Again it comes down to how you ask. I am sure a single person travelling alone probably wouldnt mind but please do not presume or get stroppy (or act obnoxiously as (jokingly?) suggested by Smirnoff.

People choose seats for a reason and if they particularly want that seat - it is just bad luck if you can not have it.

The only time I've ever asked anyone if they could vacate a seat was when a passenger was occupying two seats (in CW), one with himself and one with a pile of his things. I asked him at the suggestion of the flight attendant if he could move his things so that a friend, who was travelling in Y, could take the seat. This was after the second meal had been served, i.e. about half an hour before landing on a 12-hour flight. The reason was that there was a wheelchair waiting for me at the gate (I had a broken foot) and the FA wanted us both off the plane ahead of everyone else.
It was quite incredible just the grumpy the passenger got about moving a pile of books and papers from an otherwise unoccupied seat.

I don't think I have ever been asked to move myself. If asked to vacate a seat with more legroom (e.g. an exit row - including row 62 in NNCW where you can stick your feet out more when sleeping) for one with less, I'd be very reluctant to do so. But a marginal downgrade (62A instead of 62K) I could live with if the other pax had a good reason for moving.

I was in 2K and my wife (plus rugrat) in 1K for a flight to SIN where i was a lowly silver i was unable to grab 1A despite my wife getting 1K (no FFP) due to the bassinet seat.
Upon boarding and sorting stuff out the chap in 1A offered his seat to me seeing that we were obviously together (both scruffy 30-somethings in amongst a cabin of smart 50-somethings ;))
I initially said no need (stiff british upper lip in action), but he insisted and I accepted, remarking that he was giving up the best seat on the plane! He said that it was better to see a couple next to each other than hog a slightly better seat for 'selfish' reasons. Wow, what a nice bloke...
Side note - Any fears that the F passengers had with a 13month old baby in their midst were squashed when she slept for 11hours and not a sound whilst awake :eek: - Most of them couldn't believe it!
dj

Me: "Would you mind switching with me so my wife and I can sit together?"

Other pax: "Sod off"

Me: "OK then, but I gotta warn you...I need to pee like every 5 minutes, so I'll be climbing over you a lot. Plus I snore real bad. Also, I didn't take my anti-gas pill before this flight and I intend to drink lots of champagne."

And this is why the seating policy leaves a lot to be desired. Why should we of no status not be able to sit with our travelling companions because a bunch of single status travellers decided to plonk themselves in rows which would otherwise be empty blocks of two?

Can you not do a total complete party and link both PNRs? I'd have thought this way your travelling companion could also take row 1...or could they not?

I'm surprised someone hasn't suggested this which means I am wrong :p

;) Doesn't matter how the bookings are linked, 1AK are so hallowed that unless you're both Gold, you're not getting in them. I inferred from the OP that they are actually on the same PNR so no 'need' for a TCP - it doesn't help either way. It's just that given the seats already taken as Abstract1 posted, there aren't many options. Personally, I think I'd take 5A and 5E and offer the person in 5F a swap to 5A on the day - I think on balance that is most likely to succeed - i.e. who would want to be in an EF seat next to half a couple vs. an A or K seat? I can't understand that being refused if put politely...but I can understand someone not wanting to give up the super-private 1AK option, especially as a lone traveller.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

The travellers who are more valuable to BA get first pick of any seats. Not just status travellers, but also those who purchase full-fare tickets. Quite simple really. ^

The BA seating policy on people travelling together isn't that great - I think many people here have agreed about that at great length before.

However, I don't think you can expect someone to give up a seat for a significantly worse seat just so two companions can sit next to each other. The reason people with status get better seats ultimately boils down to the same sort of business reasons that people who with a club ticket generally get a better seat than people with an economy ticket. You wouldn't expect someone in J to give up his seat for someone in Y so that two other pax (say one with a club ticket, one with a Y ticket) can sit together. [Of course, most of the time, you ought to be able to find someone with whom to swap, where the other person gets a seat that is at least as good as his current one.]

I have had to travel separately from a travelling companion on a number of occasions. In fact, it has happened to me on at least five flights so far this year. On each occasion we both survived the experience. In fact, although the companionship up to the point of boarding and after disembarking is valuable, on the plane I often find that the proportion of time spent asleep (even on short-haul flights, by one or other of two people) makes any effort to be seated together rather a waste of energy.

I was a Middle East GOLD for MANY years..... shame there is no "life time" qualifying with BA. When I travel alone, I am not too worried about where I sit... what REALLY bothers me is NOT being able to sit with my partner.... now that I have been reduced to Blue.....
The only time I was asked if I would mind swopping seats was in WTP on a 777 to DXB about 4 years ago, in 23A.
I was feeling a bit flat as it was my fith WTP flight, and the first time that I hadn't been U/graded....I had been told that there were only 7 of us in WTP but it was FULL- upgrades from WT. A chap introduced himself, informed me that I was sitting next to his mother, and would I like to swop seats?
I asked him nicely where he was sitting, and he said "14J"
I thanked him, wished them both a good flight, & grabbed my hand baggage..!

Wow - "threatening" someone to get what you want - did you chuck your toys out of the pram a lot as a baby?

Given that the OP was for 1AK the fact that you have a small bladder is pretty much irrelevant ;)

Assuming J/F travel I am not sure how you expect BA to seat any single travellers - they will always take one seat out of a block of two - should couples get priority when booking seats?

I have moved seats a couple of times - once when I was too tired to argue (and was threatened with "I will be up all night" - even though the stupid gimp slet all night) and once when they offered a similar seat and I had hada couple of bubbles in the lounge so was feeling generous.

The fact that you can't sit next to your other half on one segment shouldnt mean that my 40 hours of carefully planned travel should be chucked out of the window.

I think if someone did what you suggest I would be tempted to retain my seat out of spite - but that would be sinking down to your level.

Quite. I boarded the EDI to LGW flight yesterday evening to find someone else sitting in my seat (1A). I was standing next to the FA so said that there was someone in my seat. She asked to see the boading pass of the other passenger who should have been seated in a middle seat further back. He said that it was all a mistake because he was supposed to be sitting in the seat next to his male friend in 1B. I was asked if I would move to the other seat (but told that I didn' have to) but wasn't feeling much like it with a much worse seat on offer and after 2 15 hour working days so I declined.

However, I wasn't prepared for the tirade of abuse from his travelling companion in 1B that followed who proceeded to tell me what my sex life must be like in graphic detail and it got so abusive that I told the FA that I wasn't prepared to sit and listen to abuse for the entire flight. She asked him to stop and he got quite let's say 'animated' about the whole affair until she told him that it was quite enough. We continued with him telling me that now I had to sit next to him for the entire flight and dealing out low insults under his breath which made me very uncomfortable. Not only that but I was also gasping for air most of the time (why is it that European men don't ever use deodorant?).

I was wondering what sort of abuse I might suffer once we landed (being female and travelling alone) but luckily before we were even on stand he leapt up with the plane still moving, dealt out a few more insults and then rushed to the door to be first in line. FAs did nothing. As soon as the door was open he (thankfully) disappeared into the distance. His travelling companion however managed to deliberately barge past me pushing me to one side whilst walking through to arrivals so all in all a very unpleasant experience.

If it had been a little old lady separated from her husband or someone separated from a child, or even been asked politely I would probably have moved but 2 40ish guys travelling together on an hour long flight didn't seem to be a good case to me. I didn't set the BA seating policy after all!

If it was me and I'd been separated from a companion (especially on such a short flight) I'd just have accepted my lot without question.

I was travelling in F and was only able to get the following seats with the family, wife in 2K and children in 2EF with me in 3A. Boarded the plane and 2A and 4A both occupied by a couple travelling together as was 1EF, 4EF and 5EF. The couple in 2A and 4A could see that I was seated further from my family then was ideal and asked me if I would like to swap 3A with 2A. Saved me the the dilemma^

Kazza, that's a bad experience! Why didn't the FA move the guy in 1B back next to his mate, and whoever was sitting back with the mate up to 1B?

JS

With that level of abuse I would have been asking the FAs to deplane (if not taken off) or move them back to J.

Back to J, from EDI to LGW :confused: