Originally Posted by fumje

Not quite the situation being discussed here, but I just flew a transcon flight with a companion, and we managed to luck into an empty middle. There were a handful of other ones on the plane, including one immediately behind us.

After the cart service someone in the bulkhead complained that the child's (8e's) directv wasn't working to the FA, and the FA seized on our middle seat (10b) as the first available one and decided to ask if my companion could move to the middle and the child could move to my companion's seat (10c). I hemmed and hawed, and eventually 8c offered to swap with the child, and they did. Then an hour later they (8c/8e) swapped back, and the child's mother somewhat audibly if nonsensically upbraided the child for not taking our middle seat, which I was not offering.

I did, however, the whole time feel like a jerk for declining. Would any of you have assented?