Originally Posted by
NoStressHere
Sorry you life is so miserable and you have no care or respect for other human beings.
Karma will strike when you least expect it.
One can only hope.
I don't begrudge anyone who has a true preference for a selected seat. I'm not giving up an exit row, leaving EC for a regular coach seat, or if the flight is other than a short one, relinquishing my aisle for a window seat. But to reject a polite request to swap aisle for aisle, or window for window, in the same cabin with same quality of the seat, based on an unwavering mantra that the answer is always "no"? That's simply selfish. Is it really that hard to be nice to a stranger by swapping once you've confirmed that the new seat will not be a downgrade for you in any way?
Of course, the OP does not have to consider a trade. It's his "right" to say, no matter the circumstances, the answer is always no. And he's probably correct that it won't affect him that the rest of the cabin thinks he's a jerk because he'll never see them again. But it brings to mind the old adage about one's true character being demonstrated when one believes no one else is watching.