Changing seats in First class without asking
 

I recently flew a short-haul domestic route (approx. 3 hours) in AA First class. Fully paid, not a mileage ticket.
Upon boarding I noticed that someone was in my seat 3A (one of the single seats in a 1-2 configuration) and I politely said "excuse me you are in my seat". Before the person sitting in my seat could answer, the person sitting in seat 3D (aisle seat next to 3A) said "do you mind switching seats?" I noticed that the person sitting in my seats had crutches so I easily said "happy to switch but I would like an aisle seat", to which the person rolled their eyes and said "you have to ask the flight attendant for that". It might be important to note that this person in seat 3D is a AA staff in what looks like a pilot uniform. I approached the flight attendant and she asked the person in 3D (the one who decided to change my seat and rolled their eyes) to move to 3F (the window seat) and offered the aisle seat to me.

My question to the FT community: Does it give crew who are not working on the flight a right to change seats without asking the passenger?

The whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth because of the way in which the pilot acted. They could have offered their seat to the person with crutches but instead choose to sit in their seat and offer someone else's seat. I am happy if flight crew ask me to switch seats for a person in need, but the pilot who made the decision was not part of the crew flying that particular flight.

I was with you until the presumptive offender pulled the rolled eyes bit and said ask for the flight attendant. All bets are off then and I would have said "this is my seat please" and any other mumbling from the fool I would direct him to enquire with the flight attendant. Game over, full stop, crutches or otherwise. Hell he could be in a full body cast and I still wouldn't care given his rude behavior.

It’s too hard to follow your story. You were assigned a window but wanted an aisle?

Sounds like he was on an RJ where xA is an aisle and window seat, all in one.
I'd certainly push to stay on the A side as well in this case.

Sounds like the pilot in 3D just told the person in crutches in 3F to take your seat 3A so they wouldn't have to climb in. Mildly annoying, yes, but I really wouldn't overthink this or let it leave a bad taste in your mouth. Move on.

It didn't even happen to me and I can't even move on.

:D

My personal policy is:
1) If someone politely asks me to switch seats after I am seated, then my default answer is "yes"; it would have to be a substantial downgrade for me to say no. For example, one time a person asked me to swap exit row seats with them, (13A-14A, IIRC) but the seat they offered me had no recline since it was the front exit row... so I said no to that. I think that's the only time I have refused a swap.
2) If I find that someone has planted themselves in my seat without asking, then the default answer is "no". They'd better be offering me a substantial upgrade if they want to stay in my seat.

In the OP's story, 3F is not a substantial upgrade over 3A, so I would I would ask the FA to clear out my seat. If they would have asked first, I would have gladly moved to 3D or 3F to accommodate their crutches or whatever.

it's not an upgrade, it's a downgrade. The seats are A // D-F. A is a single side. DF are two seats together.

OP got jacked out of his seat. There are plenty of times that I have paid the $53.75 upgrade fee rather than rolling the dice on a comp upgrade just because an A seat has been available.

The issue here is that the decision to switch my seat was made my a crew member flying in first class, not the flight attendant. I did ask the flight attendant and she resolved the situation but I think he crew member should not have taken the liberties in the first place because he didn't consult the flight attendant either.

Was this an AA/ WO pilot, or one of the countless fractional, charter, or freight dogs that fly paid/ space positive?

At the end of the day this is an age-old story... passenger presumptively decides to change seats and that whoever's seat they took will be fine with it. The kind of clothes that person is wearing doesn't really change anything. As always, your options are to continue to insist on your assigned seat, or decide to accept something else. If the "something else" isn't to your liking, or you don't want to play musical chairs with the entire cabin, then insist on your seat and don't feel bad about it.

It is a travel policy violation for an employee to request switching seats with a revenue passenger. While no one is going to get fired over that particular violation, it is against policy.

And yes I would absolutely refuse to switch out of an A seat on a 1-2 configured aircraft.

But it does. If an AA employee does it on an AA flight, they're violating company policy.

if the person in 3D wanted the person in 3F not to need climbing, they were welcome to switch with 3F themselves rather than forcibly « switch someone else ».

Neither active crew let alone off duty crew should unilaterally move passengers without asking them and before they had even boarded. What if you were travelling with a disability yourself?

id ask for my seat back and/or complain about the behaviour and manners of the off duty pilot.

I would have been happy to swap 3F for 3A if someone had crutches. Yes A is better than F, but I'd be OK with the worse seat had they asked and not assumed.

Wait, who was squatting in OP's assigned seat 3A? Was the squatter in 3A Crutches or Pilot Guy? Or are Crutches and Pilot Guy the same dude?