Summer holiday warning for anyone with a BA, Virgin or Tui flight booked who want to sit together for free
FLY AWAY Summer holiday warning for anyone with a BA, Virgin or Tui flight booked who want to sit together for free
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
FAMILIES flying with British Airways, Virgin and Tui this summer have been warned about a hidden trick that allows them to sit together for free.
Holidaymakers can end up forking out hundreds to sit together on flights, with airlines encouraging families or groups to block book rows of seats for an extra fee.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Some families fork out hundreds of pounds extra to sit together on flights
Credit: Alamy
However, MoneySavingExpert.com has warned families that they may be unnecessarily paying these fees when certain airlines will let you sit together for free.
"A family of four could have to stump up £250+ to book seats to sit together on return flights," the website's experts said.
But they added that "you may be able to do it for free" with several big airlines, including British Airways, Virgin and Tui.
However, they warned that the trick may not apply to Ryanair customers, saying "even we struggle to find a way to overcome Ryanair's charges".
How to sit together for free
The key thing to remember if you want to sit together for free is to check in early.
"With most airlines, if you DON'T pay and just check in online as early as you can, you WILL get to sit with the rest of your group – as long as seats are still available," according to MoneySavingExpert.com.
The consumer champions says that all major airlines bar Ryanair will always try to seat groups on the same booking together.
However, they also warn that there is no guarantee you'll all be sat together, and you'll need to pay if you want that peace of mind.
"But if you're willing to take a small risk to save some cash, this is a no-brainer," they add.
If you're travelling with kids and are worried you might be split up, most airlines guarantee that children will get to sit next to at least one adult, even if you don't pay extra.
Popular Italian holiday hotspot bans walking barefoot, booze & picnics with rules-breaking tourists facing hefty fines
British Airways, Tui and Virgin Atlantic all guarantee that children under 12 will be sat with at least one adult in their group.
Meanwhile, British Airways also lets you choose a seat free of charge if you're travelling with a child under 2.
Wizz Air and American Airlines guarantee that children under 15 will be sat with at least one adult in their group.
Jet2 says it always tries to sit children under 12 next to adults in their booking, but they can't always guarantee it.
If you can't sit right beside them, you'll be sat no more than one row away.
EasyJet says its booking system tries to sit families together, but if it can't then it will make sure that children under 12 are sat close to an adult from their booking.
If you're travelling with Ryanair in a group with children under 12, the airline makes it compulsory for at least one adult in the group to make a seat reservation, which start from £4.50.
You can then reserve seats for free for up to four children.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
a few seconds ago
- South Wales Argus
Sainsbury's adds pizza to meal deals as shoppers delighted
Making a change to supermarkets' normal offering of sandwiches, wraps, salad and pasta, Sainsbury's is now offering customers a slice of the Italian dish. Shoppers can now buy the pizza as a snack in the three-piece meal deal combo, which also includes a drink and a main. The pizza is served from Sainsbury's bakery section and can also be bought as a single item for £1.20. Sainsbury's shoppers delighted as pizza added to meal deal Sainsbury's is offering a range of pizza flavours, including Tomato, Cheese and Onion, Tomato and Mozzerella and Red Onion and Cheese. On the Facebook Group, Man Behaving Dadly, one Sainsbury shopper shared their discovery, writing: "Fun fact. Sainsbury's allows you to have a mini pizza as a 'snack' in a meal deal if you don't fancy crisps or chocolate or whatever. I forgot to measure it, but it was easily 8-10 inches long." Reacting to the pizza, one Facebook user wrote: "That's a huge 'snack' to include in a meal deal!" Recommended Reading It looks like Sainsbury's is not the only retailer offering a twist to the meal deal, as one Facebook user shared their experience in the Co-op: "Yeah, a few have some mad stuff in there now, Co-op has Cheese Twists and those pesto tomato orb things." A second user said you can now get ice cream as part of the meal deal on offer at Tesco: "With the Tesco meal deal, you can have an ice cream as a snack at the moment - even the fancy Magnums (Magna?) are included! Happy days." A meal deal from Sainsbury's costs between £3.95 for standard of preimum at £5.
The Independent
a few seconds ago
- The Independent
A tourist's guide to getting the best out a short break in New York
From the dizzying heights of One Vanderbilt, New York City unfolds beneath, a mesmerising tapestry of yellow cabs navigating twinkling lights and towering concrete. Perched 368 metres above ground on the city's fourth-tallest skyscraper, the observation deck offers a breathtaking, if slightly unnerving, introduction to Manhattan's immense scale. As the city marks its 400th year, its dynamic pulse is palpable, a vibrant cultural melting pot drawing people from every corner of the globe. First established as New Amsterdam in the 1620s by Dutch colonists, the relatively small settlement grew rapidly during the 18th century following multiple waves of immigration. Cultural amalgamation has shaped New York, a city comprised of five boroughs all with a unique history and appeal. Its most famous district is Manhattan, an area dotted with historical landmarks of a scale that produce feelings of dizzying awe. Eager to delve into the past while discovering what the future holds, I'm visiting for a short break. Waking up in the thick of the action Jumping onto my hotel bed after a long flight, I turn my eyes to the window and catch a glimpse of the jewel in the crown of the skyline. Once the tallest building in the city, the Empire State Building, renowned for its distinctive art deco facade, is an emblem of New York ambition, a reminder of a time when the city represented luxury, glamour and exuberance. A highlight of staying at the NH Collection on Madison Avenue is gazing at the remarkable views of the city. Situated in a century-old red-brick building, the hotel is a cosy haven in the heart of the action that charms with its period features and sophisticated decor. Attached to the property is Italian restaurant Serafina, which provides a relaxed setting for a buffet breakfast and a lively dining experience for the evening. The hotel's overall design scheme is mid-century modern with little decorative flourishes that transport you back into 1950s New York – including typewriters and historical knick-knacks. Walking and dining through time Nearby, the High Line is a walkway that places you at eye-level with the buildings of Manhattan. The space, featuring swathes of greenery, was built on a historic freight rail line abandoned in the 1980s. As I walk through the 'park in the sky', I admire art installations and architecture, at moments catching the scent of flowers or freshly-baked bread from nearby bagel shops. I then make my way to Chelsea Market, a centre of food and retail in the city's Meatpacking District. The High Line trains once delivered produce to the wholesale butchers of the area, which are now swathes of pungent eateries, a foodie's idea of heaven. Opting for a more luxurious lunch, I dine at the rooftop restaurant at RH New York, another spot that boasts views of the Manhattan skyline. Mixing Mediterranean-style cuisine with American touches, the lunch menu offers grilled meats, signature salads and caviar three different ways. Proof there's much more to the restaurant scene than chips and burgers, abcV is a plant-based restaurant from Jean-Georges Vongerichten. I visit for the evening, enjoying the clean, white aesthetic and plates of impressive vegetables. Places like this are representative of New York as a whole, welcoming the new while paying tribute to the old, with dishes influenced by the people and places who make the city what it is. Exploring the neighbourhoods An area of New York steeped in tradition is the Bronx. The Ramirez brothers, who run the Bronx Beer Hall, are helping to change perceptions of the borough, which was often portrayed as being dangerous in the 1980s and 1990s. Their beer hall in Arthur Avenue Retail Market welcomes both tourists and locals; old men roll cigars at the front of the venue and locals sell deli meats further back. As the city's financial district, Manhattan offers a more polished experience compared to the Bronx, but both are equally impressive. In fact, each borough offers something unique. While Queens is known for its international food scene and arty neighbourhoods, Staten Island has a more relaxed feel to it, dressed with green spaces that act as an escape from the throng of the city. There's also Brooklyn with its trendy coffee shops and historic brownstone buildings that attract Instagram influencers looking for their next best picture. On my last day in the city, I visit Central Park, an iconic green space that acts as an oasis within the metropolis. I recognise this park from films and TV shows; Friends, Home Alone 2, and Enchanted are just some that come to mind as I sit on a bench and eat a bagel packed to the brim with fillings. Reflecting on my short stay, I wonder how long it would take for me to explore every brownstone building, skyscraper, bagel shop, museum and park. Wildly different in so many ways, New York also has also carved out a distinctive identity over the years. All too often, fact never lives up to fiction – but New York is just as wonderful as I hoped it would be. How to plan your trip
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Breakingviews - Berlusconis test investor faith in pan-European TV
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The fight for control over 1.8-billion-euro German broadcaster ProSiebenSat 1 Media ( opens new tab is starting to look like a tug of war. With its newest offer, opens new tab on Monday, Italy's MFE-MediaForEurope (MFE) ( opens new tab looks to have gained the upper hand. The question now is whether the target's shareholders buy into the pan-European vision of the bidder's controlling Berlusconi clan, which means believing some chunky estimated cost cuts and revenue boosters. MFE, the 1.8-billion-euro TV group controlled by the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, back in March made an initial lowball bid for the roughly 70% of ProSieben that it doesn't already own. The cash-and-shares offer was worth about 5.7 euros. Czech media investor PPF, which has a 15% stake in the German target, subsequently launched an all-cash counterbid of 7 euros per share, partly to resist the Berlusconis. The Italians' counter came on Monday, with an increase to the stock-based component of the offer. After accounting for a 6% selloff in the bidder's relevant share class, the new price is 7.93 euros per ProSieben share, with almost three-fifths in the form of cash and just over two-fifths equity, based on Breakingviews calculations. The German group's shares shot up to within a whisker of the offer. The bidder's chief executive, Pier Silvio Berlusconi, maintains that he's not seeking total control of ProSieben. Rather, he's seeking 'the flexibility to provide clear direction based on a shared vision'. That hasn't stopped MFE from modelling the savings on offer from a full combination, which it pegs at 419 million euros of additional operating profit by 2029. Just under half of this would come from revenue initiatives, such as positioning the enlarged group as a partner for big cross-border advertisers. The rest comes from slashing up to 3% of combined costs, for example by unifying advertising sales and technology operations. The returns could be nice, if that vision plays out. Add MFE's 419-million-euro estimate of the benefits to ProSieben's forecast 331 million euros of operating profit by 2029, using analyst forecasts gathered by Visible Alpha. After deducting tax at 30%, the total bottom-line boost to the bidder would be 525 million euros, or 16% of the purchase price after factoring in the target's net debt – a nice return by any standard. If investors believed those numbers, however, MFE's shares would be up rather than down. The consensus among bankers, analysts and investors has traditionally been that cross-border benefits are hard to come by in European television. Whether Spanish audiences will take a sudden interest in, say, German reality-TV programmes seems doubtful. With its beefed-up partly share-based bid, MFE is essentially putting that proposition before ProSieben shareholders. It's a bold bet on a potentially sketchy idea. Follow Jennifer Johnson on Bluesky, opens new tab and LinkedIn, opens new tab.
