Changing seats on British Airways require payment

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Every airline handles advanced seat selection differently. Some allow you to pick any seat at any time (although that is becoming less and less common). Others will allow you to pick a "bad" seat for free (eg, at the back of the plane, or a middle seat) but pay to select a better seat. Some others again will charge for any seat selection, with the amount possibly varying based on how good the seat is (eg, exit rows may cost more).

In many cases, higher level members of the airlines frequent flyer program will be able to select seats for free (and/or select better seats) before anyone else.

On most airlines you will be able to change seats once the flight opens for check-in, and/or once you are at the airport - although you still may not be able to access all seats without paying (eg, exit rows or those nearer to the front of the plane), and of course by that time there's no guarantee that there will be any good seats still available to select.

So yes, what you've described is normal now days.

As you are flying with a baby (who I'm presuming you've purchased a seat for), then obviously the airline will be a little more flexible in terms of keeping you together. It sounds like you've got as good a solution as you're going to get on a plane with no sets of 4 seats, but if you think there's a better option I would suggest calling the airline to see if they can do anything - the baby/toddler angle will likely be enough for them to re-assign you to new seats for free if it makes sense.

As far as seat layout, most 777's in economy are either 2-5-2 or 3-3-3 (or occasionally even 2-4-3), however some airlines do have 3-4-3 layouts. Keep in mind that the plane width is fixed, so the only way to get the extra space is to use narrower (and thus more uncomfortable!) seats. 747-400's on the other hand do normally use a 3-4-3 layout, however they are slightly wider to allow for the extra seat.

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Boeing 777 are nine across seating in economy, with most airlines now set up with a 3-3-3 configuration. When it first came out, the standard was 2-5-2, but that was not popular with travelers.

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