You are free to sit there and the other guy is equally free to try to save it. Think of it as pre-flight entertainment.
Many us thought the FA were "referees". We now know they are part of the audience.
Originally Posted by
MikeMpls
If my pack is sitting on a seat because I'm saving it for my wife (or my wife's purse if she's saving it for me), the seat is not open. Look elsewhere.
However, if the plane is filling up & you ask for the middle seat, you probably will get the aisle seat instead.
My issue would be a passenger who has a coat on the window seat, a laptop bag in the middle seat while he's sitting in the aisle seat. Saving one seat just determines which middle seat a passenger winds up with. Saving two seats means a couple may not get to sit together.