Originally Posted by
kop84
I understand that seats are going to need to be changed on board some times. There is just no way to 100% ensure that everyone will get to sit with all the people they're traveling with.
What Should happen: Couple A has Seats 15C and 48B. - They should as 48C/A if they would like 15C so they can sit together. And then accept if for some odd reason 48B wants to keep their seat.
What seems to happen too much: Couple B has 15C and 48B - They sit in 15C and 15A then get offended with 15A wants their seat and not a middle in the back and raise a big stink about how they HAVE to sit together and you're just going to have to deal with it.
A little common sense (which is so rare these days it should be reclassified as a super-power!) and civility and everyone is happy. No need to legislate or regulate so families can sit together.
Fully agree. Unfortunately there's also gray area where there may be no "good" answer and the only answer one has is a matter of one's perspective and the parties directly involved. Example: Mom and 2-3 year old kid (who is now too old and big to be a lap infant, but too young to likely fend for themselves) have 20B and 30B (both standard middle seats for the purpose of this example). What should happen then? A 2 year old likely can't fend for themselves, especially on a long flight. But should a passenger be asked to take a middle seat to make up for it, especially on a long flight? And if mom and kid are separated, then who has responsibility for the kid in an emergency evacuation? The passenger who wouldn't swap and kept their aisle/window seat? The F/As? Does the mom have to figure out how in the midst of an evacuation how to get to her kid, possibly going against the flow of people trying to evacuate? (asking to see what other opinions are - not to accuse anyone or assume positions).