Originally Posted by cbn42

When I described my hypothetical scenario, I said that the airline charges more for aisle and window seats.

Just to clarify, you are saying that on such an airline, if I am sitting in the middle, and I move to the empty aisle seat so that both the window passenger and I can have more room, I am committing theft?



I would say that switching cabins is analogous to moving to another seat within the same theater. I don't know of any movie theater or other venue that will object to this, even if certain seats (such as balcony) are more expensive. In fact, at some of the best concert halls in the country, they actually encourage it. If the FA said not to do it, then it might be a crime, but "I didn't hear the announcement" would likely be enough to get off the hook because most states define theft as something done knowingly.

Paying and then walking into a different theater might be analogous to using your boarding pass to get on the wrong plane. Airlines have better security than movie theaters so this would be difficult but not impossible.