Dammit I just spit my coffee all over my keyboard. :D

deleted as I am in Hong Kong, and my flameproof clothes are at home.

Oh go on, Swanhunter - that kind of distance has go to give a certain flame buffer even if the clothes don't :D

This is not even Etiquette it is simply ridiculous. I strongly suspect that this was someone on board's Mum and Dad (Capt most likely).

You are obviously far more docile and more aquiescent than me. If HI and I were in A or C IN CE - or if I was in one or the other, then I am sorry but No I would not move. I care not a jot whether the cabin is laid out for oxygen or not. This should have been dealt with at check-in and not as some sort of emotional blackmail on board.

I was in WTP from GCM-LHR earlier in the year, party of three. I'm in my preferred aisle seat, empty window seat next to me. A youngish German couple get on at Nassau. He is seated next to me. She glowers at me, never sits in her middle row aisle seat, and tells me "you can sit here", pointing to hers, whilst blocking boarding for the other pax, obviously expecting me just to move. Well of course I don't, and tell her that if she takes her seat I will think about it once everyone is on board. Being a german speaker, I also tell her this more than once, very politely, in her native language. It has no effect and she continues to stand in the aisle blocking everyone else boarding, telling me that it would be much better if I took her seat so she could sit with her husband. I weighed up that I had no desire to sit next to disgruntled german hubby overnight with his lovely wife across the aisle, and the middle row aisle seat was not that bad anyway, so I agreed to move. Anyway, the lady I sat next to was very nice, and the CSD came along and thanked me, and I ended up getting pleasantly tanked up for the rest of the evening, being looked after very well by the crew. It was the rudeness of the original request that bugged me, and it wasn't something lost in translation. I think some people think they must be on easyjet or something the way they just sit where they like.

Like G-BOAC I thought it was the case that IA/K were reserved only for Golds, but seems not. I am due to fly back from JFK in F this weekend with my son (he has no status and is travelling on miles). We are not even on same PNR although I think we must now have a TCP as a result of me calling to get us seated together in CW on the way over. I selected us 2A and 2K some time ago, but looking just now under his PNR (not mine) 1A and 1K are open to him (as well as to me). We're sticking with 2A and 2K as I prefer those seats and we'll be asleep so minimum communications required, but I was surprised to see that he could have selected 1A/K.

1A/K showing as open and for Non-Golds to be actually able to select them & make it sucessfully stick are two completely different things altogether!

I, as a Gold, could not get a TCP'd Silver mate next to me into 1K despite plenty of efforts in MMB, on the phone with BA etc. That is despite the fact that 1K was showing as available in his TCP'd booking too.

And furthermore, at 3 days before departure the entire cabin opens up for selection, including 1AK, as I noted at the start of this thread...so if ella2001 is flying on Saturday her son would be able to select 1AK (though may still get shifted out until OLCI - this happened to a friend of mine: she got 1A confirmed but by the next day was booted out, only to have to re-select at OLCI no problem luckily). If it's Sunday then I think AJ's explanation is more likely until tomorrow.

(And apart from the shiny cards, 1AK can also be had by bookings with infants in since they are the bassinets.)

We are flying on Saturday night, so that would explain it then.. Good to know. Thanks. E

That is shockingly bad form.

I'm just thinking, wouldn't it be marvellous if one had the luxury of being able to deliver a response along these lines...

"I don't actually need to take this flight at this time so if you would be so good as to ask the captain to arrange for my bags to be offloaded and returned to me - we can just say our goodbyes now"