Yep, she insisted on using my phone, before departure, I kid you not. I was so stunned that I couldn't think of an excuse to say no. It was a directive "I need to use your phone," and then a beat, and then "I'll pay you, of course". It wasn't so much that she was gonna throw me a couple of bucks - she did, and that's nice, but it wasn't enough to cover the cost -- but more that she was gonna use it and that was it. And the worst part is they had just said to turn off all electronics so I thought it might get confiscated. It wasn't, but can you imagine sitting less than a foot away from someone for that long of a flight after having said no to them? I couldn't. And, I wish I'd thought of the seat phones at the time, but it didn't occur to me because, again, I was stunned. It's possible she had just come off another plane and they had no time to make a call between changing planes; and she had a five-week old crying baby on one shoulder, too. I felt sorry for her, but I could never say that to someone unless I was bleeding in an alley...

And as for the February seat-swapper, I *tried* to say that but the guy was so pushy and so clearly used to getting what he wanted that I felt like if I pushed him, I would have his arms and legs in my space, the seat in front of me fully reclined, and the aisle on the other side of me, filled with a drink cart or people waiting for the bathroom line the whole time, and no matter what I did, I'd feel like a squished ant. It was just a bad scene, but it made me angry enough to vow to never let it happen again.