people sometimes complaint about an FA not being very helpful. Here, I am going to complain about one who was too helpful, not to me though.

I, along with two others, not travelling with me, was seated in a bulkhead isle seat on a transpac flight. AN FA asked us if we were travelling together. When I answered in the negaitive, she asked us if we would consider moving to another row. I told her only if it was in BE cabin. I like my bulkhead seat as I don;t have to worry about someone leaning their seats back. Then she lecture me about the importance of being courteous. She wanted the bulkheqad seats for a couple with an infant. I understand she was trying to be helpful, but I do not believe lectureing me is a part of her job description.

Then the husband came by and sked us which one of us was an infant! I was inclined to say none of us was but that he was. But I just ignored him. I emptahise with the couple. I empathise with the couple. There were other couples with an infant too. If I were travelling with an infant, I too would like to have a bulkhead seat. But I woould not go that far.

Changing seats is always problematic. I'd always let them know what type of seat, or cabin I'd be willing to switch for. Often, if I've already placed all my items in my seatback, taken my shoes off, I'm not very inclined to move.

Yes, it is. I have found that if I am going to be uysing my CPAP, then a bulkhead seat is the best. I was not willing to give up my seat on a 16 hour flight. the FA should learn to take no for an answer and so should the husband.

I would say it would be common courtesy to have agreed to move (often those bulkhead rows are used for bassinets for infants) BUT it is certainly not a REQUIREMENT for you to do so. I don't have a problem with the FA "lecturing" you, but the dad coming over was over the line (unless he was going to politely ask again, which doesn't sound like what happened).

There is so no way I would have moved. Doubly so after the other passenger tried to force the issue.

Ohhh, I do have a problem with the FA lecturing him. There is a big difference between what is required and what is requested. Turning off electronics before takeoff is required. Putting the tray up for the same is required. Not smoking is required. On those things, the FA should keep lecturing until the passenger complies. But when making a request, the FA should honor the passenger's answer and let it go. Asking a second time with additional explanation might be okay, but commenting on a customer's manners crosses a line.

Sounds like the OP was lucky that this FA didn't grab a beer, do a Johnny Paycheck over the PA, open the emergency exit and slide down to the tarmac.

Sounds like an annoying FA and dad. The dad had so many options, it's utimatley his fault ...

glad you didn't fall for the guilt trip, no guilt there, it's a 16 hr. ride for christ's sake

OP, I'm with you -- a lecture from an FA and snide remarks from another passenger are uncalled for because you declined a worse seat on a 16-hr flight.

Just curious - what about the two other passengers in your row? Did they also decline? I'd think even if one of them agreed to move, that would have made room for one parent with a bassinet. To want the whole row or nothing IMO is unreasonable.

Where were they proposing you move to?

Said with a sad smile and a slight shake of the head, "I'm so sorry but I am not able to accomodate your request".

Lather, rinse, repeat as needed.

If pushed byond 2 repetitions, "Again, I am sorry but no. I have certain limitations of my own that led me to select this seat and I don't wish to burden you with them."

After anything beyond the first polite request, I would quite firmly tell the FA that I booked this seat for reasons that are none of his/her business and that I consider it highly inappropriate to be asked again. Then I would report the incident to DL. FAs should not be pressuring elites to switch seats against their will and absolutely should never make a snide comment about the matter either to the passenger or to another passenger.

However, having said this, I wonder whether a really nasty FA could kick someone off the flight over refusing to switch seats or if they could order someone to change from an assigned seat. Would this be an IDB? I'm guessing officially no, but you would still be kicked off for refusing to cooperate/follow orders of crew, even though there would be an apology later and the FA would get in trouble.

Your second paragraph explains my reason for not doing the first. I was once on an almost empty Saab going to Tri-Cities from, I believe, MEM. It may have been the return flight, not that it matters. There were only four or five passengers, so rather than sit next to the other large adult gentleman, as the door was closing, I moved to an empty row. The FA didn't like this and told me to go back to my seat. Long story short, she did tell the pilot that she did not feel comfortable with me on the plane. We were delayed while the pilot came back, spoke with me and determined that the FA was nuts. The pilot apologized to me, allowed me to change seats and we were on our way after wasting fifteen minutes.

Lesson learned - I politely nod and agree with the FA, take down her name and ask for a manager as soon as the flight ends to make sure I have the correct information for my later complaint to DL.

Or....
You could have been courteous and changed seats.
I just don't get why folks here spend more time thinking of witty replies the OP might have used instead of considering that maybe the bulkhead might be best used by a family with an infant.

As you all know: The bulkheads can't be pre-assigned and are the only seats that support a bassinet. Beating the family to the bulkhead request does not mean that EVERYONE in the cabin might not be best served by them having the bulkhead. You know there are others that might benefit from it more than you (elderly, un-accompanied minors, family with infants, those with certain medical conditions) when you request a bulkhead seat.
Yes, they can be preferable seats, but COMMON COURTESY might dictate that you cede them.

That is why we sometime hold doors for people and allow someone less able to enter an elevator first. Common courtesy.

You were entitled to that seat. You are also entitled to storm through the door of a public building and not hold the door for the mom pushing a stroller coming in behind you - but you would lack courtesy if you did so.

As for the FA... maybe there is probably a better way that she could have asked, but she had a point in what she was saying regarding courtesy. Trading for a BE seat is asking too much, but if another acceptable seat in coach was available, it would certainly have been courteous of you to switch.

Consider this when you "score" that bulkhead seat. Being knowledgeable frequent fliers does not excuse us from being courteous to those around us.

Common courtesy has its limits. An hour long flight, I'm sitting in F, a man who was brought to the plane by wheelchair is having trouble making it to the back, I'll offer my seat. (Have done this.) That's common courtesy.

A four hour flight, I'm in an Exit Aisle, and the man sitting behind me whispers in my ear that it would be great if I did not recline, as his prosthetic leg could not bend in a comfortable position if I reclines. Problem solved. We switched seats. That's common courtesy.

Pregnant woman with carry-on bag. Lifting it into the OH is common courtesy. So is letting the person sitting farther behind you on the plane get in front of you in the boarding line, so the person doesn't have to wait behind you while you sling up your suitcase and store your computer bag. (Have done all these things.)

A sixteen hour flight where people who have chosen to fly with a baby asking for everyone to change plans to accommodate their choice exceeds many people's definition of common courtesy. In any event, the common courtesy that was most violated here was the FA's common courtesy of being polite when making a request and gracious, even when not getting the answer she wants.

While I don't agree that the bulkhead seats are reserved on those international flights for families traveling with infants, it is Deltas policy. Just out of curiosity, how were you able to select the bulkhead seat on a TPAC flight? Usually they don't release them until the gate and it is nearly impossible to snag unless you are disabled or with an infant.

On my recent flight back from JNB to ATL I wasn't able to select the bulkhead (row 30 in the 777LR) seats ever. Not when I booked the ticket, not when I viewed OLCI, not when I asked the check-in counter agent and not when I asked the GA. I think you must have been pretty fortunate to get a bulkhead seat because everytime I asked they said "those seats are reserved for families traveling with infants and disabled passengers". Apparently those are the only seats that they bassinets are able to be installed.

I guess my point is that I have no idea how you were able to be assigned that seat unless the GA thought there would not be any families traveling with infants on the plane. Personally, if I were traveling with an infant and was told by the airline that they specially reserved the bulkheads because they could put in bassinets, I would be absolutely pissed to see someone that wasn't disabled or without an infant traveling in those seats. I know the bulkhead seats have 20 extra inches of legroom and get served first but they are specifically held back and reserved for the type of passenger that asked for you to switch seats. I would have reluctantly moved and been a little disappointed but understood that those are DLs policies and respected that. On a side note, were the other bulkheads with people with infants? Or disabled passengers? Did the people ask to switch with anyone else?