Originally Posted by
Alexsth2011
Help me get some sense of reality here.
When I get upgraded to FC with my 6yo but got seated on two aisle seats such as 2C and 2D. Naturally, I have asked other passengers on 2A and 2F and had generally no problem but this time, I got a hard no and really reluctant yes, which at first somewhat irritated me tbh, but as I thought more about it, I came to a slow realization that I might be the one that is acting rude here. These people probably paid 5x~7x more than me and they chose their seats, which I should respect more. It was 7h-long transcon, too and pretty sure we were the only ones upgraded. The one that said no didn't even get up once the whole entire time after all.
I mean, giving up FC to be seated in PC with middle seat open would have been completely fine with me.
What would you do? What should I do?
This is a really interesting question, and I wish it were posted in the regular threads, because I would love to see more responses. Having been asked to move before, so that families can be seated together, I sympathize with those making the request, but I also sympathize (and probably more so) with those who say "no" (assuming they are doing so politely). My rationale: First of all, where I sit is tremendously important to me, and I go to a bit of effort, starting with when I purchase the ticket, to select where I want to be. I get that things happen, like equipment changes, where seat assignments cannot be guaranteed. But I agree with
VegasGambler that this is completely up to the original seat-holder, and no umbrage should be taken if s/he does not want to move.
Some people *need* to be near a window (so they don't fall over on you when they sleep), others need the aisle for restroom access, and others need a particular seat for "emotional" reasons. I get all of that, and I don't think that it's fair to expect someone to change just because they may be traveling alone. If there is a seriously important reason for being asked to move, then I will seriously consider it, depending on the seat being offered, but in the case of being asked by someone receiving a voluntary upgrade, I would generally say "I'm sorry, but no - I need this seat".
In the case of the person who said no to the OP, I get that s/he didn't get up to use the restroom after all, and that might have added to the OP's frustration, but that person may have *thought* they might need to at any urgent moment. That's not up to me to judge.... And the last thing I will say here, as a person who generally does want to help, I am never happy saying no, even when perfectly justified.