Unfortunately booking early has nothing to do with getting seats together and never has. Most of our holiday airlines now seem to have a pay to select your seat policy. After that, some of the flights have seats allocated 24 hrs before departure, some are allocated at check in. If you don't pay, whether you're seated together can depend a bit on how many people have already selected their seats.
TC unfortunately seem to have moved the goal posts on this issue more than once. TC tour op and travel agent will tell you a set time prior that you can do this, TC airline will let you do it practically anytime if you phone them direct. As for changing their policy - I am a bit sceptical about that excuse.

We paid in advance to book our seats with thomas cook so we could pick where we sat on the plane and to make sure we all sat together. Not that it really seemed to matter to the check in staff and cabin crew, when we got to the boarding gate and showed our tickets, the staff just looked at me puzzled and replyed, we have already boarded you ????.
Some how the check in staff had issued our seats out twice, so when we got on the plane we were told by the cabin crew there was already a family in our seats and myself, partner and 2 children aged 7 and 9 were now seated at different parts of the plane as they were the only available seats, they said they would ask around and see if passengers would be willing to move so that each adult would be able to sit with a child. At this stage i threw a huge hissy fit and told them i would not be sitting anywhere on that plane apart from the seats i had paid to sit in(whilst waving my comformation of my seats in my hand) and that the plane would not be going anywhere until that happened, it surprising how quickly they pull there finger out when you tell straight!!!!.

They went straight to the other family and told them there was a mistake and they would have to move, and offered them a complementary drink each. Eventually the plane took of but we were delayed by 35 mins due to their mistakes !!!!

vicjayhay wrote:

At this stage i threw a huge hissy fit and told them i would not be sitting anywhere on that plane apart from the seats i had paid to sit in(whilst waving my comformation of my seats in my hand) and that the plane would not be going anywhere until that happened, it surprising how quickly they pull there finger out when you tell straight!!!!.

They went straight to the other family and told them there was a mistake and they would have to move, and offered them a complementary drink each. Eventually the plane took of but we were delayed by 35 mins due to their mistakes !!!!

I love the way you still got your seats! It always worries me that if we pay for & prebook seats, but then get to the check in desk and they have been allocated to someone else!

Last October we went to Cyprus (again) with TC. The holiday was booked 49 weeks prior to our going. When we flew from Manchester I was in 1D and my wife in 24D - The crew were great when I spoke with them and moved us so we were together. Talking to a transfer rep I was told that the seat allocation is done in the UK and there really was no excuse for it.
On return I enetered into a long correspondence with TC and suggested to them that they were actually seperating people - it must be obvious that Mr & Mrs on the same booking would wish to be seated together - so they could force people into pre booking. This was denied in the reply but I do not belive it for one moment.
As a point of interets I have said in the past people really should think before filling in those questioners. When it asks a question always when you reply state you would not be willing to pay extra.

fwh

This prob has been aired before wrt TC http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=148650

vicjayhay wrote:

At this stage i threw a huge hissy fit and told them i would not be sitting anywhere on that plane apart from the seats i had paid to sit in(whilst waving my comformation of my seats in my hand) and that the plane would not be going anywhere until that happened, it surprising how quickly they pull there finger out when you tell straight!!!!.

They went straight to the other family and told them there was a mistake and they would have to move, and offered them a complementary drink each. Eventually the plane took of but we were delayed by 35 mins due to their mistakes !!!!

With a different outcome...

ATB,J.

merseygull
I read the whole of that thread at the time, and I thought (and said as much) that JMK had been treated appallingly.

fwh
We flew to Bodrum with TC from Stansted in June 2009 and we were among the first to check-in.
We asked for window seats and were told the seats were pre-allocated for best fit the previous evening and we had aisle seats which couldn't be changed.
How early did you check-in for the outbound flight?

We've never paid for 'seats together' and have never been sat apart but we do always get to the airport early.

About 2-1/2 hours - We tend to go early these days after we got stuck in a traffic jam at 7.00am and arrived just as the gate was closing a few years back. According to the rep seats are allocated by TC and then sent to the airport. I am still of the opinion that it is a deliberate ploy to get people to pay. Coming back we were seated together without asking and we were late at the airport as the pick up was delayed.

fwh

And remember MY experience?

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=145081&p=1466714#p1466714

ATB,J.

Hi there, I would just like to add my take on this subject. 2 years ago I paid for premium cabin (£540) and then paid a further £60 nearer departure to choose seat numbers. I did this firstly because i am terrified of flying and secondly I wanted to sit in a middle set of 3 seats together with my husband and young son. I printed off seat booking which I took to airport with me, and guess what when we checked in we got 3 seats split accross an aisle. I complained at check in desk and showed them my email with seat numbers on and they were not intrested !!!! Luckily when we boarded plane the people whose seats we had been given had been allocated my reserved seats so we swopped and all was good, and a sharp word with FC rep in resort sorted our correct seats on return leg. Moral of story its not worth paying extra for seat numbers because it does say in small print they can change them anyway !!!!

You would have thought i would have learnt my lesson from that scenario but no, I decided to pay for my seat numbers again this year when I booked and lo and behold they have changed the palne and put in an extra row and I am now sat in a totally unsuitable seat for nine and half hours this time courtesey of TC . Sorrry for the long post but just wanted to let people know even wasting extra money on seat numbers does not guarantee you a seat of your choice........

I must be one of the lucky few. Of the few occasions that I've pre-booked seat numbers, I've always been allocated the correct seats with no problems.

We've never paid for 'seats together' and have never been sat apart but we do always get to the airport early.

We never used to pre book our seats because like yourselves we're always either first or within the first 3 or 4 parties to check-in and therefore had no probs requesting preferred seats at check-in. However, the airlines have been allocating seats to passengers at least 24 hours before check-in for the last few years, so now it really doesn't matter whether you're first or last to check-in.

I'm like you Shirley. We've always had the seat numbers we've booked.

dinnerlady - If you booked with FC for premium there isn't any extra to pay for allocated seat numbers. It is included in the upgrade price.

I was wondering if you have a better chance of sitting together if you have a meal booked, as meals are seated at the front. On our recent TC flight meals were included in our package and we were seated near the front of the plane (3 seats together). A young family had been split up and they were trying to sit them together.On the return, TC messed up our transfer and were waiting to close check in. We were the last 3 to check in but were seated next to each other again at the front of the plane.

Probably just lucky but it did make me think.

Sunaddict wrote:

I'm like you Shirley. We've always had the seat numbers we've booked.

dinnerlady - If you booked with FC for premium there isn't any extra to pay for allocated seat numbers. It is included in the upgrade price.

Thats what I thought :confused:

When we booked premium upgrade two and half years ago you still had to pay extra for seat numbers, only a couple of months later they changed it

I never pay for seats together. Only once in the last 5 years or so that i can recall that we were split up. We were split as the only two seats together were exit seats. Great we thought. Until check in saw my arm in a splint (recovering from a nasty broken arm and 2 ops later). They said my partner could sit there but i wouldnt be able too. so they moved someone (they got a call out) and I was put up the front of the plane on my own. i couldn't help but think they could have moved another couple instead of splitting up another couple. this was TC. either way, the other half was happy! he got a extra leg room seat and peace for 4 hours from me

After a huge kerfuffle because the travel agent stuffed up our return air tickets from Singapore to Melbourne with Singapore Airlines we were upgraded at the 11th hour to business class in the last 2 remaining BC seats. I'm a bad flyer and take pills to get me on a plane. Unfortunately, the 2 seats were not together so the purser said he'd do his best. He asked a little old lady who was travelling alone to move and she willingly moved to allow us to sit together. Then this young woman stood over me and said "You're in my seat" (nice little old lady had sat in the wrong seat lol) Purser came back and asked the young woman nicely to stand aside while he sorted it out. Result was that we remained in our seats... the nice old lady was happy where she was and the young woman was upgraded to first class, how lucky was she !!

We never used to pre book our seats because like yourselves we're always either first or within the first 3 or 4 parties to check-in and therefore had no probs requesting preferred seats at check-in. However, the airlines have been allocating seats to passengers at least 24 hours before check-in for the last few years, so now it really doesn't matter whether you're first or last to check-in.

Shirley - not all airlines do this even now.

Monarch certainly don't, so getting to the airport early is still a good idea depending who you are flying with.

After a huge kerfuffle because the travel agent stuffed up our return air tickets from Singapore to Melbourne with Singapore Airlines we were upgraded at the 11th hour to business class in the last 2 remaining BC seats. I'm a bad flyer and take pills to get me on a plane. Unfortunately, the 2 seats were not together so the purser said he'd do his best. He asked a little old lady who was travelling alone to move and she willingly moved to allow us to sit together. Then this young woman stood over me and said "You're in my seat" (nice little old lady had sat in the wrong seat lol) Purser came back and asked the young woman nicely to stand aside while he sorted it out. Result was that we remained in our seats... the nice old lady was happy where she was and the young woman was upgraded to first class, how lucky was she !!

It's a pity they didn't upgrade the 'nice old lady' to First Class and leave the young lady in Business Class.

We have been on numerous package deals with thomas cook over the last few years and have never paid the extra to "guarantee" our seats. We have never been seated away from each other, either when travelling as a couple or as a family with children. We met a couple once when flying back from marsa alam who were furious that they had paid for their seats but were seated apart. To be honest we had always thought we had been lucky but we were quite late checking in for our flight to kefalonia last august and as it was our honeymoon our only request at check in was that we were seated together. The lady at the check in was quite rude and said it was likely it wouldn't be possible. However, she then went on to tell us that as we weren't having the in flight meal our seats had already been allocated as they seat all those having the meal at the front end of the aircraft to make it easier for the cabin crew!! We never opt for the meal and maybe this explains why we have never had a problem being seated together.

I have never paid to sit together and have never been separated. Normally we travel as a family of 4 and one of us sits across the aisle from the other 3 (usually me cos I don't mind sitting with other people). I think the travel companies create this fear that you are going to be separated just to sell the seats. I have noticed the past couple of years they have try to get us to buy special luggage labels where you can track your cases if they go missing, its just yet another way of making money.