dand99

Had something unusual happen to me for the first time last month.

My flight was about 1/2 full (taking about Y class), most rows (of 3) had only two people, some had three, twenty or so were commandeered by one person to lie down in.

My row was empty, so I moved to the middle seat (flight etiquette seems to be "grab the middle seat on an empty row as soon as you hear "boarding complete") and spread out.

About an hour into the flight, a stewardess comes over and asks me to move across, so someone from a full row next to me can share my row. I declined, saying I wanted to sleep (on the 3rd of 4 flights on a 36-hour trip). She was quite pushy, repeating "but you have have so much room and they're so cramped" several times - I still declined, got some sleep and invited one of them to move over about mid-way though the flight.

I was a touch surprised by the pushy stewardess - the three who were "so cramped" were young, healthy and not large at all - I couldn't see why this was so important. I cannot remember having seen FAs deal with "seat rearrangement" before. She could of course have moved one of them to a vacant exit row seat (with fixed armrests you can't stretch out) - but hey, now that's a revenue issue, can't do that....

Would be interested to get opinions on this. What would you have done ? Do you voluntarily give up your "sleeping" row if you see a full row nearby ?

D.

Skyborne Flyer

You should have screamed you are *G and put on a real DYKWIA fit!

superangrypenguin

I'll reserve judgement on this, but i'm wondering, as a young person with chronic back ache, you wouldn't know that i'm not "healthy". You would not know by looking at me, and not really sure why this is a factor in your decision to move?

PS, to the poster above, it doesn't say he is *G...

acysb87

Was this an AC flight?

RZR

My opinion is that rows are not for sleeping. If the flight is empty , then grab a window or aisle in in empty row. If the flight is really really really empty , then sleep in an entire row.
If I were one of the 3 people in the crammed row , I would have simply sat beside you.

Just my opinion.

Far Siren

Don't know about that but it certainly doesn't sound like it was a US-based airline as the OP would have been met by law enforcement upon landing for not obeying crew instructions, interfering with flight operation, etc etc...

elementZ

what makes you entitled to a whole row? The stewardess was trying to make the flight more comfortable for all PAX. If I was a stewardness I would have moved somebody to sit beside you.

TravellingGypsy

Unless you paid for all 3 seats, every other pax on the plane had just as much right as you did to sit in either of the 2 open seats next to you.

I would have had a "chat" with you if I were one of those stuck in a full row while you splayed across 3 seats, refusing to give up your entitlement.

The Lev

As soon as the seatbelt sign came off I would have lifted the armrests and fallen asleep across the three seats.

FlyerTalker683455

What makes another passenger think he didn't purchase the extra seats, or they were blocked due to his status (as they should be for Elites anyways).

Bonaventure

Because he didn't.

dand99

1. This was AC (hey, it's an AC forum)
2. *G

I'm not sure about the comment as to the FAs "trying to make the flight more comfortable for all pax" - if so, the flight crew would walk the length of the aircraft every flight, rearranging the entire seating plan by placing at least 2 pax in each row.

I've been on the other end more often than not, but never thought of trying to force a passenger lying down to give up one of his seats. My POV has always been that if you "claim" the seat (and neither you nor I have paid for it) before takeoff, it's yours.

drvannostren

Lol this thread is awesome, the OP is complaining about the FA being pushy and attempting to be helpful to 3 other people by being a d**k himself and saying that it's his space.

This was a situation where you could've just been nice, and you weren't, no big deal if that's fine with you, then that's fine.

As a CANADIAN myself, it's born in to me to give up that space, even if I don't want to. I might roll my eyes, I might groan, but if the FA comes up and politely asks the first time if the person can take (the window, cuz I'd be on the aisle for sure) I'd begrudgingly say yes and she'd never have to get pushy.

grandgourmand

karma?

I've attempted to move to a better seat many times, most of the times accomodated (only "lose" when someone else beats me to it...fair game).

Sleeping across three seats is a luxury, not a privilege.

kay sedia

^me too