Originally Posted by Proudelitist

And this illustrates WHY I never give up a seat if asked (unless I am getting a better seat in trade, which I never am) and why I boot poachers without even considering their predicament.


It's a competition. A competition for comfort. A competition for ease of the travel experience. A competition to be first to snag that seat over all the others who want it. It means being willing to spend the extra $$ vs someone who isn't. It means being knowledgeable about booking seats in advance vs an ignorant kettle who asks for seats at the airport check-in. It means having some status to leaverage vs someone who doesn't. it's a matter of luck too, avoiding IRROPS and random issues vs. the poor sucker who became a victim of them.

When you get that seat, you won the competition. It's dog eat dog. Sorry...those who are weak perish, those who are strong get the exit row aisle.

I would love to be able to offer platitudes about feeling good by being nice to someone in need. If that's your bag, fine. You chose to give it away and sit in the middle. Your choice. But me? No. I can feel sympathy for a person's predicament...if it's not completely of their own making...but not enough to give up what I fought for and won.

I think Karma is a superstitious and irrational notion. Thinking kind acts will come back to you someday is a fine Disney narrative, but not a dimension of reality as we know it.


I think courtesy is not bothering other people. Asking for a swap is discourteous, not refusing a swap.