Does United really separate parents from 2-year-olds unless you pay for seat selection?
I purchased a flight for myself and my 2-year-old about a month in advance. It is a 2-hour flight on an Embraer E175. When I try to select seats, there are no regular seats available. About half of the seats are marked “unavailable,” and the other half are Economy Plus, which would cost over $120 plus tax for both of us.
Is this a common situation where the airline is holding seats and will assign us seats together at the gate, or is this essentially forcing us to pay extra? This is my child’s first flight, and it would be extremely stressful for both of us if we were seated separately. I also don’t think anyone would want to sit next to a scared or crying toddler without the parent nearby.
For all the other flights on this trip, I was able to select seats together. This is the only flight with this issue. Should I just pay the $120 plus tax to avoid the risk, or is the airline likely to seat a parent and a 2-year-old together at the gate? It feels very unfair to have to pay extra just to sit next to my small child.