LSunbury

I've just been asked once, on AA 777 1-2-1 config in J where it was an straight swap from one window seat to another on the opposite side so no problem. Got a gift of F PJs from the crew.

Also made the request myself once when travelling with my partner and got a lovely 'yes no problem'.

I wouldn't dare ask to move to a better seat or agree to move to a worse seat of course!

PrimaVista

In this particular example of supercilious withering from the couple to make you feel uncomfortable, I personally would have taken every opportunity to get out of 64A, take a huuuuge stretch in the aisle, grant them a courteous smile and return to my seat; rather in the style of Mr Bean.

I hate seat bullies.

RAAng

I'd definitely swap for a better seat, probably for even up, most likely not for a worse seat. Although under the right circumstances, who knows. I pay money to sit where I want, so I'm unlikely to swap a window not over the wing for a middle with a wing view. I'm also unlikely to consider a bulkhead seat where my carry on is half a plane away.

fruitcage

I would probably decline for the reasons others have stated above. However, I would say that 99% of passengers don't have the finely-tuned FT sense of which seats are better or worse and so no idea of the outrage they are causing by requesting a swap.

Geordie405

I have swapped twice and on both occasions it was so a parent could sit with their child. Once was on a DXB - LHR flight (where I ended up losing my iPod as I'd left it in the seat pocket but it was returned to me at the gate for my next flight) and the other was on a rail replacement bus between Portland and Klamath Falls. On both occasions there was a parent with a young child and no two seats together. On the flight I had an aisle and the dad had the window seat but daughter was the row in front and in the middle. She wasn't happy and he was trying to reassure her that it was all ok, he was only a row behind etc. I was on my own and more than happy to do the decent thing in the circumstances. On the bus it was similar with only single seats left and spread out considerably. I was with a friend and we both took single seats so the mother and her child could be sat together.

Those are the only situations I would consider moving. On planes you either have status and can choose your seat in advance as a perk, or else you can pay for specific seats if you don't wish to take the risk of being separated. If you choose to roll the dice at OLCI and lose then that's the risk you were clearly willing to take!

Fitch

Precisely !

It may be that the couple genuinely had no idea that 64A was better than any other on the upper deck and were confused and annoyed when their perfectly reasonable (to them) request was turned down.

Not everyone flies CW every week / reads this forum every day...

PETER01

I wouldn't swap unless it was 64A, or 64K/62 A/K and I think you did the right thing. The fact they gave you daggers I would have just ignored that and made a point of saying to the CC when serving you something along the lines of " these window seats which have direct aisle really are excellent "

I'm not spending thousands of pounds of my own money to acquire status just to give a 'prized' seat away out of the goodness of my heart.

Someone wanting seated with their other half with a baby then yes of course.

Fraser

To me it boils down to two factors that should be met:
1) Equivalent or better seat
2) The attitude of the requestees

A few weeks ago I flew LHR-JFK and was in 64K. I had boarded at the beginning of Group 1 and was behind a husband and wife. The husband was held up in secondary security and so the wife went upstairs first. The cabin crew greet her and she mutters back with quite an attitude that "my husband is whatever status and we're not sitting together so you must help us move people so that we can". The crew seemed fairly OK with helping her but it was clear she was in row 64 so I was thinking my prime 64K was going to be asked away. My usual boarding routine is to settle in quickly and get changed into more comfortable clothing anyways. I heard the crew mention "it looks like he is settling in already" so I guess they purposefully didn't ask me. But the guy who I assume was in 64B was asked by husband and wife if he would swap and he seemed OK with doing so. The husband of the duo was Gold (coincidentally followed them into check-in and they sat by me in the lounge) so I'm guessing they were upgraded or booked very late and figured picking random upper deck seats was better the main deck. I had only booked my ticket two weeks beforehand and the upper deck was pretty wide open then. Given their general attitude (from seeing them at close quarters at check-in, lounge, boarding and how the wife barked at me for being too close to her on the upper deck stairs) I wouldn't have swapped just on principle that they seemed demanding, entitled and arsey about it.

I've asked someone twice if they wanted to switch.
First was on an AA ORD-DFW flight in F. The wife and I were on an AONEx ticket and for some reason the day before the flight it dropped from our itinerary. Luckily we got the last two F seats but they were bulkhead windows on opposite sides of the cabin (MD80). At boarding some unaccompanied minor that was about 7yrs old boarded and sat next to me in the aisle seat. I asked if he wanted a window seat my wife was happy to switch with him but it was completely up to him. He seemed more than happy to do so but then I felt terrible because his seatmate arrived shortly thereafter and was about 400lbs. He looked penned in, even in a bulkhead in F!
Second was in Club World on LHR-JFK. Was in 62A with the wife in 62B and there was some issue with her seat that meant it didn't recline at all. When my wife brought this to the attention of the cabin crew they automatically asked the guy in 61K (who had the adjacent seat free) if he wanted 62K instead (noting it was a better seat) and he was happy to do so. We moved over to 61J and K.

fruitcage

I have also boarded a plane after carefully preselecting J seats, to find my seats already occupied by someone else - who looks at me as if i'm mad when I ask them to move and say no I don't want to just take their seat instead. I put this down to a genuine difference in perspective on the situation. I find Hanlon's razor makes many stressful situations so much easier to understand.

Lucanesque

simons1

HIDDY

Under your circumstances I would do the same as you.....so I'm not any a nicer a person than you are.

That's just one of the reasons why we fly IB over CW.....there's no early seat selection fees in J.

dnajockey

I' not sure totally agree with the sentiment but 10 bonus points for the turn of phrase

1Aturnleft

Had this happen a couple of weeks ago. Funny thing was I'd been watching the seatmap daily due to potential config swaps where I was sat in 1A (Gatwick A320) when at T-72 previously allocated seats in row 6 suddenly freed up and the unassigned 1C next to me, 1 D and 1 F suddenly were taken .... and in addition 2F was also then occupied. I'm 99% certain these people took the risk on seat shifting to be in row 1 and decided to try their luck to turf me out..... only I was having none of it. I was one of the first to board and stowed my carry on in the mini locker above row 1. Soon afterwards the family boarded, sat the kids in 1D/F, wife in 2F and husband took 1C next to me. I was then asked by the husband to swap with the wife who was in 2F smiling and waving at me. Also guilt tripped by the husband and fed the sob story about the fact they weren't able to sit together. I declined his offer citing that I preferred to stay where I was and left it at that. Much huffing ensued, bags slammed down onto the seat from overhead lockers - enough to shake the seat, blatant ownership of the central console table with tablet, eye glasses and the space underneath with general stuff. I just smiled through and didn't let any of the petty toy throwing bother me.

In the past have seat shifted to allow couples to sit together without any issue so I'm not a spiteful person by nature. For the fact it seemed obvious to me this family thought they could bully me out of my seat that I'd assigned myself over 4 months previously just so that they could sit further forward once the seat map unblocked certain seats at T-72, and I was having none of it.

Mountlodge

Christmas 2k myself and ex-gf were travelling to Goa (Leela palace, loved it) from LGW and we had pre-booked the extra legroom seats, and even better row 1 which despite the bulkhead still gave more legroom than the other rows with extra legroom. On boarding and walking toward our seat there is this guy kneeling on one of the seats facing me as I walked toward the seat. On arrival, he said "mate, you arrived late so we got these seats". My reply, "I'm not your mate, please move". Anyway, after repeating my request, cabin crew came along and asked the guy to move which he did after spouting off about first come first served. My one and only encounter with air rage.
ML