DCFinanceinFlight

Don't agree with PVN often, but I love this response, and agree 100%

Do you even read posts that you respond to? The post you quoted specifically mentioned IROPS.

GatorBlues

Maybe he has a dog named IROPS and it threw him off.

PTravel

I think the problem here is the difference between the theoretical and the actual.

If all requests for swaps were made in a polite, friendly and non-intrusive manner, and the requested swaps themselves were not, at the minimum, to worse seats, there would be few if any issues. That's the theoretical.

However, I suspect that most people's experience (and, certainly, mine) has been that either a seat was poached and, at minimum, attitude and, at worst, an argument resulted in trying to reclaim the seat, or, the proffered swap was to a clearly worse seat and the refusal to swap resulted in attitude or an argument. This is the actual for many, if not most, of us.

Unless and until the general environment of commercial flying changes (both planes and pax), there is going to resistance to even being asked to swap seats based on the likelihood that it will be the precursor to a hassle.

ATOBTTR

+1
The funny thing about this thread is how worked up people are getting over being asked. It actually is bringing me to hope I cross paths with these people and get to ask them for a seat swap, knowing it will ruin their day, and knowing that their being asked will leave them more annoyed than I would be getting a "no".

Occupationalhazard

^^^

Indeed, if the "theoretcial" were the "actual" there would certainly be no need for a 1350+ (!) post thread about it.

Exactly. This is why I resent/dislike finding my assigned seat actually occupied (rarely happens as I tend to board early); it presumes an answer on my part, like I'm letting the team down if I refuse because "but I'm already here", and it will require extra effort to extricate the person from a seat I specifically chose. I don't want to be hassled. I want to stow my gear and enjoy a PDB in peace.

It's not like every asker was the victim of IRROPs or has some medical condition or a tight connection. I'm willing to give someone a fair hearing, and I've moved to accommodate other people before, but if I am not (or any askee is not) inclined to switch then that should be the end of it. Instead, 1350+ posts.

O/H

Proudelitist

Politeness doesn't change the fact that it's an imposition. It's still a steaming crap, offered in a fancy box.

If someone wants to accept that steaming crap because they are not bothered, great. But even the fact that someone accepts it doesn't make it any less of an imposition.

Accepted by the seat holder or not, it's still poor form to ask. Politely put or rudely demanded, it's still an imposition.

Why? Because there is no real need to switch seats. Only a want.

If there IS a real need, such as disability..then the FA can force the move.

Otherwise, anyone asking is being selfish in doing so, and deserves to be dismissed out of hand.

Proudelitist

Absolutely. One pet peeve of mine is the absurd hypothetical argument, the reducto ad absurdum, that so many FT'ers engage in...usually it's something along the lines of "Ok, but what if the person's child is 2, and mentally retarded, and they are travelling with grandma, and their flight was cancelled 2 times, and they did book seats ahead of time, but the IT department at the airline ate the reservation??' etc etc.

In my experience, it is never so pathetic a real life story. It's almost always able bodied grown ups who seem to think being apart for a few hours is devestating, or a person who likes your seat better because theirs is terrible. It's typically a kettle who didn't know you could prebook seats, or cheaped out on paying the fee, or pushes their luck because they got UG'd but separately from their companion, and who doesn't understand that airline seats are not all priced the same and that different seats have different values.

It's always a case of inflated sense of entitlement, not a tale of airline sorrow.

hurnik

Yup, the last bit seems to be the issue.
I used to be of the mindset that (regarding pretty much anything) that it never hurts to ask, what's the worst they can do, so "no"? (May I leave work a few minutes early, May I have a raise, etc.)

But after reading this thread, and the outright hostility of some people for even being (gasp) asked, I now have to wonder.

GatorBlues

People don't "need" all sorts of things in life, and yet, requests for small favors are made, and granted or denied, constantly in our day to day lives. Your position (that it's purportedly inappropriate to even ask) is so unreasonable, I actually wonder if you're just trolling.

MEMLawGuy

pvn got put in time out.

Proudelitist

From friends. Family. Even acquaintances. But from total strangers? No, I don't get that "constantly", except from panhandlers of course.

sethb

Note that jamesteroh wasn't the one with a pet, someone else had one and jamesteroh was moved out of a pre-assigned C+ bulkhead seat.

sethb

So when someone offers me a seat I prefer to the one I have, that's crap? I consider it a win, in my universe.

And on your planet, people never ask for something they merely want? You've never requested someone to hold a door for you, or an elevator? You've never phoned an airline to ask for a seat that you want, or the flight that you want?

Or perhaps asking for something you want is acceptable under some circumstances.

I'll remember that if you're ever running for an elevator that I'm in.

GatorBlues

What did he write that was over the line? I thought his post about a poster reading Logical Fallacies for Dummies was clever, not insulting.

bergamini

To me, it was needed on a cumulative level and not because of an isolated incident. He picks fights to pick fights. I had an issue a week or two ago with him and got 3 PM's in support and the user names of multiple people who have blocked him. We are here to share and learn from each other, not demean. I proved him wrong in a few incidents and he just stopped replying to that thread then. I was very active in FT 10 years ago and the negativity got to me and so I applaud any attempt at trying to encourage simple honest debate and not fighting to fight.