would probably get anyway. Many customers, particularly parents, see the charges as an attempt to blackmail them into paying more. The consumer champion Which? analysed the experiences of more than 3,300 economy class passengers and found that 86 per cent were seated together without paying extra to select a seat.

Only Ryanair, which has become infamous for its add-on fees, appears to be using the strategy to wring more money from customers. Just 46 per cent of its passengers were automatically seated together if they did not pay extra. In theory, families are protected by Civil Aviation Authority guidelines, which say that airlines should ‘aim to sit parents close to children’.

However, airlines are not obliged to follow this advice. Which? asked ten airlines that operate paid-for seating options whether or not they seat families, couples and groups together.

All of them confirmed they do, other than Ryanair and Wizz Air.

Ryanair said it does not automatically split up travelling companions. It said it ‘fully complies with all EU safety regulations’. Wizz Air took the same line.