Originally Posted by
bocastephen
ANA will not allow the passenger swap, this is a definite no go - don't even try. Japanese airlines work off a set of rules, and passenger service and needs are secondary to rules, procedures and processes.
Having lived in Japan for seven years and flown a lot on ANA, I can tell you that ANA is just a reflection of Japanese culture. As a culture, they are a rules-following people. Americans see rules as a guideline to ensure fairness, but we can all conjure up scenarios where it would benefit all parties to bend the rules. Not so in Japan -- there they see following the rules as a way of promoting harmony. Everyone expects everyone to follow the rules, so everyone does. I wouldn't try to switch seats with anyone including your spouse. You may ask the GA once if you can be seated together without mentioning that you're in different cabins, and see if they can give you a solution. If you get the teeth suck, there's a "maybe" coming. And in Japan, "maybe" means "no," they're just too polite to say it.