So earlier this month on a LAS-RDU somebody boarding ahead of me (not sure if was a BS upgrade or just A+ ahead of me--I wasn't paying attention) took the LUV seat and was still in the process of trying to sit in one seat and drop stuff on the other. The flight was 143 pax strong so the LUV seat was my first choice to not have to share shoulder space with 2 others. I asked him to pick a seat so I could take the other one...which honestly must have seemed strange since at the time there were only 10 other people on the plane...but it really did fill to 143. He informed me that his wife was going to take the other seat, but I held my ground and told him that she wasn't here yet and to please choose a seat.

I heard "Well I'm certainly not going to sit with you" as he moved back a row for unlimited leg room, and I heard him have to fend several others off of the middle seat as his wife had a late B boarding number.

FA was standing right there, quietly observing and probably relieved when he just dropped it and moved. I wasn't bluffing and was fully prepared to sit next to him for 5 hours...pretty sure I didn't earn any sympathy points from the FA as my wife (who definitely had a better BP that his did) landed the other LUV seat with me.

I think what actually surprised me the most was that for a Tuesday in early February, LAS-RDU was 143 pax full. Was on the same flight on a December weekday and was less than 70.