lavajava

Thought I would share this from my recent trip, I have never had an experience like it.

LHR-HYD J in 3A, boarded plane, usual routine with putting my things neatly in the drawer, grab a hanger and get changed into something comfy...come back to my seat and one of the CC has all of my belongings (wallet, phones including my boarding pass) in her hand and there is a lady sitting in my seat...I was told that another member of crew said she could sit there, and after realizing that the lady was supposed to be in 3F, I got my seat back. All polite enough, but I was a little miffed and surprised by the event. Long story short, I manage to put my things back into the drawer in somewhat the wrong order and leave my wallet on the plane, only realizing when I got to the hotel to check in. Thank goodness the team at the Westin are good friends and managed to retrieve my wallet from the airport on my behalf and get it back in my room a few hours later. Phew. Ever been kicked out of your favourite 787-8 seat?

JamieABZ

I would have been livid!
How dare they move all your stuff?
Mind you, I once argued with a woman that she was in my seat - I was right you know, I travel All the time etc etc!
Only to discover that for once - I wasn't right. Blush.

Flyingturkey

I just got up to get a drink and returned to find the dog in my seat. His BP merely said woof, so he was immediately ejected behind the curtain (into the garden).

PittDoc

Upon boarding I found someone already in my F seat. He pulled out a BP with my seat number and his name --- which was exactly the same as my name. Come to find out he had it reprinted at the gate and assumed he was upgraded. Gate agent must not have noticed there were two "PittDocs" on the flight that day. Sorry to disappoint him (but not sorry enough to give him my seat).

snuffi

I got on my LCY-EDI last week to discover a guy in 2D (e190). He was supposed to be in 2A, but he had a gold tag dangling so I suspect he may have been chancing his arm. All very polite though.
On a Miami flight I went to the loo and found a tired and emotional person just settling down for a sleep in my seat when I came back, having thrown my stuff on the floor!

MSPeconomist

Was he a self upgrader? If so, picking an occupied seat was pretty stupid.

reviewerb

Many years ago.......... (don't they all start like that?)

Abuja to LHR - first time working in Nigeria - been away for a very challenging few months. Abuja airport is a fair old drive from the city centre, in the grey light of an African morning, and the check in process is as you might expect in that locale - complex, difficult, and designed to dissuade rather than to welcome.

Boarded, decent WT+ window seat, filched a newspaper from a very nice cabin crew member, boots off, gear stowed, and well into the crossword.

Departure time +20 - still on stand and still boarding, (various mealy mouthed announcements as to the reason - wasn't paying attention). DT +45 a man approaches and says "your in my seat". Cue somewhat blunt debate (I'm from Yorkshire) but it transpires we both had boarding passes for the same seat. The same nice cabin crew member eventually took both away - and turned in a short while with a "will you please come with me Mr. Reviewerb..."

Nervous at getting booted off (I didn't know about FT in those days - was a lowly Silver too) I agreed to accompany her somewhat reluctantly.

Nervousness increased approaching the exit door - but then reduced as she directed me to 1A. I remember remarkably little of the rest of the journey, but suffice to say they hadn't much Blue Label left when we landed, and I don't recall (and didn't care) how late we were.

Ah the joys..........

AKGAZ

I was sitting in my Economy seat on a United flight (LHR - LAX) and a woman boarded and said I was in her seat. Knowing I was right and that possession is nine-tenths the law, I held my ground. She was rather rude but I insisted she speak to crew member. They returned to tell me I had been upgraded to Business Class so she was correct! I was travelling with my partner so declined to be parted so SHE got MY business class seat to LAX!

lavajava

I would have given Mrs Lavajava that upgrade. Feeling lucky the lady in my seat did not have the same boarding pass as me...as she was technically in possession. Mind you, does that mean the crew got to keep my wallet and phones?

Thanks for sharing the entertaining stories guys. Lookout for my next thread "musical chairs and how to get 4 J seats for the price of 2"

darthlemsip

I posted a longer version of this in a TR a while back, but I was on a JFK to PHX flight with AA when a woman boarded and stated that the woman sat opposite on the opposite side of the aisle in row 4 was in her seat.

The "You're in my seat" No this is my seat" went back and forth for a bit, and then the crew got involved. The woman in the seat kept stating it was her seat and refused to show her boarding pass, right up until the crew member stated if she did not hand over her boarding pass she would be removed from the plane. Boarding pass was reluctantly handed over.

I don't remember the exact row now, but it was something like 26.

After being admonished by said crew member, she walked back down the plane without a word.

I don't understand the thinking behind that to be honest, what did she think the woman who actually had the seat would do? Just give up and go and sit somewhere else

pony_trekker

No but I have sat in the wrong seat many times. No, I didn't accidentally look at the gate, I just was off by one row.

shopgirlblonde

On SMF-SLC-LGA not upgraded on first leg, but in 2B for long flight. Pax in 2B presumed it was her seat for both (switched planes in SLC) and FA was convinced (by her) that I had made a mistake. Very politely showed my app with seat 2B and that was the end of the exchange.

Jonrross

A few months back flying KUL>SIN with SQ I'd selected an aisle seat. Found my seat and there was an elderly Chinese gentleman sat in it. The usual "excuse me..." discussion began, with broken English he managed to explain that he was not well and needed to get up and down to the loo frequently and would I mind swapping with his middle seat. As it was only a 45 min flight and they were using the A350(presumably for familiarisation) so the seat was nice and comfy anyway I agreed.

Then the Window passenger turned up (a quite attractive young lady). I was about to stand up and to get out the aisle to let her in, expecting the Chinese gentleman to do the same, when he suddenly came to life, could speak perfect English and chivalrously offered "his" seat to her, then darted past me to the window seat. No sign of him needing the toilet at all during the flight.

I should probably have made a fuss, but as I was settled in the nice 350 seat I couldn't be bothered.

What also winds me up is the musical chairs that go on at this time of year with families who are too cheap to book their seats together then expect to sit wherever they want when they get on board. I think BA should follow Ryanairs lead and force families with kids to book seats together.

PeacefulWaters

I couldn't disagree more.

I think it's easy enough for an airline to ensure a family is sat together without forcing them to pay silly money for specific seats.

BOH

Not necessarily. What about a family who book late and there are no seats together because already allocated by people who booked earlier and / or paid for their seats? Should the family board and then expect others to move for them...or expect BA to shift people around to suit them?

I was on BA plane to FRA a couple of months ago and when some of the last pax boarded there was a woman in the wrong seat across the aisle. The bloke politely said, "excuse me, you are in my seat" and the woman in his seat snapped, "but we are a family travelling together" and gestured towards the teenage girl and man in the adjacent two seats. A rather heated argument followed and the woman was asked to move from her seat by the CC and she finished up in her correct seat about 10 rows back.

I just found her sense of entitlement quite breathtaking, ie, that because she was travelling as a party of 3 but hadn't been able to secure seats together (for whatever reason) she could just simply sit with her family. And then when the person whose correct seat she occupied arrived, she felt is acceptable to simply tell him that HE would have to move because of HER need to sit with her teenage child and partner. Quite unbelievable to witness really.