Action against unprincipled passenger?
Jul 30, 2018, 11:34 am
#106
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
Just to throw one more log on the fire, since the distinction between PE and economy may not be clear to travelers who don't travel much (and is still somewhat "new" to some), without having first seen the regular economy seats it could have just been a kind gesture on the junior travelers' part and only upon arriving at their new seats would they have realized that they were given a nickel for their dime.
If you think about it, for folks that aren't as up to date on the marketing speak/products, premium economy, economy, and basic economy all literally include the word economy even though their hard/soft products can differ greatly. Then to top it all off, there's also the "main cabin extra" pitch that gets thrown around too. Depending on the route, we then have international F on the 77W and the SFO/LAX-JFK A321 transcons, international business, domestic F (paling in comparison to int'l business despite "First" sounding more premium than business), business on the trans-cons (much nicer than domestic F), and then the "four" economy types which appear on different routes/aircraft types, two of which have their own distinct physical seat-room differences.
On the bright side, at least nobody told anyone else that Coke Zero was bad for them on the flight and neither the CK nor the teenagers were checking frozen fish or this thread would be 14 pages instead of 7 pages long
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If you think about it, for folks that aren't as up to date on the marketing speak/products, premium economy, economy, and basic economy all literally include the word economy even though their hard/soft products can differ greatly. Then to top it all off, there's also the "main cabin extra" pitch that gets thrown around too. Depending on the route, we then have international F on the 77W and the SFO/LAX-JFK A321 transcons, international business, domestic F (paling in comparison to int'l business despite "First" sounding more premium than business), business on the trans-cons (much nicer than domestic F), and then the "four" economy types which appear on different routes/aircraft types, two of which have their own distinct physical seat-room differences.
On the bright side, at least nobody told anyone else that Coke Zero was bad for them on the flight and neither the CK nor the teenagers were checking frozen fish or this thread would be 14 pages instead of 7 pages long
.
Jul 30, 2018, 1:57 pm
#108
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,374
I agree with you 100%. I have a senior in college who hates to fly in middle seats. If I can't book her an aisle or a window on some flights I will buy her a window. Several times others have taken her seat leaving her with a middle and she will sit there rather than cause what my kids would describe as an awkward and embarrassing situation. This is what happens when you cross my type A personality with my wife's good southern upbringing. My older one has grown out of it and will now ask you if you are in the correct seat.
Once I was in 10A (window) and the guy sitting there said, "no, I'm in the right seat. 10B." He pointed to a label on the right-hand armrest which read 10B.
I said, "how about the left armrest?"
He lifted his left arm to reveal a label that said 10A. Without another word, he moved. You might think the rest of the flight was awkward, but it was just silent, which frankly a lot of people like.
Yes, anyone can be an dingus and ask anything. But polite behavior is different, and polite behavior is to not ask someone to downgrade. And it is very widely considered that middle is less than aisle or window, mce better than regular coach, pe is better than mce, j better than pe, f better than j. That leaves grey areas and preferences, but this isn't one of those cases.
I seem to recall an old promotional campaign which posed the hypothetical: on a 12 hour flight, would you rather sit in J alone, or in economy next to the future love of your life?
To play devil's advocate against the OP, we still don't know if the CK offered something in exchange for the downgrade. Coasean bargaining, anyone? (Econ majors get this.)
Jul 30, 2018, 2:39 pm
#110
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: New York
Programs: AA EXP 1.0mm, not sure where I am with hotels these days
Posts: 2,795
On a flight from DFW to LGA I was in 6A with a gentleman and his friend seated in 6B and 3A. The FA came back and asked if I would switch to 3A so the gentleman could sit next to his friend. I suggested to the FA that he ask the person in 3B to switch to 6B instead, and it solves the problem. The gentleman in 6B said to me in a huff, that they don't like sitting in the bulkhead. And I replied that at 6'5", neither do I.
Jul 30, 2018, 3:42 pm
#112
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 794
Next time I should carry the 1998 Chateau Margaux and pour to my “kids” in econ. Seems like an acceptable flying etiquette now aday.
Jul 30, 2018, 3:50 pm
#113
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: TPA/DFW/K15
Programs: AA EXP, Mar AMB, HH LT DIA
Posts: 1,649
Jul 30, 2018, 5:11 pm
#114
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
Programs: LT Plt, 4mm, *A GLD, burned out medical provider, executing our estate plan
Posts: 1,665
Jul 30, 2018, 5:30 pm
#115
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
An interesting uptick in threads featuring questions/"what would you do-esq" scenarios "for my friend" in general in the past month...
It would be helpful to get first-hand knowledge if "the friends" could post on FT. Equally helpful, however unlikely, would be if the other side would post their side too so com'n CK and let's here your take
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While we're at it I'd love to hear the perspective from the FA just to clear the air (pun intended). These threads might have less speculation and certainly could get more interesting!
It would be helpful to get first-hand knowledge if "the friends" could post on FT. Equally helpful, however unlikely, would be if the other side would post their side too so com'n CK and let's here your take
.While we're at it I'd love to hear the perspective from the FA just to clear the air (pun intended). These threads might have less speculation and certainly could get more interesting!
Jul 30, 2018, 6:14 pm
#116
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Escondido, CA
Programs: US Chairman no more. AA EXP
Posts: 682
W class has only been sold for a few weeks - you might be giving the CK too much credit - he may have received a complimentary upgrade to W and didn't realize that it was a different fare class.
Jul 30, 2018, 6:43 pm
#117
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 794
Off vintage first growth, but first growth, nevertheless.
Then if some guy with high status somehow got my kids to switch seats, maybe I will come back and create a thread how angry I am and how to punish this guy some more. Lol.
The whole thing is so over the top ridiculous. Uncouth people complain about other uncouth people.
Then if some guy with high status somehow got my kids to switch seats, maybe I will come back and create a thread how angry I am and how to punish this guy some more. Lol.
The whole thing is so over the top ridiculous. Uncouth people complain about other uncouth people.
Jul 31, 2018, 5:42 am
#118
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wonderful Weald of kent
Programs: BAEC Bronze
Posts: 989
Someone tried this on my (then) 15 yr old daughter coming back from Vancouver to London.
she was travelling in PE, whilst I was in J (and yes we had very good reasons why she wasn’t in business with me!) Being 15 she was feeling very “Grown up”, and despite being allowed to board with me, she elected to do it herself. She boarded to find her seat had been poached (nice window seat in PE) by a lady who insisted that my daughter had managed to bag the seat whilst she was checking herself in, thus stopping her sitting with her mother. Not true as daughters seat had been chosen for her at time of booking). This woman insisted that my daughter should take her seat to allow mother and daughter to sit together. Turns out that daughters seat was a middle middle in deepest Y. My daughter had flown enough and head me talking to know that the PE seat was hers, and she wasn’t going to take a downgrade, so got the FA to come and chuck the poacher out back to her crappy seat.
the mother then proceeded to try and make my daughters trip a misery by not letting her out when she needed to go - but found out that refusing to move simply means an athletic youngster will just step over you! FA intervened when she saw it happening and told the older woman to behave, and even offered to see if the passenger next to her daughter would like to change seats!
some kids know their rights whilst being polite about it..... what a shame that a middle aged woman couldn’t do the same!
she was travelling in PE, whilst I was in J (and yes we had very good reasons why she wasn’t in business with me!) Being 15 she was feeling very “Grown up”, and despite being allowed to board with me, she elected to do it herself. She boarded to find her seat had been poached (nice window seat in PE) by a lady who insisted that my daughter had managed to bag the seat whilst she was checking herself in, thus stopping her sitting with her mother. Not true as daughters seat had been chosen for her at time of booking). This woman insisted that my daughter should take her seat to allow mother and daughter to sit together. Turns out that daughters seat was a middle middle in deepest Y. My daughter had flown enough and head me talking to know that the PE seat was hers, and she wasn’t going to take a downgrade, so got the FA to come and chuck the poacher out back to her crappy seat.
the mother then proceeded to try and make my daughters trip a misery by not letting her out when she needed to go - but found out that refusing to move simply means an athletic youngster will just step over you! FA intervened when she saw it happening and told the older woman to behave, and even offered to see if the passenger next to her daughter would like to change seats!
some kids know their rights whilst being polite about it..... what a shame that a middle aged woman couldn’t do the same!
Jul 31, 2018, 6:54 am
#119
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: BOS
Posts: 19
I probably would have told him to return his family members to their original seats, taken my kids to my J seats, and sat behind the guy for the rest of the flight with my wife, saying nothing, but making it clear that I was now in charge of the situation.
Jul 31, 2018, 6:58 am
#120
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,088
An aside to this tale is the father who thought it was okay to bring his children ice cream, a treat to which they clearly were not entitled due to their seat status.
This is just as bad as someone in FC or J bringing drinks back to their friends in Y. Why did he think his children should get sundaes when no one else back there was? Dad was also taking advantage, though, perhaps, to a lesser degree than Mr CK.
This is just as bad as someone in FC or J bringing drinks back to their friends in Y. Why did he think his children should get sundaes when no one else back there was? Dad was also taking advantage, though, perhaps, to a lesser degree than Mr CK.