Originally Posted by pinniped
But...I'm going to guess here...I think the OP was talking about a situation where the aircraft door has closed and the seat is still empty. Then she sprawls out a bit. It's a situation where no one has booked the seat, and she's claiming the territory since it's right next to her.
You are correct - I'm talking about a situation where no one has been assigned that seat. I would certainly never try to keep someone who has been assigned to that seat from taking it. Neither would I try to "protect" the seat before the door had been closed and it was obvious that the seat had not been assigned.
I'm also NOT talking about an open-seating situation, but simply a situation where the seat next to me is not assigned to another passenger and I'm trying to discourage someone from moving from their assigned seat to the empty seat next to me.
BTW, pinniped, it is more important to me to get the leg room from the exit row (I'm a tall woman) than to have the seat beside me empty, or I would indeed choose a less-desirable row. Having both seats to myself is just a nice little perk sometimes.
Sorry if I offended anyone.