Originally Posted by
ATOBTTR
I've both accepted and rejected seat swap requests. I've also asked to swap with someone and have had it go both ways. I firmly believe in that you should offer the person you're asking to swap the better seat. But what I'm tired of reading about seat swap rant threads is "you should have planned ahead". IROPS happen. Last minute bookings due to emergencies or whatever happen. Equipment swaps happen. Even planning ahead only accounts for so much when so many seats are blocked off to non-elites. You shouldn't have to feel guilty about declining a seat swap (or be guilted in to accepting one) but stop using the "you should have planned ahead" line to somehow ease or suppress your guilt about it because for more people than not it probably has less to do with "not planning ahead".
When people wind up with separated seats, I wish they would just accept that's their luck and accept it unless there is a really good reason to need seats together, such as traveling with a small child. Not just want seats together but NEED seats together. It imposing on people to ask them to change seats and putting them on the spot. If you refuse, you are the bad guy. If you don't refuse and wind up with a lesser seat, you feel like a chump.