Does it state at all what fare class your tickets are?
Fare codes (or booking code) are usually a single letter and would be somewhere on the full receipt, unless you used an online travel agency that hides these things (as some apparently do). There are probably a dozen fare codes within economy, based on discounts and restrictions (not all of which are available on every flight). Knowing how your ticket was coded would allow looking up what restrictions there might be on your itinerary.
I doubt this is it, but one thing I just discovered when I booked basic economy for an international flight is that if you are traveling with a child, they will let you choose your seats for free, even with a basic economy ticket. This was on Singapore Airlines, though. So I donât know if that applies to you.
Different airlines have different definitions of basic economy. Some, for example, allow a free carry-on bag while others donât. I believe AA policy is to not let you choose your seats for free in basic economy, but to guarantee that at least one adult in your party will be seated next to your child.
So with one adult and two kids, youâre automatically getting 3 seats together?
Maybe? I have no idea of the exact implementation of that policy.
There is no regulation in the US guaranteeing this. I think everyonesâ official policy is âweâll tryâ.
I learned this when flying to Italy without seat assignments with my family. I tried the âyouâre going to make my kids sit alone on a 12 hour flight?â and they were like âoh, Iâm sure we wonât actually do that.â And it worked out just fine.
This is the explicit policy at American Airlines.
If youâre a family traveling with children under 15, and do not already have seats assigned, our system will search for seats together automatically before the day of departure. Weâll try our best to keep you together, but if seats are limited, weâll assign seats so children under 15 are next to at least 1 adult.
You got a basic economy ticket to Italy?
Iâm sure I posted about it at the time, I bought my tickets on Delta operated by ITA. The fare class I booked includes seat choice on Delta, on ITA it does not. They blamed each other and neither would fix it. But like I said, it worked out, I was able to choose seats at online check-in 24 hours before the flight and we were all together.
Oh yeah, I remember that now. I was just asking about basic economy since that was the topic weâre currently discussing and I canât imagine you or Mrs. LFS or anyone traveling with kids to just intentionally book a fare where seat assignment is left up to chance (which is basically what basic economy is presented as).
It sounds like your case is a bit different in that you tried to ensure some control over seat selection and there was a problem despite your best efforts.
I actually booked a basic economy flight on Singapore airlines that has the kid loophole I described above. But I never would have done it if I thought there was a chance that they would be sitting on their own.
If it hasnât been set up yet, itâd be nice to tell people if youâre visiting the city/state/wherever where they live. Meeting UP/2+2 members tends to be a pretty interesting experience.
Sadly, Iâm not travelling anywhere where UP members live in the near future (think Fossilkid wonât be in Georgia when I visit).
Whoa whoa whoa, Fossilman is my dad. Iâm Fossilkid
2 Likes
fixed
Iâve been diving over a decade finally found a blue ringged octopus! Theyâre sneaky little guys
Also Thresher sharks are kinda cool
9 Likes
I will also say that by many many travel metrics the Philippines falls short of expectations. The food kinda sucks, the low- mid range hotels are bad value, awful internet, itâs difficult to get around and takes a long time, the trikes are so uncomfortable, doing a visa extension is a PITA, etc. But for diving, finding great untouched beaches, renting a scooter and cruising around, waterfalls, hanging with locals (the friendliest people on the planet imo) the Philippines is really just the best. Itâs amazing how many heartwarming interactions I have with Filipinos day after day. Iâm pretty sure itâs my favorite country despite all the negatives 
4 Likes
Iâm continually blown away by the hospitality of Turks. I think I can safely sa TĂźrkiye is among my favorite countries.
Spent 1.5 months in Istanbul last year and now spending a bit of time in Antalya and just arrived in Izmir.
There are so many times where Iâll be eating alone and use the handful of phrases of Turkish I know and strike up a convo using Translate with a kind waiter.
Theyâre also super kind with animals, which is normally a good indicator of the type of person someone is. When we take our little Chihuahua for a walk, heâs a freakin rockstar with how many people say nice words to him or want to pet him.
Iâve heard they can be aggressive and a bit nasty towards women in the streets, but my girlfriend hasnât mentioned anything just yet.
Anyway, really, really hoping the Erdogan loses and doesnât try a coup in the upcoming elections. If that happens I think Iâd really be motivated to try and buy a cheap apartment in Istanbul as a way to gain long-term residency there.
5 Likes
Anyone looking to go to Japan some time between August and October?
Interested in experiences with South American airlines like Copa, Avianca, and LATAM. Wide range of choices to/from Colombia - is there a marked difference between these airlines?