Originally Posted by nk15

And that's part of the problem, there are a lot of grey areas and situations, and everyone has a justification from their point of view and self-interest.

I had a tough one the other day, I was on a European medium haul flight some time ago (about 3 hours), on a carefully selected aisle seat towards the front, guy comes up to me asking to switch to sit next to his visibly pregnant wife who may needed help (dubious, in retrospect), very apologetically, explaining that it was a last minute booking and the plane was full, and I think he also said it is ok if I don't want to, but I am not sure about that part. His seat is a middle seat in the back of the plane, and I have a relatively tight connection. Everybody was looking at me and the peer pressure was strong. I accepted but I was fuming.

Originally Posted by kipper

I would've said, "I'm sorry. I have a very tight connection to make my next flight, and sitting in the back of the plane greatly reduces the chances I make it. Perhaps the person sitting next to you would be willing to switch with your wife?"

Originally Posted by jerry a. laska

This is a particularly apt thread for me. For a recent ~2 hour flight on AS, I was called to the desk and asked to change my aisle seat in F to a window seat in the rear of F to accommodate a gentleman who wanted to sit with his wife (in the window) and the couple in the two seats across the aisle. I declined as I prefer the aisle and wanted to be upfront in first to have a better choice of meal (was unable to select online). I boarded and was approached by an FA shortly after boarding and again asked to move (FA was contacted by the gate agent as the gentleman was insistent that I be moved). I again declined and said I might move aisle for aisle but not aisle for window.

Shortly after that the gentleman boarded and took his wife's seat next to me and wanted to know why I wouldn't move and that the gate agent told him that I wouldn't move and that he should take it up with me when he boards. After explaining that I selected my seat as I prefer the aisle, he proceeded to call me an a-----e and that I was ruining his vacation. His rant was pretty much nonstop after that until the couple traveling with him found someone in an aisle willing to move to a window in the back. I switched and did not get a meal choice and went without a meal because the remaining meal was something I had before and knew not to have again.

While I occasionally move to accommodate someone else (families etc), I usually dislike moving to window seats. In this case looking back I regret moving and allowing this gentleman to succeed with his demanding DYKWIA attitude and disappointed that the gate agent decided to palm this gentleman off on me.

People choose their seats for many reasons. Instead of finding someone's seat choice as odd or unusual I find the need to analyze someone's choice or to label that choice as odd or unusual as the unusual or odd thing.

Originally Posted by andryas

This may be a sensitive subject in FT, as I've never seen it discussed anywhere. Since the era of FA carrying handheld device with electronic manifest, I have witnessed some weird requests for lateral seat swaps (no perceived advantage, like A to F, or C to D, or 10A to 11A). However, I always found out later that the person asking for a swap is either a buddy pass holder or some other kind of non-revs. Maybe they think the FA will treat them better as a paying passenger. I have similar experience to the poster above: After several seat swaps, a group of three traveler managed to get the C, D and F seat (next to each other, first class cabin), and their last move is to ask me in A to change seat with F because the daughter wants to sit together with the mom (it doesn't make sense, does it?). Eventually I found out later on that they are travelling non-revs and the F seat was the last original seat. Because of many experience like these, now I become very hesitant to change seats.

Originally Posted by born sleepy

This so much. It's no skin off my butt to swap an equal or better seat and I'll usually agree to this with a smile. Once I boarded to find my F seat occupied by half of an elderly couple; the other half was in the window. The old guy said would you mind taking my seat across the aisle? Not at all, have a great flight and a pleasant vacation, sir. I mean, how hard is that? It takes so little effort to make someone else happy. Too many people have to get all bent up about little things like this and I hate it.

But do NOT demand I sit in the last row middle next to the lav so you can canoodle with your boygirlfriend in MCE, because you won't like the answer. That's just being a selfish bhole.

Originally Posted by 3544quebec

Let me ponder for a moment......

She was so obsessed with cleanliness that she had already preboarded, carried out her seat-sanitising and just deplaned for a moment to incinerate the Covid-infested wipe before reboarding - see there is a plausible explanation for everything

Originally Posted by nk15

Highly recommended for air travel...

https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic...19109989_0.jpg

Originally Posted by radonc1

For all those who commented on my post

We didn't get the FA involved. She was busy enough with a full plane load of passengers. We were both adult enough to figure it out on our own

For the rest, all I can say is that it is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

And with that, i will let it drop.

Originally Posted by nk15

And that's part of the problem, there are a lot of grey areas and situations, and everyone has a justification from their point of view and self-interest.

I had a tough one the other day, I was on a European medium haul flight some time ago (about 3 hours), on a carefully selected aisle seat towards the front, guy comes up to me asking to switch to sit next to his visibly pregnant wife who may needed help (dubious, in retrospect), very apologetically, explaining that it was a last minute booking and the plane was full, and I think he also said it is ok if I don't want to, but I am not sure about that part. His seat is a middle seat in the back of the plane, and I have a relatively tight connection. Everybody was looking at me and the peer pressure was strong. I accepted but I was fuming.

Originally Posted by jayer

People with food allergies really do need the aisle seat, or next to a friend or family member in an aisle seat. My spouse is one. If possible we will pay to get her or us access to the aisle. But enough of our travel is last-minute, maybe even within 24 hours, so it is not always possible. She or we will cope with a middle seat if we have to. The marriage will survive if we are not sitting next to each other for three hours. But we're not moving her to accommodate random person trying to get next to their traveling partner.