saneman

I blame the initial problem on Delta's IT that should group seats of a reservation together in a reshuffled lineup and move the singles afterwards.
But once, time lapses, I don't blame the delta personnel. They can't just randomly move people.

I do not understand the first row reference since you were swapping 2 for 3. Still you were asking people to go from aisle to window or vice versa. not an easy swap for some.

Your daughter is THREE. She probably occupies half an economy seat and with the arm rest up, your wife and your daughter would have been very comfortable in economy. No one is even morally obligated, let alone legally, to move for your family.

elitetraveler

Frankly I see very few DYKWIA moments when I travel and I on average 3x per months, so maybe a dozen flights a month.

I pretty much always switch. For a family with little kids I wouldn't think twice.

popppa

1. Doing something BEGRUDGINGLY is NOT the same as compassion. Compassionate people do things cheerfully & without attitude & nasty looks.


2. The OP came online & complained about the unwillingness of the other passengers & the DISDAIN with which the passenger who did move did it. That is NOT a lack of gratitude, it a lack of understanding as to WHY his request was met by so many flat-out refusals & ONE extremely resentful consent.

3- How exactly did the OP set a bad example for his 3 year old daughter by attempting to get it seated with it’s mother? He asked someone to switch seats, he didn’t urinate on a fellow passenger.

4. Does somebody already have the user name “SHOOT THE OP!“? Can we create a separate forum for people who are obsessed with attacking the OP. Particularly saddening are all of the asinine comments made by people who didn’t even bother to read (& UNDERSTAND) the content of the first post. Once again for the socially impaired: It is NOT “crass behavior” to kindly ask if someone will switch seats with you!

5. This is probably why you are so bitter about this subject. You haven’t gotten over what happened to you back then. Pity.


6. Do you REALLY think that asking someone if they will switch seats (that were previously reserved together but became separated by an equipment swap) so that a 3 year old girl doesn't sit alone is expressing a sense of entitlement? SERIOUSLY!?


In closing: Have the oxygen masks deployed?…because everyone is behaving like the cabin just depressurized & all sanity & humanity have been sucked out!

PPP

elitetraveler

I think it comes from the fact that these tiers in the DL program and virtually all other programs - hotels, car rentals, are generically referred to as 'elite levels.'

Often1

Where's the beef?

1. As you point out, your family was acommodated, but in the last row of Y. If you care that much, that's what you do. OP cared more about the freebie UG, so he's complaining about "grumpy" people. In his case, the GA offered adjoining seats in Y, which is what OP paid for in the first place so it's not even a downgrade.

2. I flew with 3-1/2 year olds and we couldn't make the seating work together, but we were one row apart, as would have ocurred here. It's not as though the child was a UM on an intl. trip. She would have been 3 feet away. The kids loved it and, believe it or not at age 7-1/2, they loved it and still talk about wanting to fly "alone" again.

3. Not in one place does OP mention asking the FA for help. They aren't mind readers.

curl

Wow, many of u are cold-hearted people. it was a 2 hour flight and first class to first class swap. For a child. Are u kidding me?

glbetrotter

Of course not, you are right! Nor is anyone in any way obligated to give up a seat on the subway to an elderly person or a woman with a child (except for the designated seats), but civilized people do! No one is obligated to assist a person putting a heavy piece of luggage in the overhead, but civilized ones do! We are certainly not obligated to use forks and knives when we eat, but most of us still do. Doing those things despite not having moral or legal obligations is a harbinger of a civilized society (just as, admittedly, accepting them graciously).

I guarantee you that this would have not been an issue had it happened in economy! People would have happily switched seats for this family (sans the usual exit row restrictions). I realize that the situation was easily resolved (and the OP should be grateful to the gentleman who agreed to switch), the comments that followed in this thread were just UGLY! Big deal, you would seat by the window for 2 hrs instead of your beloved isle! MR_MAMA's status is obviously more important! Pathetic, you gotta be kidding me!

popppa

________

Hey jk2 (or anybody else that knows), any chance that you were a PMNW Frequent Flyer?….commonly known as (Platinum, Gold, Silver) ELITE…Trauma1...as “riot-inducing” a subject as it may be…many people WERE (at least in terminology) Elites. If you didn’t have to change your label/frequent flier number/club membership/etc. as a result of the merger…consider yourself fortunate. For the rest of us, the merger resulted in SOME form of change to the airline that we flew previously.

...How many of you didn't change the number in your speed dial/cell phone until it didn't work anymore? (or you made Diamond)

+1

PPP

Trauma1

So do those people still fly on an airline named Northwest?

zrs70

All this would make a great "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode. I can just see Larry David agreeing to swap seats. But then he ends up next to an incessant talker. The person in his original seat gets the last meal choice. The leg rest in the new seat doesn't work....

popppa

THAT'S IT? That's your snappy comeback? First of all your missed the word WERE in my post. Do people still call it the "Sears Tower"? Have you ever seen someone here call it the "Crown Room" out of habit? Do people call the Queen's deceased daughter-in-law "Princess Diana"? (NOT her official title) Stop playing word police & stay on topic...or better yet move on to a thread where you can actually contribute something constructive.

PPP

P.S. the next time you're on PMNW 757, MD-ANYTHING, A330, or 747...I dare you to snoop around the boarding door, galleys. or cockpit door (without getting body-slammed by a FAM) & you'll probably find NW logos, ID plates, or other such non-Delta markings on your aircraft.

Trauma1

I'm not. Just making an observation and I'm not asking anyone to correct themselves.


I do. Haven't seen any YTD.

saneman

Yes, but in this case, the mother and child had the option of sitting in economy for which they paid. So there is no need for chivalry here. She was three years old. Economy might have even been better considering they can remove the armrest.

Bill_61

Wow, learning a lot here about who I've been traveling with for about 1.5M miles. If it means enough to you to pay for first class, good for you. I guess there are those who look down their paying noses at comp upgraders like me.
Oh, well...affects me not at all.


I think the OP has been savaged -- with all sorts of assumptions made about how he approached it, his entitlement attitude, and his characterization of the "old guy" (I resemble that remark?), etc. Most of this has been to justify the principle that it is ok to refuse to move from one FC seat to another to accomodate a child sitting with her mother. Really? My enjoyment and entitlement vs. a three year old. It's hard to believe this is a debate. One flight out of the hundreds we make to do something nice for another person. I know there are many on this forum who do not agree, but I think there's a lot of rationalizing selfishness going on.

How about being the person who sees something like this going on, or a husband and wife separated, and volunteering to switch seats? Trust me, the positive feeling you get will be worth more than your favorite seat.

OnTheSlopes

I don't have any kids, but I fly enough. In my experience, there are some people that have to have "their seat" (no judgement, some people want a certain seat and won't move - I ask nicely, then move onto the next group). But, plenty of people (myself included) would basically swap anyone for any seat at any time. Plenty of people (including myself) get upgraded into separated seats EVEN on the same PNR. I am fortunate that my success rate is 100% on finding SOMEONE willing to switch. As a "thank you", I will always put myself into the less desirable seat of the situation (bulkhead, last row of FC, etc). Just asking nicely has always worked for me, and never has an FA had to get involved.

Just play nice! That's all it takes!