Originally Posted by
lincolnjkc
There's a difference, IMO, between a poacher and inadvertent mistake -- premeditated seaticide vs. involuntary seat-slaughter, perhaps?
I know a lot of people disagree with this, but I also think it's fine (though I wouldn't do it, due to attitudes in this thread) to sit "where you want", assuming the person will swap, if the seats are quite comparable. Standing in the aisle is going to slow boarding. Sitting in a seat, getting it dirty/whatever, and then asking me to take it, is less likely to get a "sure" response.
If you're in 1B, your partner is in 1F, and you sit down in my 1E, then ask me "would you mind taking 1B so I can sit with them?" when I board, I'm still going to say yes. I don't really consider it "poaching" until there's hesitance to go to your assigned seat.
Originally Posted by
dmurphynj
But it really makes me think - how much of an annoyance is it for the flight crew when seats are swapped? I didn't mind making this reasonable accommodation for a family, but next time I'm tempted to say "check with the flight crew first" because it seemed to really bother him.
I have never checked with the flight crew, but I always
inform the flight crew immediately, and certainly before they start doing anything like meal orders. Which I suppose could be an issue if you have priority, you board last, and someone's sitting in your seat.