Originally Posted by MEMLawGuy

But your justification of saying no because all requests are impolite because they somehow "impose" on you is totally bogus.

In fact, if the imposition is that you want to "stay where you are and remain settled" because it's "easier", then you should welcome the exact situation I posed, with one minor modification, --- you approach 3C only to see someone already there and they politely ask you before you get to the seat if you wouldn't mind taking 2C so they can sit with their travel companion. Look at that! You don't have to move any further. You save steps. You don't even have to get up and then sit back down. Now that's "easier." But you're saying you're going to say no because THAT request is an imposition on you?

Unless you are diagnosed OCD or have some superstition about sitting in 3C that you must appease (and maybe you do, and that's certainly a legit reason -- but not what you've said), then refusing the request simply because it was made is, IMHO, rather petty and baseless. But if that's how you want to treat people, have at it. You know what they say...