So Thursday we're flying Melbourne to London. The last time we did this our bubba was a tiny 6 month old, and it was just a simple case of getting a bassinet seat, but this time round we have a 22 month old now. We haven't paid for a seat for her, so we've got 2 seats. Has anyone else done this and know the best seat selection to maximise the chance of getting an extra seat spare? I just had a look at the seat map on Qantas, and there is either one 4 seater in the middle that's completely free at this moment in time, or a couple of 3 seaters on the side. I was thinking I could be ambitious and try and book 2 seats of the 4, in the hope that we might have a whole row to ourselves? Or am I more likely to get lucky by opting for the 3 seater and be happy with 1 spare (assuming even that happens).

Any tips?

Thanks.

Well, strategising to bag an extra seat? Difficult, since Qantas would obviously be trying to pack the plane. Actually, it's probably Emirates, given the incompetence of Joyce.

Desirability of the seats tend to go:

• Window
• Isle
• Middle outside 3
• Middle 2 inside 4
• away from the bulkhead (and the screaming kids)
• not right at the back.

Thus you might find your best chance is an isle and a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft, although just back from the bulkhead in those positions might be good too. The threes tend to get filled with couples and singletons.

If it were me I would book her her own seat. The last few times I've flown overseas the flights were full. Very unlikely you'll get a whole row of 4 to yourselves, so if you don't want to book a seat for the baby I'd opt for the row of 3 option and take the window and centre seats so if the other seat is occupied they aren't waking the baby every time they get up to go to the loo.

hi,

if it was me, I'd plump for the two seats in three at the side, although this is only based on limited recent long-haul experience.

The difference between paying $220 and $2200, so a gamble, but one we kind of had to take when $2k is at stake. Of course if we don't get a spare seat I may look back and think, "why didn't I book an extra seat!". Time will tell on that one....

Hmmm, your helpful "favoured seat" order would indicate taking 2 of the 4 then, albeit for different reasons to my greed at hoping for a row to myself.

The idea of having a 22month sitting on a lap for 24+ hours makes me shudder a lot. However if I had to I'd go for two in the three I think.

Chances are one of you will be walking around with the child 90% of the time anyway so maybe it doesn't matter.

I recently went up to Asia for a holiday with wife and 9 month old. Jetstar (unfort Qantas didn't fly up there) kindly gave us a 3 seater with a spare for the little fella to lay out on in both directions. If the plane was full it would not have happened.

You could try booking a seat at the least popular rear of the plane, you on the window, wife on the aisle. If the plane is full and some poor bugger gets plonked in the middle, you can always give up your window or aisle for them. I've never met anyone who selects a middle seat out of choice for a long haul.

I agree with previous poster. Book two seats with a 'spare' in-between. Maybe in the centre 4 seats book D and F, leaving E and G spare. If one of those seats is left vacant you are in luck, if the flight is full then just swap with the passenger sat between you. This option would increase your chances too compared to Window and Aisle.

My reasoning is that the window seats always go, and next to them, the aisle.

So if you went for, say, the window and middle seats in a 3, it's very likely the aisle would be occupied. Similarly for the aisle and middle. And if you went full psycho and went for window and aisle - you can bet that some poor sod would be lumbered with the middle seat and thus the worst of all worlds.

Whereas, if you went two out of the four in the middle, there is a tolerable chance that only the other aisle might be occupied, giving you the adjacent middle seat.

Either way, make sure the kid screams when people are getting seated, so the hosties want to get your kid away from complaining other passengers

Making me shudder too lol. But when we thought about the trip, the idea behind flying now was the fact that from July she's an adult fare. Time will tell if my gamble will come back to bite me on the ass!

I like your logic. Yes I'm kind of hoping that any solo passenger would ask to move anyway, so even if we're not lucky initially with seating, surely nobody in their right mind would want to sit next to a toddler for 24 hours! Again it does boil down to it not being a full flight though...

Then you have the argument about who takes the adjacent seat. Now for a 22 hour flight, if the adjacent was free at take off, then some fatty squeezed in after take off to give little Johnny a free ride to London, you'd be pissed.

Best off in the 3, window and aisle, kindly offering up the aisle or window should someone else get forced to take the middle.

Thats if there is anywhere to move to of course...... I usually get the MEL-LHR flight, and at this time of year I have seen both extremes on occasion - full to bursting point, and 2/3 empty.

Incidentally, I would be impressed if you have a wide choice of seats at this point if you re on QF9 this week - the seating is pretty limited on mine and thats not till mid July. I always try and pick seats as far ahead as possible.
Good luck

On my (and my husband's) last few Qantas fights I would bank on nothing being spare and, like Dorothy, fork out for a seat. If I were the third person in a 3 some with a pair plus a wriggling infant I would be mightily pissed I think! There haven't been spare places on QF 9 when we've been on it!