Originally Posted by Proudelitist

I am the "jerk" who never swaps. I would swap for an upgrade, but I have never been offered one to swap. I hear stories of it happening here on FT but to me it never has.

I select my seat carefully, well in advance, and frequently with more money. I am not giving it up, short of a class upgrade. As such, I have won that desirable seat fair and square, and those who covet it have lost, fair and square. Wolves and sheep...

I simply do not care if you are separated from your companion, and I don't think having a companion gives you more entitlement than I have as a solo traveler. Nor does being a parent. Particularly with fully grown adults who should be able to withstand being separated from their companions for a few hours. But even with kids as part of the equation, the airline needs to sort it out and it's not my problem until the FA specifically asks that I vacate the seat. And even then I will resist a little and request that the purser or GA ask.

I don't care if it was a lack of foresight or a run of bad luck with the flights that separated you. It's not my problem and should not be made into my problem. I am sure someone else will be willing to swap.

We talk a lot about hypotheticals and unusual situations in seat swaps. Apologists for seat swappers will say things like "What if it's a 3 year old with Multiple sclerosis and a mom in a wheelchair??". But let's be honest here...the vast majority of swap requests and poaching is done by perfectly able bodied people who can only offer a less desireable middle seat further back, families who seriously expect to not only get upgraded together, but to get seats together as a result, people who simply like your seat better, and people who think they cannot be apart from their adult companions.

I would even go further and suggest that polite requests are rare. Most of the time it starts with barking commands such as "You are going to have to" or "You need to" or as in the case of poachers "sorry, I am sitting with my.."

Politely declined requests are infrequently met with similar politeness. Instead, it's typically an indignant response, accuastions of rudeness, or a scene.

So, I always say no.

Originally Posted by Crazyhotelguy

Just watched a couple of professionals in action on DTW-MCO. They board to find their seats have "mysteriously been separated". Funny they had the boarding cards the whole time.

The immediately go into poach mode. When the first guy declines to change, they throw a , but it's my wife/husband routine, as if it is so horrific that they be separated. The wife starts working on the other guy and since he is mr. Caveman, they swap.

As they are moving around, the wife spits out, "yeah it's really not a big deal to move as it's such a short flight!"

So why did they make a federal case over something that was not a big deal? I bet they think their poop carries no odor either......

Thank you row 5 for reaffirming why I avoid seat swaps.

Originally Posted by EditingFX

Not a big story, but Mrs & I were returning from AMS last month on a 330-300, the 2-4-2 config, in C+. Had booked late, and were stuck in aisle/inside on the 4 seat section. Just as we reach our seats, a guy sitting in that row asks me if we'd mind swapping with his wife & 1 child, "they're right over there". Which turns out to be a bulkhead C+ 2 seat combo! Well, heck yeah. Unlimited legroom & a window, couldn't have asked for better. (OK, an OPUP for 2, but that's just dreaming.)

Originally Posted by krpjr

For the second time in the past week, I have boarded my flight and someone is sitting in my seat!

I'm not angry or pissed, but I did pick my seat for a reason. This is all in the front cabin.

First flight a few days back. Some guy is sitting in my seat, I said "excuse me sir, do you mind checking your boarding pass again"

His response was "I wouldn't be in your seat if people didn't keep tossing me around."

LOL, really mfker? - Said that to myself of course. But what I did say was "So you just sit wherever you want?"

This guy already had his shoes off, so he had intentions on staying in my seat.

Apparently before I boarded he switched with some woman from his original first class seat. Except her seat was on the other side but he decided to sit on my side because the seat was open...? So he decided it was best to cop an attitude and just sit comfortably where ever he felt at that point. WHATEVER MAN!

Anyways, ended up getting my seat....

Today, I board my flight, first class cabin. Some lady is already in my seat, I said "excuse me ma'am" before I could finish she cut me off and said "do you mind sitting in my seat over there."

Really LADY, REALLY??? So she took it upon herself to sit her arse in my seat before I even got to sit in it and decide if I wanted to switch with her or not. UNBELIEVABLE.

3rd time will be a charm and I'll probably just lose all of my patience for some of these seat thieves.

I don't mind seat swapping in most cases, especially if asked nicely but these people are just taking advantage.

Originally Posted by FlyingWithers

So, so funny. In the last 18 months I have had a person next to me, with me in an aisle seat, ask if I would like the window seat. One domestic and one int'l here. On both occasions the person noted that he "gets up quite a bit." I said, "so do I," the reason I booked this seat 4 months ago!!!

"Whatever it look like....it definitely ain't that." Former Florida Senator George Smathers

Originally Posted by pgh234

See...I hate aisles and prefer windows. If you get stuck in a window due to IROPs, and I am in the aisle because that was all that was available...wouldn't we be perfect seat swap companions? That is the point of this thread, to remind you that sometimes, when done politely, it is in both parties' interest to swap. No need to be an old grump who says "NO!" 100% of the time even if it is to an equal or better seat.

Originally Posted by sethb

If I'm in the window due to IROPS (and only the window was available), how was it not available to you?

Originally Posted by ATOBTTR

Maybe it was blocked or maybe occupied by someone else who got IROPed or SDCed to another flight or switched to another seat, or got UGed to the premium cabin, opening up the window seat. But not everyone refreshes the seat map every 30 seconds to see what seats are opening up and disappearing.

Originally Posted by gimmeyourmiles

I had a question about having a lap child and two adults. What if one adult has the business or firstclass seat and the other adult has the lap child in economy. Has anyone done this scenario and brought the child to the front?

Its easier to handle a lap child with more room.

I have had good experience with getting a middle seat free since most people don't want to sit near kids with parents but I wanted to see if anyone did the scenario above.

Originally Posted by gimmeyourmiles

I had a question about having a lap child and two adults. What if one adult has the business or firstclass seat and the other adult has the lap child in economy. Has anyone done this scenario and brought the child to the front?

Its easier to handle a lap child with more room.

I have had good experience with getting a middle seat free since most people don't want to sit near kids with parents but I wanted to see if anyone did the scenario above.

Originally Posted by kop84

Internationally it may matter as infants typically pay 10% +tax of the adult fare and would obviously be a substantial difference between Y/J. Then it would really be up to the FA if they would allow a "ticketed in Y infant" into J.

Originally Posted by kipper

I'd be annoyed if the child wasn't supposed to be in first class and then was. But, then again, I'd rather children not be in first class if they are small enough to be a lap child.