Originally Posted by
PTravel
Oy. Just because you think it leaves them better off does not mean that they think it would leave them better off. This is what so many people don't get: It's not the asker's place to judge whether the askee should or should not accept the swap.
I'm not saying someone SHOULD accept the swap. Their seat, their call. I won't even ASK for a swap, though (and I do it very rarely), unless I think that most people WOULD consider themselves better off, or at very least no worse off. I think my assessments of what's a better seat aligns pretty well with most people's view (more legroom>less, farther forward>farther back, F>C+>Y, Aisle>Window>Middle), but if someone really does prefer a middle to an aisle, or regular economy to C+, then that's entirely their call, and I would never attempt to second-guess it.