davie355

I was booked in a middle seat (11E) in Economy Comfort. No aisles or windows were available, even an hour before departure.

At the time, I had no status and was in zone 1. While waiting for PREM and SKY to finish boarding, I decided on a whim to check the seat map on my phone and noticed that a bulkhead aisle (10D) was now open.

The phone app declared that I would need to see an airport agent to switch seats. Since the GA was busy with boarding, I figured I would just take 11E and switch to 10D after the boarding door closed. Alas, one of the last passengers to board was a non-revving flight attendant who occupied 10D.

Now I wonder if I should have asked the gate agent for 10D right as I was boarding. Would GAs typically accommodate this request or would I be rebuffed for slowing things down?

TechMarauder

Good question. I think it depends on how hospitable the GA is and if they have help at the counter or not. Technically they should be able to switch you easily before you board (even after you board since they sometimes bring folks up)

davie355

Shortly before pushback, I heard a very faint announcement over the PA that the passenger in 14C may move up to 3A, but nobody did. (This is the type of announcement you would miss if you had headphones on.)

MSPeconomist

To answer the question in the thread title, I would say on final approach, just before landing, when you really need to remain seated until the plane parks at the gate.

WScottsdaleInsider

MSPeconomist, so witty as usual :-P

sethb

I've sometimes been on a plane deboarding via 2L, in EC. If I have stuff to repack, I'll wait for J to exit, then take my stuff to a J seat (more room and out of everybody's way) to repack my backpack, before exiting.

I would think that's the last possible moment to change seats, but some wiseass here will probably beat it.

Zeeb

The realistic answer is up until they scan your boarding pass and you walk onto the plane.

In that situation what I would have done is waited at the gate until Zone 3 had boarded and then asked about the seat.

mmichael453

The ad they've been playing before *every* personal entertainment selection lately implies you can change your seat even after boarding. Of course, that ad also features a guy on an empty airplane....

pogopossum

I've seen people change seats once the seat belt light was turned off after takeoff.

I was amazed nobody took the window seat in the exit row I was sitting in after we took off. I had the entire row to myself, and this was SFO to MSP! FC was full, of course, but I would have though someone would have jumped into a seat with some room, and unlikely anyone would take the middle.

Cheers,
Pogopossum

davie355

Couldn't do that — I had a rollaboard. Even boarding with Zone 1, I had to stow it several rows behind me.

Zeeb

I dunno, as long as it wasn't a red eye where I was planning on lieing across the seats, if I had a row to myself I wouldn't really mind if somebody took the aisle/window (whichever I wasn't in). But if there was an empty middle seat and somebody tried to move into it after takeoff I'd be pretty pissed. Empty middle seats are basically poor man's first class and it is always a great feeling when the door shuts and the seat next to you is still empty.

gooselee

Empty middle seats are also a European man's business class.

I do love the rare empty middle, too. On some planes it can actually be even more comfortable than F. Also fun celebrating the small win with your row-mate as you both rejoice at being able to have two armrests each.

Random semi-related story time:
I had a flight a few months ago where I was in an EC aisle seat and had a guy in the middle next to me. When the door shut, nobody had taken the window seat. After a few minutes, I asked the guy if he wanted to move to the window seat - he said that he was assigned to the middle and started to get his BP out. At this point the FA was coming down the aisle and said the door was closed and we could spread out within EC if we wanted (there were open seats in other rows, too).

The guy eventually moved to the window, but still seemed really confused...we chatted a bit during the flight and he eventually had a laugh at himself. Turns out it was his first flight ever and he just thought that airlines were very strict about assigned seats. End of the day, it was fun to share a row with someone enjoying their first flight experience and he was really excited to stare out the window at everything. One of those little moments that makes you appreciate what many of us take for granted when we're grumbling about a long PreCheck line every other day.

FlyingUnderTheRadar

You snooze you lose - ask the GA regardless.

javabytes

It used to be possible to do this using the app even moments before boarding. I've even changed seats using the app while on board when on a CRJ and assigned to a row with another gentleman as broad shouldered as I am. I don't know the extent to which that actually sticks in the system, but I changed to an empty bulkhead row and nobody else came to sit beside me or boot me from my seat.

Now it is no longer possible within X minutes before departure (not sure what the cutoff is), saying you need to see an agent. Which is ironic because the GIDS tell you to use the app to choose a different seat. This is a situation I'd never hesitate to ask the GA about.

jooce

I changed my seats on my Delta app in PEK about 10 minutes before boarding opened. I didn't know if it went through so I went up to the counter and asked about it. They didn't even know what the Delta app was....but they gave me a new boarding pass with the new seat.