Originally Posted by
FlyDeltaJets87
When I was asking "What makes 24C so much worse than 22C that you can't swap to allow a couple to sit together?" the assumption was that 22C and 24C were the same type of seat (both E+ or both regular Economy, neither an exit row). It's been a given from everyone throughout this thread that if asking someone to switch, you always offer up, not down, or at worst, an equal swap.
Because you're of the opinion that one "type" of seat is as good as another, let me offer you a real-world example of a situation in which I refused to switch seats.
IIRC, it was a few years ago on a pmUA 767 in F. This was back when they had the CRT hanging from some rows, and as a result, those rows lacked air vents. Because I am always hot on planes, I learned to avoid sitting in those seats.
A gentlemen was travelling with his wife and asked me to switch with the row in front. I refused because the row lacked air vents, and I knew I wouldn't be as comfortable there. Fortunately, he was gracious, and found someone else willing to switch.
To the casual observer, they might not know/understand/agree about the difference the seat makes for my comfort; they might view one seat as good as another and believe I was being stubborn/insensitive/unreasonable.
It's certainly possible that some people who refuse to switch don't have a great reason for doing so, but you won't know their reasons and don't have the right to evaluate how reasonable they are. The best thing to do is to assume that they have their own reasons and accept their refusal graciously. Ask someone else to switch, or just sit apart for the next few hours.