i experienced this when i was doing a transpacific flight a few weeks ago...i am wondering what some of you would do if you face this...

i was traveling from LAX to HKG, an around 14-hour flight...as a premier executive i was sitting in 34H, an aisle seat in the premier section of the united economy cabin..the seat next to me was empty, while the window seat 34K was occupied...about an hour after we departed from LAX, announcements were made on board that physicians were being sought because a passenger was seriously ill...after a while a flight attendant approached me, and requested that me and the lady in 34K move to other seats, so that the patient could get treatment and rest comfortably in 3 adjacent seats...of course i did not hesitate to offer my seat so that the patient could receive immediate treatment...the flight attendant said that i would be able to move back to my seat in an hour or so, once the patient felt better...

the flight attendant arranged to have me sit in 33F, a middle seat, and all the seats in that row were occupied...after a while, i found out that, for some reasons, they never used my seat (and the lady's seat 34K) for the treatment of the patient...they used the space in the exit row area (35) instead...and, when the patient got better and had returned to his seat, i found out that they had arranged to have another passenger (not the patient) occupy my seat...i talked to the flight attendant and asked whether i could have my seat back, or at least have a better seat than a middle seat in a fully occupied row...the answer i got was kind of ridiculous, at least in my opinion...i was asked to find a seat myself!!! i think this was certainly the most irresponsible answer that i could get...the flight was full...out of courtesy i offered my seat for the treatment of a patient...now that i wanted my seat back, they gave the seat to another passenger and asked me to find a seat myself!!! what is good to be a premier executive member in this case, and what is the reason that i have asked my secretary to make seat reservations for me well in advance?? finally i had to get stuck in the middle seat for the rest of the 14-hour flight...

as a frequent business traveler, i certainly understand how stressful a flight attendant's work can be, and it was the reason that i did not hesitate at all when i was asked to offer my seat for the treatment of the patient...on the other hand, i expect a similar level of understanding from the flight attendants...certainly i am not expecting luxury service and VIP treatment, but i do expect at a minimum a sense of respect from the flight attendants to the customers, especially to the most loyal frequent travelers...for the last few international trips that i took with united within the past couple of months, i was traveling in the united first and united business cabins, and was generally pleased with their service to the business customers...now that i was taking the last trip in united economy, i just saw once again the kind of rude and unfriendly services that i always experienced a few years ago when i was traveling in economy often...at least in my opinion, i always find the flight attendants on united to be relatively unfriendly and unhelpful...

in the international survey...we can see that they care so much about their business from their first and business customers...so as a premier executive do i deserve this kind of service when i have to travel in economy once in a while...