Unusual situation... What would you do ?
Dec 18, 2014, 1:42 pm
#32
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Dec 18, 2014, 2:12 pm
#33
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Somewhere between YXU and YYZ
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Hard to communicate sarcastic rhetorical 'questions'
The key datapoint in the original post is WHO is doing the asking.
When an FA requests you give away some of the comfort that good fortune has thrown your way, most are less likely to do it for the FA (and therefore AC- the faceless corporation) because it begs the question what is the FA (and therefore AC) doing to help out with the resources they have at their disposal. ie open J seats.
If a fellow human being asks you directly, most would be more likely to grant the request because it makes you feel good to help another person.
Dec 18, 2014, 3:39 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 29
This reminds me of a time when I was on a very long overnight Greyhound bus ride. I got on the bus when it was fairly empty. I grabbed the back seat with 3 seats together and as spread my 6’5 self out as if I was on a couch at home. As it got later the bus started to fill up. Every time the bus stopped I would sit up and sit straight up in the seat to the right where you can stretch your legs out into the aisle in the event that someone sat beside me, which I expected since of the 2 seats together had 2 people.
I soon learned that no one would sit in the 2 empty seats beside me, choosing the rare 1 empty seat beside another person instead. I figured that they assumed that there were 1-2 people beside me or they didn’t want to climb over me.
I’d like to think I was not being a d**k, as I was willing to let people sit beside me. Even though I didn’t go out of my way to let them know about the empty seats.
I agree with most here that the OP was being pretty selfish.
I soon learned that no one would sit in the 2 empty seats beside me, choosing the rare 1 empty seat beside another person instead. I figured that they assumed that there were 1-2 people beside me or they didn’t want to climb over me.
I’d like to think I was not being a d**k, as I was willing to let people sit beside me. Even though I didn’t go out of my way to let them know about the empty seats.
I agree with most here that the OP was being pretty selfish.
Dec 18, 2014, 5:27 pm
#37
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 97
Had something unusual happen to me for the first time last month.
My flight was about 1/2 full (taking about Y class), most rows (of 3) had only two people, some had three, twenty or so were commandeered by one person to lie down in.
My row was empty, so I moved to the middle seat (flight etiquette seems to be "grab the middle seat on an empty row as soon as you hear "boarding complete") and spread out.
About an hour into the flight, a stewardess comes over and asks me to move across, so someone from a full row next to me can share my row. I declined, saying I wanted to sleep (on the 3rd of 4 flights on a 36-hour trip). She was quite pushy, repeating "but you have have so much room and they're so cramped" several times - I still declined, got some sleep and invited one of them to move over about mid-way though the flight.
I was a touch surprised by the pushy stewardess - the three who were "so cramped" were young, healthy and not large at all - I couldn't see why this was so important. I cannot remember having seen FAs deal with "seat rearrangement" before. She could of course have moved one of them to a vacant exit row seat (with fixed armrests you can't stretch out) - but hey, now that's a revenue issue, can't do that....
Would be interested to get opinions on this. What would you have done ? Do you voluntarily give up your "sleeping" row if you see a full row nearby ?
D.
My flight was about 1/2 full (taking about Y class), most rows (of 3) had only two people, some had three, twenty or so were commandeered by one person to lie down in.
My row was empty, so I moved to the middle seat (flight etiquette seems to be "grab the middle seat on an empty row as soon as you hear "boarding complete") and spread out.
About an hour into the flight, a stewardess comes over and asks me to move across, so someone from a full row next to me can share my row. I declined, saying I wanted to sleep (on the 3rd of 4 flights on a 36-hour trip). She was quite pushy, repeating "but you have have so much room and they're so cramped" several times - I still declined, got some sleep and invited one of them to move over about mid-way though the flight.
I was a touch surprised by the pushy stewardess - the three who were "so cramped" were young, healthy and not large at all - I couldn't see why this was so important. I cannot remember having seen FAs deal with "seat rearrangement" before. She could of course have moved one of them to a vacant exit row seat (with fixed armrests you can't stretch out) - but hey, now that's a revenue issue, can't do that....
Would be interested to get opinions on this. What would you have done ? Do you voluntarily give up your "sleeping" row if you see a full row nearby ?
D.
Dec 18, 2014, 6:15 pm
#39
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Dec 18, 2014, 6:23 pm
#41
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Don't quite understand why the OP is so surprised by the FA's request. Of course having a whole row to yourself is nice but if you see 3 other people in a row (no matter how young, old, small or large), why not be kind and share the wealth? In the process you've just helped 3 people have a more comfortable flight.
Dec 18, 2014, 7:22 pm
#42
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: YYC
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Well this thread basically summarizes why the infrequent traveler generally hates the frequent flyer.
I choose to be a good neighbor and pay it forward, because I believe in being a decent human being, but that's just me.
Would I have been disappointed? Yes.
Would I have preferred not to give up the seat? Yes.
Would I have handled it much differently? Yes.
But... Thanks to OP and others like them, I will continue to have to say things like "we're not all bad" to Mrs. yyckerr's friends.
I choose to be a good neighbor and pay it forward, because I believe in being a decent human being, but that's just me.
Would I have been disappointed? Yes.
Would I have preferred not to give up the seat? Yes.
Would I have handled it much differently? Yes.
But... Thanks to OP and others like them, I will continue to have to say things like "we're not all bad" to Mrs. yyckerr's friends.
Dec 18, 2014, 7:25 pm
#43
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Posts: 19,284
Well this thread basically summarizes why the infrequent traveler generally hates the frequent flyer.
I choose to be a good neighbor and pay it forward, because I believe in being a decent human being, but that's just me.
Would I have been disappointed? Yes.
Would I have preferred not to give up the seat? Yes.
Would I have handled it much differently? Yes.
But... Thanks to OP and others like them, I will continue to have to say things like "we're not all bad" to Mrs. yyckerr's friends.
I choose to be a good neighbor and pay it forward, because I believe in being a decent human being, but that's just me.
Would I have been disappointed? Yes.
Would I have preferred not to give up the seat? Yes.
Would I have handled it much differently? Yes.
But... Thanks to OP and others like them, I will continue to have to say things like "we're not all bad" to Mrs. yyckerr's friends.
Dec 18, 2014, 8:04 pm
#44
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHL
Programs: NEXUS, UA Club
Posts: 641
And I would have asked you to produce your boarding passes proving you had purchased all three seats. If you did, then those are rightfully yours and I would move on. No boarding passes - I would have plunked myself down and waited for you to complain to the FA!
Dec 18, 2014, 8:14 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto - YYZ
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Posts: 5,899
Totally get the desire to spread out and maximize ones comfort and colonize a free row when space is available.
However.....
On occasion, it may be necessary to relocate a Customer due to an inoperative seat, reading light , or PTV. Know what I'm sayin' ??
However.....
On occasion, it may be necessary to relocate a Customer due to an inoperative seat, reading light , or PTV. Know what I'm sayin' ??