How important is it to sit next to your travelling companion when flying?

[Ghostdunks]

I dis agree. I was travelling from Dubai to Sydney with my wife and was told that we could not sit together. I was lucky the officer was kind enough to call some one and then gave us seats together. I asked Qantas to explain how could they find the seats together when there were no seats together few moments before. Qantas told me that they can not answer my question. It is very important for me that I must be seated together with my companion. You will never know who you are sitting with and most people do not like to talk to strangers. I can sit alone when I am travelling alone as there is no other alternative but how can someone say that they can be seated separately even if they are travelling with their wife.

Quite easily actually. If I'm travelling with my wife, I don't need to hold her hand the whole way, nor does she have to be next to me either. When we arrive at our destination, we'll find each other and we can go hold hands together then and walk away, happy as can be. Its preferable to be seated together, but if it can't happen, its not the end of the world, far from it. If it was my children, who needed taking care of during the flight, then its a different matter. But my wife? She's not an invalid, and doesn't need my help to sit in her seat for a few hours till we get to our destination. I'm already spending the rest of my life with her, a few hours apart won't hurt.


And if you don't like to talk to strangers, don't talk to them. Its not like you're mandated to give them your life story or even to acknowledge them. I've been on plenty of flights the last few years, and I've probably spoken to someone seated next to me maybe 10% of the time.

 

[serfty]

Quite easily actually. If I'm travelling with my wife, I don't need to hold her hand the whole way, nor does she have to be next to me either.... .

Everyone is different - my wife has a real fear of flying and if she were unable to site beside/adjacent to me she would likely refuse to travel.

 

[Ghostdunks]

Everyone is different - my wife has a real fear of flying and if she were unable to site beside/adjacent to me she would likely refuse to travel.

That's a fair enough reason, and if it was that important/crucial to her travel, then I'm sure you would make sure that is the case, probably through pre-allocation of seats. The post I was replying to, the poster didn't mention any extenuating circumstances of any sort so I can only assume there were none. In that case, my point would be that just bring married to someone(or related to someone, working with someone, other reasons why they should be seated together etc..) doesn't mean an automatic allocation of seats together or all hell will break loose. The way the post was framed, it seemed to me like it was an affront to him that he was seated separately to his wife for the trip

 

[bass_ke]

Trying something new for our next weekend off in MEL, flights staggered by 1 - 2 hrs with one in whY with bubba and one in J, swapping at SYD.

It'll be the first time that my wife has flown solo for a couple of years and her first solo in J

 

[FlyboyAl]

My wife and I flew to LA a few weeks ago - both in PE. She was on VA and I was on QF.
We departed about the same time, and arrived about the same time both ways.
We both survived, but what she didn't know until I got home was that I was upgraded to J on the leg home

 

[Chuck Solid]

Travelled MEL to LAX with United quite a few years back with my partner and her 14 year old son. Were were expecting a stopover in HNL but didn't realise that the second half of the journey would be "Domestic". We were forced to wait until the plane was almost completely full, (just like the good old days of "Standby"), and then the three of us were scattered throughout the aircraft. Certainly not the end of the world, but a disappointing start to our holiday. I s'pose it goes without saying we haven't flown with United since !!

Chuck Solid, Melbourne

 

[Bindibuys]

I would have thought that sitting apart would not be a problem with my husband. Discussed this week about us flying in different cabins for trip to UK next year. He could go in J (with friend also travelling with us) and I would do Y+ on points (I just completed 4 legs in F, so thought he should have the better cabin) But NO... we travel together was his reply.
You think I would know him better after 30 years.

 

[JohnK]

My parents have travelled to Greece together once since we arrived in Australia in 1972.

They have travelled separately on another 5-6 occasions each.

My dad travelled with me on a round world trip in 2009 and we did not have to sit next to each other on each flight although that is how I allocated the seats. On a BA flight IAD-LHR I managed to get exit row/bulkhead allocated and I chose the aisle seat for me and the middle seat for him. A petite girl was sitting in window. I was grilled by dad who told me I should have allocated aisle for me and window seat for him. :shock:

Unless someone has a real fear of flying is there a need to hold hands throughout the flight?

 

[seanpodge]

Will agree with many in this thread that it largely depends on who my travel partner is. If it's her ladyship, then it's very important, if it was just some random from work then they can sit on the wing for all I care. By and large, I think the amount of familiarity and closeness between myself and the travel partner mirrors the importance of seating arrangements.

Friends and family are a bit different. I don't have any children so that's not an issue. I generally am pretty OK with sitting apart from them, particularly if it's family since we're probably going to be very much together for the length of the holiday anyway, so a bit of alone time on board isn't too bad really. I think I'd be the same if I did have my own children once they got to a certain age/level of maturity really.

That said, all of my flying in the last four years has been solo so this really hasn't been much of an issue personally.

 

[Skyring]

Everyone is different - my wife has a real fear of flying and if she were unable to site beside/adjacent to me she would likely refuse to travel.

If you have that sort of power - to keep the plane safely aloft - I might come sit beside you too!

 

[Simo]

Depends who I am travelling with.

Partner up to her I don't mind eitehr way. If not next to here at least across the aisle.

We have been opposite ends of the AC once.

 

[legroom]

The thought of trying out 5B and 5J in lieu of 14AB together did cross my mind once.

Promptly vetoed by +1 who enjoys the occasional small talks and yes, holding her hands on take-off.

Well, next time 5B/J !