A few months ago, I blogged about the terribly family-unfriendly seating policies of American Airlines. When I booked a last minute trip on Delta earlier this week, I was faced with what looked like a similar problem… an airplane with lots of empty middle seats and no two seats together available to book anywhere on the plane. I called Delta immediately after booking my reservation to see if they could manually obtain two seats together at any location so that my 3 1/2 year old could sit next to me. The representative I talked to let me in on a great tip… call back within 7 days before your flight, as that is when “family seating” is released by Delta’s system. These are seats that Delta blocks off near the back of the plane to be able to seat parents and children together.
I’m happy to report that I called back today and got two seats together. These were seats that were unavailable to me to book online, so don’t be afraid to call within the 7 day window if you find yourself in a similar situation with Delta. I must admit that the seats I received weren’t great (they are in the next to last row of the plane), but this is totally acceptable for a situation where I knowingly booked last minute travel with my child. It is mainly just nice to have the peace of mind that my daughter will be sitting with me rather than worrying how I will sort this problem out on the day of travel at the airport. A cautious thumbs up for Delta.
Friday Blog Roundup: Best of the Family Travel Blogs, October 31, 2014
Friday 31st of October 2014
[…] on your next flight. It is harder than you might think! (Read my tales of woe on American and Delta, and my happier experience on Alaska). The bottom line — you have to be proactive at every […]
Unexpected Airline Fees: How Families Can Avoid Excessive Charges | Trips with Tykes
Tuesday 2nd of July 2013
[…] right way to handle this dilemma, but see my posts on my own personal experience with American and Delta. I try to get at least two seats together (usually near the back of the plane where there may be […]
Getting Seating with Your Kids on Alaska Airlines | Trips with Tykes
Friday 12th of April 2013
[...] be separated from us. After my woes with American’s kid-unfriendly seating policy (and my ultimately-successful but nevertheless stressful experience with Delta), I was not thrilled at the prospect of having to monitor these reservations continuously in the [...]
Jenny Oliver
Saturday 26th of January 2013
That's fabulous to know! Thank you for the info. I find myself in the same situation all of the time. I'm glad Delta blocks out a family area in economy. I'm sometimes so desperate(I'm usually traveling internationally on looooong flights) I upgrade my ticket to economy plus and there is more of a chance for us to get our seats together. And hey, I'm sure the person that is flying next to your 3 1/2 year old son will move. People are usually nice on the plane to families. Especially if you have an aisle seat :). The last time I flew on United from Australia to the US I sat next to a mom of 5. They sat all of her kids in all different parts of the plane!! What a nightmare. I'm glad it all worked out for you. Good luck on your flight.
andrea
Friday 25th of January 2013
Interesting. We fly on Delta often with our kids and have never had a problem booking seats together, it sounds like we are lucky. So glad it worked out, I know some people have issues with Delta but I always find them pretty accommodating.