Originally Posted by
hockeyguy
I agree. The key element is whether one reseats themselves (i.e. poaching) or one is reseated by or with the assistance of the FA's. In the former case, IMO, it's reasonable to take up the issue directly with whoever is in your seat; in the latter, the FA's should help sort things out and you should be able to avoid a personal confrontation with a pax who's probably not responsible for the problem in the first place.
IMO, it's a good idea to know which situation you're dealing with before lighting into someone too hard. Although if they are poaching, I say no holds barred!
Okay, I'm going to take the other side of this.
If someone has special needs, it is
their responsibility, and only their responsibility, to see that those needs are met. It is
never the responsibility or obligation of strangers to do so.
With respect to Katja, it is her obligation to make arrangements with the airline to see that her disability can be accommodated. However, if the airline messes up by mis-assigning her seat and an FA asks me to change mine, my determination is made based on the fact that (1) Katja's disability is not of her choosing, and (2) I have respect for disabled people who are simply trying to go about their business in a world that is not particularly friendly to their disability. Accordingly, I would accommodate her by switching seats, but not because it was the airline, rather than the pax, who was responsible for the seating situation. I would not, however, be amenable to accommodating a seat switch with someone whose special need is the result of a lifestyle choice, whether it is a couple who wants to sit next to each other or a family that "needs" to sit together. In such instances, it matters little to me whether it is the airline that screwed up or the pax. I might switch if asked nicely and to an equal or better seat. I would not switch to a lesser seat, regardless of who was at "fault."