869

Oh man - I guess I closed the tab with my response to all of yall this morning before posting it. Don't have time for that again tonight but either each of you needs to relax or I'll have to just refrain from 869 humor on Monday mornings

There are a number of scenarios in which folks - myself included - might object to seat switching and I think any airline that thinks a free-for-all after closing the door is a good idea/policy is just waiting to deal with an on-board incident. Of course, you and they can pretend not if you'd like. Flight delays/cancellations/diversions have real and significant costs for an airline AND its customers.

In any event, it's easy to muse over seat switching etiquette from the F cabin, which is where I try to get by any means possible before boarding one of these birds.

rjw242

And the point is that your objections carry no weight whatsoever.

ijgordon

Nah, it's not that hard to "discourage" someone from taking the seat next to you. You can just leave your bag on the seat during boarding and after takeoff. Manspreading also helps. If a would-be-poacher has a problem, they'd have to get an FA to intervene, which they'd *probably* be reluctant to do. It's one thing to turn a blind eye to MCE "poachers", but another to actively encourage it. Unless of course it's a nonrev buddy.

pinniped

The problem is that the people who do the kind of paired-up seat-poaching, knowingly occupying a seat directly next to someone else, are so selfish and and unconcerned about people around them that manspreading, a bag in the seat, etc. isn't going to deter them.

The only way to deter them is to physically move to the middle seat. Best case would be, from that vantage point, to identify a solo traveler somewhere nearby and invite them to your aisle, whereupon you slide back to the window. But worst case, you simply make it inconvenient for the paired-poachers to poach.

cmd320

Agreed. I splash a little water on my forehead to make myself look sweaty and cough aggressively in the direction of the open seats. Seems to usually discourage most people.

pinniped

I realize now I should have turned to my seat poachers and said "you can sit here, but you're going to have to listen to me talk about my religion for the next 2 hours." (Not that I really know enough about any one religion to talk about it for that long...)

869

The problem with the position that it doesn't matter what I or someone else who paid to sit in a MCE row has to say about someone taking an empty middle seat is that the confrontation will have to be adjudicated by an onboard employee. I've noticed airline employees aren't great at this type of thing.

When flying on any other airline without status, I would never take a product I didn't pay for prior to flight unless it was available for sale on board. Just like I wouldn't scam my non-conforming bag into the terminal to avoid the checked baggage fee. But that's just me.

Again - I don't really foresee being in this situation personally but I do think it's a problem waiting to happen.

In any event, do you think I am wrong to be upset if I am seated next to another pax who does not fit in his or her own seat? Should that person be required to purchase an extra seat? For my ticket, don't I get the full and unencumbered seat area to which I am assigned?

To that point, what if that MCE middle seat poacher doesn't fit in that seat? Who's going to mediate that issue in-flight?

869

Haha - I imagine there are many more creative ideas shared among WN flyers. My strategy on a full WN flight is actually to grab the first middle seat I see where the aisle/window pax are smaller folks. For my own personal anxiety levels, I much prefer to complete a row knowing what I get for sure vs. taking an aisle and waiting to see what happens..with my bag on the middle seat, not making eye contact, "sweating" and coughing!

ijgordon

Tuna fish or taco bell probably works well also.

LovePrunes

again with the confrontation? just let it alone dude, seriously you sound like you're just itching for a fight on board.

869

so tiresome. Instead of quoting posts out of context why don't you just not participate? I guess I should work on my word choice since some folks on the internet think "confrontation" must mean there's a fist fight going down.

I'll continue ad nauseam on any topic I like because, as a participant in the industry, I am interested in others' point of view on the topic.

Relative to the on-board taking of open MCE seats, I think there are a couple of issues to consider, not the least of which is the ethics of taking a product for which you did not pay. Of course, I highlighted another scenario earlier in which I absolutely would have a problem if the result was myself having to be re-seated in an inferior seat after paying for mine (something that could occur with normal ticketing of another pax not necessarily a guy taking an open seat). Another is maintaining the integrity of the product and its cost, both cash payment and maintaining elite status.

And again, I think the question of the policy is relevant especially now because it is inviting confrontation on board - something the airline industry as a whole seems to be trying to reduce throughout the journey.

Obviously I'm interested in yalls thoughts on the topic.

cynicAAl

care to humor me and my AA Purser friend and cite specifically where this policy is found ? He searched and couldn't find it.

JonNYC

Can't speak for TheSkyGuy, needless to say, but I'd imagine one answer might be; can you or your friend find a specific policy to the contrary, that is to say can you find a policy that states that FA's are to -not- allow it and/or just that it's not allowed, generally speaking.

skylady

I have confirmed the policy with my employer, TheSkyGuy is correct.

JonNYC

Yes he is, thanks for checking.