I've had one experience of being split up on a flight and it was dreadful.
Not long after my husband and I got married, we decided to take a short trip to Thailand - a sort of delayed honeymoon.
Being young newlyweds, we were strapped for cash so chose the cheapest flight possible.
We drove from Tauranga to Auckland for the flight, leaving home about 2am after a few hours' sleep, had a small breakfast at the airport then boarded for Melbourne.
On arriving in Australia, we then spent seven hours sitting on uncomfortable seats, browsing duty-free stores and reading magazines before we finally, eyes drooping, boarded our plane to Phuket.
It was devastating to realise my husband and I had been seated apart and, exhausted as I was, I burst into tears and was miserable the entire rest of the flight.
By the time we arrived at our destination, I had resolved to never let an airline split us up again, even if it cost more to do so.
Was I had by a cruel money-making scheme, or was the plane simply full and our seating arrangement couldn't be helped?
Who knows. But the experience has made me distrustful of that airline and ensured I will avoid it in future.
That airline could have made $20 or so from me if I had paid to choose my seats.
But the experience has also ensured I will never be a loyal customer, potentially losing thousands of dollars in custom from me in future.
All for the sake of a few bucks.
