I'm with you on this one, I'm generally ok with seat swapping on request if the swap is equivalent or better but I've turned a few people down who were trying to swap my good seat with a crappy one in the middle right at the back. I appreciate of course that the infrequent flyer probably doesn't know the difference and the request may be innocent but I've certainly turned down a chancer or two.

One flight I had two ladies during next to me in the middle seats of a 3-4-3, the one next to me asked me to swap with the lady next to her. When I said no she concocted a rather elaborate story emerged as to why I should swap, a story that changed a number of times throughout the telling.

that would have been me

Thats’s a shame. I’ve invited many interlopers to become acquainted with accommodation elsewhere on my trains.

The upside to trains, though, is that many seats are the same. Sometimes much simpler to find the passenger an equivalent (if not better) seat, and then deal with someone’s attitude without having the original passenger have to witness it all.

I had this with a bulkhead aisle seat on a VA LGW BGI flight last year. Bloke plonked himself down and when I asked him to move insisted that all seats were open ticket, then that cabin crew had moved him to that seat. When I asked to see his BP he made a massive show of not being able to find it. The conversation continued with me showing him my BP and politely explaining I’d booked that seat. He eventually said ‘Can’t you just sit over there?’ pointing behind him vaguely. I replied ‘No I’d like to sit in my allocated seat and you need to do the same’. He then went for the stupid sexist option of saying ‘Alright love. Calm down’ despite the fact I hadn’t raised my voice one iota which lost him whatever residual rapport he might have had with anyone female nearby including a CC who wasn’t getting involved prior. She stepped over and said ‘ We told you to sit there’ indicating a single empty seat some rows back. Realising he’d lost this game of musical chairs he took a good three minutes gathering up his crap (including the cushion, blanket and earphones from my seat) and wandering the long way round to his actual seat.

I had to ask CC to replace my seat equipment which they were happy to do rather that challenge the guy again. I fully believe if he hadn’t become patronisingly sexist and they hadn’t intervened he would have just remained in the seat (and I’d have probably given up as I got no support or assistance from anywhere else prior to the exchange)

Quite amazing the cheek of some people. If I’m flying Y I do often board very last and try to take an empty row if available, but occasionally you get some last-minute transfer pax who show up just before doors close and turns out it’s their seats. If that happens then like most normal people I would of course politely move, rather than being a complete d*ck and pretending the seat belongs to me.