Originally Posted by vatraveler
No deception involved? The person is sitting in a seat / class for which they have not paid.
de·ceit
n.
: deliberate and misleading
concealment,
false declaration, or artifice.
Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
con·ceal
tr.v.
To
keep from being seen, found, observed, or discovered;
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
dec·la·ra·tion
n. 1. An
explicit, formal announcement, either oral or written.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Is it dishonest to take a FC seat when you haven't paid for one? Yes. Is it deception? No.
There has to be an extra step involved for it to be deceit. You have to lie to the flight attendant. If you're just sitting in that seat in full view of the flight crew, there is NO deception as they're perfectly able (as MANY have related in this thread, both of personal experiences and those that they've observed) of questioning the passenger and/or checking the manifest and dealing with the situation if they so wish.