Boraxo

There is a similar running thread on this topic in the UA forum.

There is nothing wrong with refusing a request. I get particularly upset with passengers who go for the presumptive switch by planting themselves in my seat before I get on the plane, which is an automatic no. But there are always exceptions.

Last month I flew to AMS and was asked to switch by a couple with a baby (my seat was in the aisle in front of the mother). My initial reaction was hell no but I softened up after I confirmed that the proposed seat was a comparable aisle on the other side of the plane. (It is always good practice to verify the actual seat, as there have been instances where people have been scammed into middle seats in the back).

Many of us go to some effort to book our seats months in advance, so I know how it feels when these best laid plans are disrupted. In the OPs situation I would have probably rejected the request, as I don't care much for the bulkhead myself. (In fact I have done so in years past.) Their failure to secure adjacent seats from the airline is not my problem.