When booking seats for a flight, concert, or other event, you may come across the phrase “seats are not contiguous.” This simply means that the seats are not located right next to each other. There is a gap between some or all of the seats in your selection.
Why Seats Might Not Be Contiguous
There are a few reasons why the seats you select may not end up being contiguous:
- The event is not sold out, so there are single seats available between groups of seats.
- The ticketing system does not allow buyers to select specific seats, so seats are automatically assigned and end up scattered.
- You are making your selection from remaining seats after much of the event has already sold out.
- You are booking late and only single seats remain available.
Often it is simply the luck of the draw when seats are assigned. The earlier you book an event, the more likely you are to get a contiguous block of seats together. But as an event sells out, the remaining seats will be those that happen to be open, with gaps between groups that have already purchased.
The Impact of Non-Contiguous Seats
Sitting in seats that are not next to each other can have several impacts on your experience:
- You may be separated from people you want to sit with, like family or friends.
- There could be strangers sitting in between you.
- It may be inconvenient to communicate or share items with your group.
- You won’t get the full experience of sitting together.
This is especially problematic at events where you want to interact with the people you came with. Concerts, plays, sporting events, and other live shows are less enjoyable if your group is split up. You also miss out on a shared reactions and conversations.
When Contiguous Seats Are Crucial
There are some types of events and groups for which having contiguous seats is extremely important:
- Families with small children – Kids need to sit with their parents. Getting split up would be scary for them.
- Groups with a disability – Those who need assistance from companions need seats that are together.
- School/camp groups – Teachers need to supervise their students, so can’t have them scattered.
- VIPs/celebrities – Important guests expect and need contiguous seats away from the public.
- Business meetings/events – Coworkers and clients should be seated together for collaboration.
At events like these, it is crucial for groups to have seat blocks that are side-by-side with no gaps in between. Sitting apart simply won’t work for their purposes. This need overrides randomness or single seats.
How to Get Contiguous Seats
If having contiguous seats together is a high priority for you, there are some tips to increase your chances:
- Purchase tickets as early as possible, even before seats are assigned.
- Buy tickets together in a single order instead of separately.
- Choose seats in a front-to-back row rather than across an aisle.
- Ask the box office if specific seat blocks can be reserved for groups.
- Pay additional fees for VIP seats that are together.
- Book smaller groups of 2-4 rather than large groups of 6+.
Following these tips will help, but unfortunately there is no guarantee of getting seats together. Sometimes single or scattered seats are all that remains if an event is close to selling out.
What to Do With Non-Contiguous Seats
If you end up with seats that are not contiguous, here are some things you can try:
- Contact the venue as soon as possible and politely ask if adjacent seats are available. People may change plans and return tickets.
- Check back often as it gets closer to the event date – new seats may open up.
- Offer to pay an upcharge for better seat locations if available.
- Arrive early and try kindly asking other guests if they’d switch seats so your group can sit together.
- Once seated inside, see if people with aisle seats would swap so you can sit across an aisle rather than be fully separated.
Unfortunately, if an event is sold out, contiguous seats simply may not exist. The best fallback is to have a pre-arranged plan, like where to meet up at intermission or after the event ends if you do get split up.
Be Flexible
When booking seats for hot events or large groups, having flexibility is key. Be willing to consider:
- Non-centered seats – aisle, wing, obstructed view, etc.
- Splitting up into smaller groups at different dates.
- Attending solo and meeting up with your group there.
- Selling some tickets if you have extras, to reduce group size.
With open-mindedness about seating locations and group plans, you’ll have a better shot at finding some way for your group to sit together, even if seats end up not being perfectly contiguous.
Plan Ahead
Last-minute planning makes getting ideal contiguous seats much harder. To maximize your chances:
- Research popular events as soon as schedules are available.
- Sign up for pre-sales to buy early.
- Be ready to buy on the first day tickets are on sale to the general public.
- Book large groups in multiple separate orders if needed.
While seat locations can never be guaranteed, advance planning gives you a huge advantage. It helps avoid the situation where only single scattered seats are left over.
When Contiguous Seats Aren’t Crucial
In some cases, having seats together may be nice but isn’t truly necessary:
- Large stadium concerts – you won’t interact much with far-away seats anyway.
- Movies – focus is on the screen rather than each other.
- Some sporting events – there are pauses where you can chat.
- Theme parks – you’ll be moving around all day.
For events like these where seat continuity isn’t as important, it may not be worth stressing if you end up with single seats here and there. As long as you aren’t fully split up, you can probably manage and still largely enjoy the event.
Other Options for Groups
If a group needs to sit together but single seats are all that’s available, consider:
- Getting a private box or suite where you control all the seats.
- Renting a party bus or limo to travel together if seats are very scattered.
- Watching a live-stream of the event at home or a venue.
- Throwing a viewing party so the group can be together offsite.
With creativity and an open mind, you can still share the experience even if seated separately at the actual event.
Conclusion
Having contiguous seats together is ideal for many events, but not guaranteed. If seats end up not being side-by-side, be polite yet persistent in trying to modify the situation. Be flexible about locations and group size as needed. With early planning, you can maximize your chances of getting seats together. But if scattered seats can’t be avoided, go in with a positive attitude and make the best of the situation so the non-contiguous seats don’t ruin your experience.
