MSP-PDX act of kindness last night - the story and the REAL story
 

I have to give a big thumbs up to the guy with the 1B seat assignment last night who gave it up and traded places with the senior disabled Vietnam vet who was assigned to 10B. It was a very selfless act of kindness, and quite a few people seated in FC took note and made it a point to tell the FAs.

The older gentleman boarded early at the "extra time" call, and I guess he just got distracted and took the first seat available. Or so he would have you believe.....

When the rightful owner of 1B boarded, it was like "The Bookstore" episode of Seinfeld where Uncle Leo is shoplifting. ( I'm an old man. I'm confused! I thought I paid for it. What's my name? Will you take me home?) Between gathering all his stuff, getting his cane and trying to remove his carryon from the overhead, I think the rightful owner just gave up and said "just stay here, I'll take your seat in 10B". Nevertheless, a nice gesture.

Unfortunately, I happened to be chatting with older veteran prior to boarding. He's as lucid and aware as anyone half his age. He had a paid coach seat and after 2 attempts (with separate agents) he was not at all happy that they would not move him to an EC row with more legroom ("no respect for veterans, they want $39, they should treat military with more courtesy, etc"). I didn't have the heart to say "you want EC, you pay for EC". Looks like he ended up getting it after all.

So in that context, watching his Uncle Leo act took on an added level of amusement for me. To his credit he pulled it off. The guy who got downgraded back to 10B got some extra karma chips (and about 3-4 free drinks). Our disable Vet got to ride in first class on a coach ticket. And everyone else in FC got a feel-good moment.

Looking forward to my AARP card a little more now....

That right there... that's the attitude I have a problem with.

As with all of these threads, IBTL.

Disabled vet or not... The guy is total pile of s**t. He's a con-artist, plain and simple. And the fact that he uses his military service to pad the scam is the sickest part of all. It makes me wonder how many times he's gotten away with this and how else he's conned people.

I have never met this guy, and I hate him.

But good karma to the guy who gave up his seat.

Pretty pathetic of the guy for pulling this stunt. I feel for the guy who thought he was doing a nice deed (and kinda was), but was really falling for a trick.


Too bad, because it's stories like this that make people less willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and makes them (understandably) jaded.

I hate hearing stories like this for the reason that they make me far less likely to give up a seat under similar circumstances in the future if that situation presents itself.

Then again, MSP-PDX is just long enough that I'd likely think twice anyway. Especially when a downgrade to a middle seat is involved. The tough thing about such a situation is that there's really no way to stand your ground without looking like a complete @**hole.

As far as karma is concerned, I hope the old coot/con artist finds himself consigned to 45E on a 757 and next to a customer of size on a CRJ in a window seat for the rest of his flying days.

I hate to ask, but is there any confirmation that he's really a Vietnam Vet?

He had a jacket that prominently displayed some sort of crest, the date of 1968 and Vietnam vet - I just assumed it was some sort of veteran's association. Would seem to be alot of work (and a source of uncomfortable questions from real vets) if it weren't authentic on some scale.

Right, wrong or otherwise it was still a pretty comical exchange knowing what I did about the back story. The generous offer to switch seats isn't diminished simply because it was done under questionably false pretenses.

Its not as hard for people to fake as you think.

There is a guy who stands on the corner down the street from me who used to have a sign that said "Vietnam Vet..." -- he looks to be at least 10 years younger than me and I'm sure I have lead a less stressful life. I had a high lottery number in '72-73 so I was always skeptical. In the last couple of years his sign changed to "Disabled Vet" so I am guessing he got called on it enough to change his sign.

Anywhere but a street corner I am a soft touch, Anybody willing to do what the OP posted would not be above falsely claiming to be a veteran. ''

Once I was traveling with a friend who spent about 6 years in Vietnam when there was somebody on a street corner claiming to be a Vietnam vet. My friend ask the guy a couple of casual questions and it became clear he was not. After that - for better or worse -- probably worse -- I do tend assume the worst about people standing on street corners.

To me it is sort of like people who never miss a chance to tell you how smart they are -- if they really are that smart there is no need to tell me every five minutes :)

This is an example of why I have given up on being nice:)

As a Viet Nam combat infantryman, stories like this really irritate me. I feel that nobody owes me anything for the privilege I had of serving my country. Unfortunately, there is a small minority of veterans who blame their problems, etc., on their military service instead of their own short comings.

Wow. Great -- if deeply irritating -- story. It's like he knew to play off pro-veteran sentiment, after that that bizarre five minutes hate directed at Delta last winter when they dared to wheel a disabled vet to his assigned seat in coach. (Remember that bizarre blow up?)

And yet another reason to board early.

I also think the Southwest effect contributes to some of this nonsense. One old fart was incorrectly seated in row two from RDU to DTW years ago and when asked to move replied, "I thought I could sit anywhere!"

Another time a twenty something on crutches taking a short flight from IND plopped into the last row of first and said in a sad voice, "can't I just sit here?" before he was shooed away.

And my personal favorite (unlike the other two examples) was the man on a US Airways flight who, when being dismissed from the F cabin exclaimed, "I always fly first class."

I once evicted someone who boarded late just before me from my 2B seat. His boarding pass was something like 34E, so his protest to the FA that he thought it was his seat was laughable.

New thread?
 

First, great story, horrible ending. Con artist pure and simple. I'm a vet, and I'm not entitled to anything that anyone else is. I pays my money and takes my chances. You can buy a Vietnam era jacket at any army surplus store. Heck, if you look REALLY old, get something from WWII or Korea.

Now, having read the rest of the stories in this thread, I wonder if someone should start a thread about "stuff you just can't make up". Then again, we do have the DYKWIA thread......:D

+1

Agreed....

Yep. ^^^^this.

I greatly respect your attitude and appreciate your service.

I live in retirement central in the middle of Florida. I can buy any kind of military jacket with whatever patches on it I want and half a dozen thrift stores. If I want more patches or jackets I can run over to the flea market on Saturday. There is a guy over there who has everything. I see way too many "Vietnam Vets" seeking sympathy from the public to give much consideration to any of them. My husband was in this category, and he would crawl over broken glass rather than accept something in return for his military service. Asking for pity is repulsive. I cannot imagine any legitimate veteran wearing a 45 year old piece of clothing unless to elicit sympathy. It is part of the costume of a con artist.

As an older person I am even more disturbed by the dementia act. It is difficult enough convincing those under 50 that you can still make a reasonable decision on you own when you are 70 without people pretending to be demented. I guess I am naturally suspicious, but if you do not know how to find your seat on an airplane what will happen when you reach your destination?

I do hope the man who generously gave up his seat never knows to whom he made this noble gesture. Hopefully he was overwhelmed by his own generosity and felt good about himself for days.

Thank you very much for your service.

I'm guessing that the older man in question doesn't fly often or he'd see that DL is extremely supportive of members of the military. Oftentimes, GAs will let those traveling in uniform board first as an appreciative gesture and will occasionally upgrade them if all eligible elites have been upgraded and others have had the opportunity to purchase upgrades. Whenever I fly, I see and thank a lot of members of the military for their service and can't remember a time when any of them have been anything other than extremely polite.

It's very easy to get military or veteran's clothing at thrift stores, eBay, and garage sales. Two of my favorite articles of clothing are a vintage Coast Guard jacket and hat which became parts of my pilot costume for Halloween.

Many (maybe most) veterans from whatever conflict find it awkward, even embarrassing, to have strangers come up to them and thank them for their service.

I think many of those who go out of their way to publicly thank veterans do so out of shame or guilt for not choosing to give service themselves. Among the worst offenders are politicians from both parties.

This country and its military veterans would be better served (and probably enter fewer conflicts) if everyone was required to serve. And veterans in particular would be better honored if we backed up words with action. That means actively support and work for veterans benefits, jobs for veterans and the like.

Words are easy. And cheap.

I'm reminded of being in (LA - I think), and a guy walked up to me - sickeningly sweet - saying some thing like . . .

I'm a former Vietnam veteran. Can you possibly spare some change so I can eat something. I said, sorry, but I don't have any change. He said - - Thanx a lot, ya piece of CR@P!

My guess is he was a faker, too!

I hava story about a guy on a CO flight who plotted (I heard him before boarding) and tried to steal an F seat, but it requires a good bit of typing. Maybe later! :)

I agree with everything you say here. I would like to add that I lived in San Antonio during the early years of the Iraq War. There were many service men and women with moderate injuries who were being treated there. I did notice that my fellow Elite travelers would often give up their F seats, when it would help provide a more comfortable ride for the wounded veteran (they were on crutches, had an injury that would make it difficult to sit comfortably in Y, etc). I had no problem with doing this.

Irritating story and even worse, this is why REAL veterans don't get the respect they deserve. Too many con-artists and scammers. I look at all the vets in my family, from every conflict from WWII through present day, and not one of them flaunts their service. Occasionally they were a hat representing their respective branch of the armed services, but they look at their service as their honor and privilege, not something they are owed undo reward for. They expect nothing for their service and that is how it should be.

Quick story of my own:

Was flying through DFW the other day and walked by an AA gate watching a flight board. Young man in uniform was at the back of the line to board, even though they called him out for pre-boarding. He didn't mind. He was happy to be the last one on board so all the other folks (mostly elderly and families) could get on first. Hat tip to that kid. Those all the active service members and future vets I want to reward with acts of generosity.

Now I won't be able to sleep, waiting for the story...

I'm sure! :D

I'm still awake...

So, this was ages ago, during whatever time frame CO was partnered with NW for UGs . . . . I was already UG'ed.

I was flying out of the old MDW, to EWR, I believe B737. I overheard a guy at the gate talking to a woman, who if I had to guess, he had never met before. The general nature of the conversation was that he was bragging about how he sneaks into F on flights, and he had a lot of success, but, that it's getting harder and harder to do.

The guy boarded directly ahead of me. As we walked thru F, he made a strange outburst holding out his BP and saying something, like - - I can't read my seat number - - I guess I'll sit here. I told him that I could read it - something like 17F - and he just ignored me and sat in F, which was not full.

The doors close. The FA does a walk-thru count. There's some whispering between FAs. Suddenly, they announce that they'll hafto check F pax BPs. Keeping in mind that I was much younger then, and I'm always dressed very casually in jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, they came to ME FIRST, in the last row of F, to check my BP!

They eventually found him, and he said something, like, oh, I thought that was my seat! Of course, he got booted back and did a REAL walk of shame! :D

Later, during the flight, I walked up front and told the whole story to the FAs.

Some people!

:)

What a scam. This wasn't an offer, this was blackmail by the so-called vet. The owner of the seat couldn't press his case without looking bad.

Scammers like this just make it harder for the truly deserving to get a break.

Thanks. Finally I can go to sleep... :p

As long as my story didn't PUT you to sleep! :D

Nitey nite!

Coming back from Las Vegas a few years ago, first class was full. A group of men who had been on some kind of outing were having a very good time while they boarded. When I arrived at my seat, I noticed a younger man settled in with his earphones and enjoying a PDB. When I asked why he was in my seat, he told me that he was doing me a favor because all of these men in first class were in his party and things would get "rough and rowdy" and he "wanted to spare a little lady all of that". It took all of two nanoseconds for the flight attendant to boot his thieving butt back to coach and a warning to his buddies to watch the noise and the nonsense. They behaved the entire way. The walk of shame was priceless, by the way.

What's needed here is a penalty box: Seat poachers should be sent to the normally non-reclinable seats just ahead of the rear lavs and given a collection of Thomas Hudson's posts to read in lieu of any in-flight entertainment.

That kind of detracts from the idea of its being a penalty box.

A sad story that I believe is true.

Institualization.