Checkin on charter airlines to Caribbean

[kbt cruiser]

We have checked in this morning for our P&O cruise on 1st December but nowhere can you checkin for the flight. To do so, you need to pay £45 each way to choose a seat (£180 total). Seems if you don’t pay this, you have to check in at the airport

[Megabear2]

4 minutes ago, kbt cruiser said:

We have checked in this morning for our P&O cruise on 1st December but nowhere can you checkin for the flight. To do so, you need to pay £45 each way to choose a seat (£180 total). Seems if you don’t pay this, you have to check in at the airport

Unfortunately that is correct.  You actually pay £90pp as you have no option but to buy returns.  Sorry.

[Sussexboy]

This seems common practice over many airlines even when booked directly, unless you wait until 48 hours (from memory, which may be defective) before departure. I must say that £45 is a bit steep though. I think we paid £18 each to select seats on a BA flight to Bucharest earlier this year.

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, kbt cruiser said:

We have checked in this morning for our P&O cruise on 1st December but nowhere can you checkin for the flight. To do so, you need to pay £45 each way to choose a seat (£180 total). Seems if you don’t pay this, you have to check in at the airport

I was late checking in so wasn't able to

 

We still had 2 seats together both there and back though when just checking  in at the airport 

 

From now on we will continue to get to the airport earlyish so we are one of the first checking in and save the 180 pounds for cocktails on the ship

 

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

2 hours ago, Sussexboy said:

This seems common practice over many airlines even when booked directly, unless you wait until 48 hours (from memory, which may be defective) before departure. I must say that £45 is a bit steep though. I think we paid £18 each to select seats on a BA flight to Bucharest earlier this year.

It's extortionate 

[kbt cruiser]

I suppose the charter airline got the contract by being cheap, and are clawing it back by charging so much for seats, and reducing the baggage allowance, even below what’s on the airlines own website.

[Megabear2]

23 minutes ago, kbt cruiser said:

I suppose the charter airline got the contract by being cheap, and are clawing it back by charging so much for seats, and reducing the baggage allowance, even below what’s on the airlines own website.

It's P&O setting the price, not the airline.  There has been a large increase by them this year and they charte it whoever the charter is from or where it's going.

Edited November 10, 2023 by Megabear2

[paularmstrong]

We have just found this out too , booked a cruise leaving Barbados flying there by chartered TUI dreamliner , paid £509 per person to fly premium but P&O could not allocate seats at time of booking because flights had not been confirmed , now they have thats an extra £180 to reserve your seats . This never happened with TUI in last two cruises . First and probably last cruise on P&O and not even there yet 

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 minutes ago, paularmstrong said:

We have just found this out too , booked a cruise leaving Barbados flying there by chartered TUI dreamliner , paid £509 per person to fly premium but P&O could not allocate seats at time of booking because flights had not been confirmed , now they have thats an extra £180 to reserve your seats . This never happened with TUI in last two cruises . First and probably last cruise on P&O and not even there yet 

Edit

 

Sorry my mistake

 

So 509 each for premium does NOT include choosing the premium seat location?

 

 

Edited November 10, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[paularmstrong]

Correct when booking with P&O not so when booking holiday or cruise through TUI . Beggars belief 

[Megabear2]

27 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Edit

 

Sorry my mistake

 

So 509 each for premium does NOT include choosing the premium seat location?

 

 

The £509 is another increase too!   It was £409.00 this year.  P&O are rather taking the PE now.

Edited November 10, 2023 by Megabear2

[Vampiress88]

On 11/10/2023 at 1:19 PM, Interestedcruisefan said:

I was late checking in so wasn't able to

 

We still had 2 seats together both there and back though when just checking  in at the airport 

 

From now on we will continue to get to the airport earlyish so we are one of the first checking in and save the 180 pounds for cocktails on the ship

 

 

if it was me and hubby I would have just taken the risk and not paid cos if I don’t sit next to him for 9hours is no issues in long run. 
but since they said that the kids could be infront, behind or at the side of me then we had to pay £360. What really bothered me is when speaking on the phone to them when booking they never said about this extra charge as we have only even flown with virgin so seat selection is included with them. 
Really p off but I doubt we will do a fly cruise again unless I book it myself with a different cruise company. Won’t be doing P&o again and we haven’t even been yet. 
im sticking to ones from Southampton 

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

if it was me and hubby I would have just taken the risk and not paid cos if I don’t sit next to him for 9hours is no issues in long run. 
but since they said that the kids could be infront, behind or at the side of me then we had to pay £360. What really bothered me is when speaking on the phone to them when booking they never said about this extra charge as we have only even flown with virgin so seat selection is included with them. 
Really p off but I doubt we will do a fly cruise again unless I book it myself with a different cruise company. Won’t be doing P&o again and we haven’t even been yet. 
im sticking to ones from Southampton 

I was under the impression they had to seat a child with one adult, ie you'd get a seat with one and your OH would get a seat with the other at the very worst.  Did they not say this?

 

Unfortunately the P&O  fly cruises to the Caribbean aren't particularly family friendly for those with younger children in my experience. Babies and teenagers deem to be okay but anyone over 2 seems to get s bit of a rough ride.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

I was under the impression they had to seat a child with one adult, ie you'd get a seat with one and your OH would get a seat with the other at the very worst.  Did they not say this?

 

Unfortunately the P&O  fly cruises to the Caribbean aren't particularly family friendly for those with younger children in my experience. Babies and teenagers deem to be okay but anyone over 2 seems to get s bit of a rough ride.

But even though these are P&O charter flights the final allocation of seats is the responsibility of the airline, and they know full well the rules and regulations.  So even with a family there is no need to pre book, and the check in staff will do their best to seat you together, or at the very least the children should be seated with one parent.

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

But even though these are P&O charter flights the final allocation of seats is the responsibility of the airline, and they know full well the rules and regulations.  So even with a family there is no need to pre book, and the check in staff will do their best to seat you together, or at the very least the children should be seated with one parent.

Exactly, but clearly it is P&O who have passed on the wrong information and in this case caused several hundreds of pounds to be spent.

[Interestedcruisefan]

5 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Exactly, but clearly it is P&O who have passed on the wrong information and in this case caused several hundreds of pounds to be spent.

I remember being on a flight once when children and parents hadn't been allocated seats together and the hostess simply asked people to volunteer to swap places to make sure they were together before the flight took off

 

All very easy and straightforward 

 

So even in the very unlikely event  the allocated seats weren't right they would sort for you I'm sure once on the plane

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Interestedcruisefan

[Travelmadoldie]

14 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

I remember being on a flight once when children and parents hadn't been allocated seats together and the hostess simply asked people to volunteer to swap places to make sure they were together before the flight took off

 

All very easy and straightforward 

 

So even in the very unlikely event  the allocated seats weren't right they would sort for you I'm sure once on the plane

 

 

But how many people would be happy to move seats when they have paid handsomely for those seats?

[yorkshirephil]

3 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I was under the impression they had to seat a child with one adult, ie you'd get a seat with one and your OH would get a seat with the other at the very worst.  Did they not say this?

 

I don't think there are general any laws/regs that say must, I think it is a case of they should. Some airlines do have policies that say they will but it can be at a cost. I do remember getting an addendum to the IATA rules whilst working with updated data from the CAA. On googling this is what the CAA state; I don't know how up to date this is as my login has expired.

Families, children and infants

The seating of children close by their parents or guardians should be the aim of airline seat allocation procedures for family groups and large parties of children.

Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.

Whenever a number of infants and children are travelling together the airline should make every effort to ensure that they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adults.

[Megabear2]

6 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

I don't think there are general any laws/regs that say must, I think it is a case of they should. Some airlines do have policies that say they will but it can be at a cost. I do remember getting an addendum to the IATA rules whilst working with updated data from the CAA. On googling this is what the CAA state; I don't know how up to date this is as my login has expired.

Families, children and infants

The seating of children close by their parents or guardians should be the aim of airline seat allocation procedures for family groups and large parties of children.

Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.

Whenever a number of infants and children are travelling together the airline should make every effort to ensure that they can be readily supervised by the responsible accompanying adults.

We had a right to do on our TUI flight to Kefalonia last year when no one would volunteer to move for a mother and children.  The pilot stated unless someone volunteered he would not take off.  Took a good 10 minutes of debate and we missed our slot so more moaning.  Being in the emergency exit rows we were turned down when we volunteered, yet I've sat with an unaccompanied child on an Easyjet flight and been asked to assist if there was an emergency.  

 

As ICF said, I assumed this was normal practice but maybe not.

[carlanthony24]

24 minutes ago, Travelmadoldie said:

But how many people would be happy to move seats when they have paid handsomely for those seats?

If we needed that to happen. Refund would happen I believe we could do it straight away. Use to be normal they had to be sat together no matter what. Guessing that has changed and just comes down to airline policy.

Edited November 13, 2023 by carlanthony24

[paularmstrong]

nine hour flight with wife not next to me , an open bar , what could possibly go wrong . every cloud .