United Airlines Changed Our Family's Flight Details

I feel certain a person would be able to help you get seats together
if you call. I am most certain they would not wish your children to
be sitting alone. Like others have said this was a computer. They
would not want others to have to baby sit your children.

Last year on Delta, a flight I had selected months in advance canceled
two weeks prior to departure. The airline rebooked me on a flight
that the airport even states takes a minimum for 40 minutes to change
planes on the ground. I had less than 30 per their rebooking of me.
I had been to the airport before and knew it would not work. I simply
called and was given many different options.

I did not feel I was owed anything for having to make a phone call.
It was quick and simple. The agent that I called agreed it would not
have worked.

As someone else said maybe you can change your seats online!

Have you tried pulling up your itinerray on the united website and
changing the seat assignments yourself?

I think this sucks. No reasonable adult would expect a young child
(age 4?!?!!) to sit alone without his/her parents. What if someone
victimized the kid? NOT LIKELY, I know, but I don't know many parents
who would let their young kid sit with total strangers like that.

There almost should be a law that if a parent asks to sit next to
his/her minor child, the airline HAS to accommodate it. I don't care
if you have to split up newlyweds on their way to their honeymoon: A
small kid will want/need to be next to mom or dad.

The CRJ 700 has 2-2 Seating (2 seats on each side of the aisle)

Here is what I would request at the gate:
Row X
Youngest Child XA
Parent XB
2 Other Childen XD XE
Other Parent YB or YD

It was a computer assignment, and all aisle seats is a blessing on a
CRJ7, as it can be pretty cramped, but they are kids so they dont
matter. And it also is a much nicer aircraft than the 737. It should
be pretty easy to get corrected however.

As I'm sure you are aware, the airlines are experiencing a lot of
problems due to the high cost of fuel. As a result, they are
consolidating flights or cancelling them all together.

You are right, whoever made this change does not have kids. The seat
assignments were made by a computer. You mention chat operators. Did
you attempt to resolve this via some kind of "live chat" online? If
so, it might be best to actually call and speak to someone. If you
did speak to someone and got nowhere, I suggest you get to the airport
extra, extra early so you can try to resolve this at check in. You
may also find one or two passengers willing to change seats especially
since you have all aisle seats and many people prefer them. I know I
do and I would change with you.

Good luck!

David, what you do have here is an opportunity to show UA that their
computer generated program that delegates seating and flight changes.


If the youngest were not 4yrs old (and may be traumatized sitting
without a parent) I would leave everything as is and when you were
seated in sequential rows in seats "B" this will surely raise a
question with the flight attendant(s) and they will be hurrying around
trying to make other arrangements. And you will be explaining how
futile it was trying to get the seating changed so a parent could sit
with the children.
But this of course is not fair to the other passengers so I hope UA
can fix this dilema prior to departure.
Please keep us posted.

David C.,

I see some of your concern but I don't think it rates 5,000 UAL
miles.

There is probably a computer program that sorts and arranges seating
when equipment is changed. Therefore I doubt that your assumption
about whomever made this change does not have kids.

In the event you don't get this fixed by the time you arrive at the
aiport I am sure you could put a dent in your problem at the gate or
via trades with other passengers once onboard.

Not knowing the kids ages maybe you can turn this into an adventure
and a confidence builder for your kids.

BillR.