How do you handle such a request from another pax? When someone asks if you'll swap seats with them so that they can sit with their wife/friend/companion/child?

Sometimes I feel like a grouch because of how such requests make me feel, but I HATE them. I feel like I've been placed on the spot and everyone in the cabin is eyeballing me wondering whether I'm about to deny a wife and husband a couple of hours together or rip a family apart because of my attachment to my seat. I've even had people react rudely when I've said, "I'm sorry, I prefer the seat I have."

I don't know about you but I am almost obsessive about the window seat. I tend to just fall asleep once on a plane and wake up once we land, and so window assures me I won't get woken up by someone wanting to go to the bathroom again and again or get up to retrieve something from the overhead. I also like not having the aisle right next to me (and getting bumped by people/carts/bags). I'll book flights well in advance and make sure there's a window seat available. If there isn't, I'll gladly pay a few or several hundred dollars more, if need be, for a flight that does have window available.

The worst was a recent trip on which I boarded the plane to find two business companions had gone ahead and taken the liberty of snatching my seat beforehand. I guess they just figured that whoever was actually assigned the seat wouldn't mind. I get up to my row, see one of them sitting in my seat, and say "I'm sorry, I believe that's my seat." "Oh, you don't mind if we switch, do you? I'd like to sit with my friend." Well... I said I did mind. And asked to have my seat. I thought, but didn't say, "If you'd like to sit with your friend, you should have booked two seats together." I thought it was especially rude to make the decision without me - as in just taking someone's seat and assuming it wouldn't be a problem. If they'd waited until the doors were closed and the seat was still empty, then by all means switch to be together. But don't just take it as the flight is still boarding and assume it's not a problem.

On another recent trip I was in row 6 of F, and a husband asked me to switch with their wife (who had a row 2 seat) so that they could be together. I was flying full fare F, btw. They had been upgraded (part of the reason they weren't seated together). I declined, primarily because my carry-on was in the overhead above 6. I wasn't about to sit in row 2 with my carry-on several rows back, practically guaranteeing a hassle upon landing to avoid being the last person to get off the plane or fight everyone to retrieve my stuff (all other overhead bins were full, so moving the stuff up wasn't an option).

I used to just suck it up and say ok to these requests, until I found myself switching seats on nearly every other flight and starting to feel really inconvenienced by it all. Does this happen way more in F more than E because of upgrades coming in to separated seats or something? As a solo traveler are you just doomed to be asked this too frequently? How do others feel about it? Am I just a mean, mean old man? hehe